The term hand is used to mean the period of time covering all play from the dealer, going clockwise around the table, until back at the dealer. In Texas Hold’em, “a hand” could also be used to mean the best five-card combination you have; i.e., the five community cards and the two hole cards.

Hand rankings are very important in poker. To win you have to force all the other players to fold their hand, or you proceed to the showdown where the best combination of cards will win. For new poker players’ understanding the cards is vital, only then can you begin to understand how they work. Form the best hand ranking using the five combination cards alone, or together using one or both hole cards.

Suits are made up of Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds and Spades. In Texas Hold’em, the royal flush will always win the game. The high card holds the lowest value and the royal flush the highest.

A poker hand usually consists of five cards. There are ten different hands a player can form in poker but only five cards count. Should the hand go to a showdown with no combination or winning pair, the highest card will win the game.

These hand rankings are in order from the highest to the lowest.

1. The royal flush: a straight – starting with a 10 going up in consecutive order to the ace, made up from a five card combination of the same suit.
2. A straight flush: the winning combination of five cards all from the same suit
3. Four-of-a-kind: four cards of the same rank. Should two players hold the same hand, the fifth card (known as the kicker) decides the winner
4. A full house: a combination of any three cards of the same rank and two others of the same rank, e.g. 3 Queens and 2 fives.
5. A flush: a combination of any five cards from the same suit, not necessarily in consecutive order.
6. A straight: a combination of five consecutive cards from different suits. A straight is ranked as either high or low, simply put, five cards in sequence.
7. Three-of-a-kind: any combination of three cards coming from the same suit, e.g. three Aces a King and a Queen as side cards, would form a good winning combination.
8. Two pairs: any two cards of the same rank, paired with two other cards of same rank, e.g. 2 Kings and 2 fours.
9. One pair: two cards holding the same rank, e.g. 2 eights.
10. A high card: if there are no winners from the above rankings the player holding the highest ranking card will win the hand, e.g. one player holds a Nine, another an Ace, the Ace wins.

Suits are totally meaningless useless five cards from the same suit are held. Hands are also ranked according to their probability. The lesser the probability of a card combination, the more valuable it is.

Traditional high poker hands

In traditional high poker hands, the best straight flush, (the royal flush), is made up of a combination of the Ace, Queen, King, Jack and ten of a suit. A royal flush is unbeatable.

In a flush, five cards from the same suit stand to win. If there is a tie, the highest-ranked card wins the pot.

Ace to five lowball hand ranking

In Ace to five lowball hand ranks, suits are irrelevant. This method of ranking hands is used in Omaha poker and others of its kind. In this ranking, the Aces are always considered low cards.  The value of a low five-card hand starts with the topmost card downward.

The five low is also referred to as the wheel. The combination of five, four, three, deuce and the ace is a winning combination. If another player has the same combination, the pot will be split equally.

In the six low, the winning combination is made up of any five cards which are topped with a ‘six’ card. The five cards should be unpaired. If there is a tie up, then the second-highest ranking card is going to win the pot. Sometimes it might be necessary to use the third, the fourth and even the fifth highest cards that are in the tying hands to break the tie.

In a seven low, any five unpaired cards that have a seven topping them win the combination and in case of a tie, the second-highest ranking card in the hand will win the pot but, if necessary, the third, fourth and even the fifth highest ranking hands will be used to break the tie.

For the eight low, the unpaired combination of five cards topped by an eight will win the pot. Like in other cases, the second-highest ranked card will win the pot and if it is necessary, the third, fourth or even the fifth highest ranking cards in the hand will be used to break the tie.

The eight low, however, is the weakest winning hand combination in Omaha poker, for example. In other types of poker, for example Razz, the lowest hand combination even if it is a nine will win the hand.

There are other hand rankings that are the exact opposite of the traditional hand rankings under which the ace to five low ball hand ranking falls. Each poker game is suited to its own hand rankings.

The eight low, is the weakest winning hand combination in Omaha poker. In other types of poker, e.g. Razz, the lowest hand combination (even if it is a nine) will win the hand.
There are other hand rankings that are the exact opposite of the traditional hand rankings under which the ace to five low ball hand ranking falls. Each poker game is suited to its own hand rankings.