The Strengths of Poker Hands

The winner in poker games is determined by knowing who among the remaining poker players in the final round has the strongest hand. Thus, it is important for players to be extremely familiar with the strength of poker hands so they can decide when to drop out, call or raise their bets.

If there is a wildcard introduced by the dealer at the start of a poker game, the strongest possible hand that can appear during the game is the five of a kind. This hand consists of a wildcard and four cards of the same rank. An example of this is four kings and a wildcard. Note that for all poker hands, not one suit is stronger than the others.

In games where there is no wildcard, the strongest possible hand that players can come up with is the royal flush. This hand consists of an ace, king, queen, jack and ten. The cards must be in sequence and should come from the same suit. An example of this is a hand made up of an ace of spades, king of spades, queen of spades, jack of spades and ten of spades. Simple enough, isn't it?

The straight flush is the next strongest poker hand. This hand consists of five cards, all from the same suit, that are arranged in sequence. An example of this is a king of hearts, queen of hearts, jack of hearts, ten of hearts and nine of hearts.

The four of a kind follows the straight flush in terms of strength. This simply means four cards of the same rank and any other card. An example of this is a hand made up of an eight of hearts, eight of diamonds, eight of spades, eight of clubs and two of diamonds.

The full house, meanwhile, is a poker hand that consists of a three of a kind (three cards of the same rank) and a pair (two cards of the same rank). An example of this is a hand made up of three nines and two fives.

The flush consists of five cards of the same suit that are not in sequence, which is stronger than a straight which consists of cards that are in sequence but must all come from the same suit. An example of a flush is an ace of hearts, queen of hearts, jack of hearts, nine of hearts and three of hearts. A hand made up of a jack of clubs, ten of diamonds, nine of spades, eight of clubs and seven of hearts is a straight.

A three of a kind consists of three cards of the same rank and two other unmatched cards, which is stronger than two pairs, consists of two sets of two cards of the same rank and one unmatched card. An example of a three of a kind is three kings, a ten of clubs and a seven of spades. An example of a two pairs hand consists of an eight of spades, eight of diamonds, six of clubs, six of spades and four of hearts.

The pair is made up of two cards of the same rank and three unmatched cards. The weakest hand is the no pair hand or the high card, which consists of five unmatched cards.

So before deciding to join a poker match, make sure you have the poker hands well-memorized. After all, winners are usually those who come to battle well-prepared and make the best decisions during the game.