Fri, 03/25/2011 – 20:14 – PokerPages Staff

Here is an overview of the ranking of poker hands for the beginner poker player.  A beginner poker player needs to know which poker hands outrank the other hands.  It is important because the rank of a poker hand is decided by the difficulty and frequency with which the hand shows up in play.  Therefore the highest-ranking poker hand is the least likely to be a common occurrence during a game.

The highest-ranking poker hand is a Royal Flush.  A-K-Q-J-10 are all of the same suit.  One notch down is a Straight Flush that is any sequence of five cards in the same suit other than a royal flush.  Next is four of the same card, one from each of the four suits; an example would be Jh-Jd-Jc-Js.  A full house is the next ranking hand.  A full house is made up of three of one denomination and two of another.  An example would be 7h-7d-7s-3d-3c.  A flush is next, and is made of having all the same suit, but no consecutive five cards run.  An Example would be Qh- 10h-8h-3h-2h. A straight follows here and that is a sequence of five cards, but not of the same suit.  An example would be 10s-9d-8h-7s-6c.  Three of a kind, two pair, a pair and high card complete the ranking of hands.

Beginner poker players can learn more about playing poker by visiting PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the internet for poker related learning.  Afterwards, why not test those skills by playing free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages section Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker betting, tips, bets, and strategies.