Poker Hands

There are a wide variety of poker games played both online and off, all with different rules and strategies. However, one thing that remains constant throughout the games is the ranking of poker hands.

No matter how many cards you have available to use in your hand, your best 5 cards will count as your hand.

Below is a table of the possible hands in poker, starting with the best possible hand, a Royal Flush:

Hand	Description
Royal Flush	This is the highest hand possible in poker. It is a hand with 10-J-Q-K-A, all of the same suit. eg 10 J Q K A.
Straight Flush	This is any 5 consecutive cards, all of the same suit. eg 5 6 7 8 9. If there are 2 straights, the one with the best high card wins. For example, 8 9 10 J Q would beat 3 4 5 6 7.
Four of a Kind	This is a hand with 4 cards of the same rank. For example 5 5 5 5. As always, the higher 4 of a kind wins, so 4 Aces beats 4 Jacks.
Full House	A Full House is a hand with both a three of a kind and a pair. For example J J J K K. If there are two full houses, the one with the higher three of a kind wins.
Flush	A flush is a hand where all five cards are of the same suit. They need not be consecutive cards. eg. 2 5 8 J Q. If there are two flushes, the one with the best high card wins. If both have the same high card, it goes to the best second card and so on. For example, 2 5 8 Q K would beat 2 6 10 J K.
Straight	A straight is when you have 5 consecutive cards. The cards can be of any suit. For example 5 6 7 8 9. Again, the highest ranked straight will win. You should note that, although an Ace can be played either high and low for a straight, you can't use an ace in the middle of a straight. For example, Q K A 2 3 is NOT a valid hand.
Three of a Kind	This is a hand with 3 cards of the same rank. They can be of any suit. For example, K K K 10 7.
2 Pair	This is a hand with two pairs of cards of the same rank. They can be of any suit. For example, Q Q A A 5.
Pair	This is a hand with a single pair of cards of the same rank. They can be of any suit. For example, 5 5 8 9 2
High Card	When no hand has any of the above combination of cards, the highest ranked card wins. An Ace will be the best possible card here.

Some games of poker also use a wild card. This is a card that can represent any other card. In this case it is possible to get an even higher hand than the Royal Flush - 5 of a Kind. That is all the four cards of the same rank, plus the wild card which represents another card of that rank.

Where to play poker online:

Site	Features	Deposit Bonus
Poker.com	Editor's Pick! Instant Neteller Payout $5000 in Freerolls Daily Brand New Software	30% match bonus, up to $200
PokerChamps	Editor's Pick! Great New Software Multiple Deposit and Payment Options All the Best Games and Options	24/7 freerolls, no deposit required
Ultimate Bet	Real & play money games Over 10,000 players on at peak times Ring and Tournament games Satellites to World Poker Tour Aruba event	20% bonus, up to $100.
AbsolutePoker.com	3000 live players Great deposit bonus Earn Absolute Reward Points as you play WPT and WSOP satellites	35% bonus, up to $210
Pacific Poker	5000+ live players Multiple deposit options In busines since 1996 Prompt vcash outs	25% bonus, up to $100