What beats what in poker?

The most critical thing to know in poker is which hand beats which in the game of poker. This rule is called the poker hand ranking rule in the game. To become the winner of the game, you need to catch hold of the poker hand rankings and know all about it. Once you make the best hand combination as per the poker hand sequence, you can win the game and take away all the money in the pot.

Let us detail all the poker hand rankings in detail along with what beats what in poker.

Royal Flush

The first and the topmost hand on the poker sequence list is the Royal Flush. As the name suggests, it is the best poker hand of all. It contains all the top cards of the league such as Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10. Another important thing to note here is that all these five cards need to be of the same suit of spades or hearts or diamonds or clubs, to make a successful royal flush hand.

Since it is difficult to make this hand, it has a low probability. It is very rare to make this hand in the game. In the 52-card deck poker, the royal flush poker hand has four possible variations. All these variations are of the same rank. If you are thinking what beats a royal flush, then be informed that this highest poker hand cannot be beaten by any other hand. The player needs to make an Ace-high straight while ensuring that the other cards also belong to the same suit. This is how you can make the unbeatable royal flush.

Straight Flush

The second-best hand is called the Straight Flush hand. As per this poker hand sequence, you need to make cards that exhibit a continuous poker hand order. Also, all five cards need to be from the same suit.

In the long list of poker hand rankings, the straight flush comes at the number two spot. A Straight flush is only made when you have five cards in a sequence of the same suit. You can make this second-best hand in the poker order list by using two of your hole cards and five community cards which are laid face-up on the table.

As you would have observed, a straight flush is also one of the difficult poker hand rankings to make in the card game. When a player makes a straight flush, there are fewer chances that you lose the game. It is higher than every other hand except royal flush. It can beat all the poker hand ranks that are below it. Only a player who has made a royal flush can beat the straight flush.

Four of a Kind

The third best hand as per the poker order list is the Quad or Four of a Kind. It is ranked just above the full house poker hand and just below the straight flush hand. Four of a Kind is also considered one of the finest hands to make, out of all the poker hand rankings except straight flush and royal flush. If you get Four of a Kind, it means that only straight flush and royal flush can beat your hand.

To make Four of a Kind, you need to have four cards of the same rank while the fifth card can be of a different rank. The last card or the fifth card is called the side or kicker card. Though in Quads, four cards have the most importance even the kicker is essential, especially in the case of a tie.

This poker hand ranking features on the number three spot in the hand order list. The Four of a Kind is a hand order which also has a low probability. It is rare to make this hand but this hand rank can make you win the game. In poker games such as Texas Hold’em, the quad is most likely unbeatable.

Full House

Full House is another great hand that elevates the chances of you winning the pot. Placed on the fourth number, the Full House contains a combination of cards where three cards are of one rank and there is a pair of another rank. To give an example, AAAKK is the topmost Full House you can ever make.

This five-card poker hand is placed just above the Flush and just below Four of a Kind. If you are thinking what beats a full house, then this hand gets beaten by the royal flush, straight flush, and four-of-a-kind. A full house can beat flush and all the hands below it. While making this poker rank, the denomination of the cards matters the most. The Full House of Aces beats jack full, and so on.

If there is a tie in this hand, the player with the higher triple becomes the winner. At the time of the showdown, the three of a kind are considered first and then the ‘pair’ is seen. The higher-ranked full house will beat the lower. If there is the same ‘three of a kind by the two players in the game’, ‘pair’ is considered to determine the winner.

Flush

The Flush is a poker hand order that has five cards of the same suit. If you are thinking what beats a flush, then this hand gets beaten by the royal flush, straight flush, four-of-a-kind, and Full House.

Also called four-flush, this hand has four cards of the same suit. You need just one more card to complete the draw and make a perfect hand combination of the five cards of the same suit.  In Texas Hold’em poker games, Flush is treated as a strong poker hand rank. The best possible flush is ace-high flush and all five cards belong to the same suit.

In the case of a tie, the player who has the highest straight rank becomes the winner. For example, a Queen high Flush will beat a J-high Flush of any suit, and so on. If there is a tie between two players or more with the same four-flush, then the High Card decides the winner of the poker. 

Straight

In this poker rank, the player has consecutive cards of different suits. The suits can be any. The strong straights contain the highest cards and weak straights contain the lower cards. A Straight is beaten by Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush.

The highest Straight can be made of cards – Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten or Broadway. The lowest straight you can make in the game can be Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5 or Bicycle.

Three of a Kind

The containing three cards of the same rank makes a Three a kind poker card order. The best possible Three of a Kind is three aces and a king and a queen. In case of a tie, the side card will decide the winner. If that is also the same, the second kicker card helps.

If you make Three of a kind, you still have a chance to become the winner of the game. Placed at number seven in the sequence list, it can beat 2 Pairs, One Pair, and a High card.

Two-pair

If you have made a combination of two cards of the same rank and two cards of the same rank, then it is called Two-pair. These pairs have identical ranks and denominations. There is one other side card to complete the five-card hand. The fifth card is important in case of a tie.

Placed at the eighth position, it can beat only two hands called One Pair and a High Card. it can get beaten by Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush.

One Pair

One pair is a card combination when you have two cards of the same rank and the other three cards in the five-card hand.

Placed at the ninth position, it can beat only one hand – High Card. It can get beaten by Two pairs, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush.

High card

In this poker hand rank, the ace is the highest, and seven is the lowest. Placed at the last number, the player does not have a strong chance of winning. Example of High card is 2, 7, 9, J, and a Queen. Queen is the High Card.

If there is a tie and two or more players have made a high card, the player who has made the highest high card will become the winner of the poker game.

Which hand beats which hand?

This is what you need to know:

• One Pair beats High Card.
• Two Pair beats One Pair.
• Three of a Kind beats Two Pair.
• Straight beats Three of a Kind
• Flush beats Straight
• Full House beats Flush.
• Four of a Kind beats Full House.
• Straight Flush beats Four of a Kind.
• Royal Flush beats a Straight Flush.

To play the poker game like a pro, it is essential to know this poker rule. Know about all ten poker hand rankings in detail and become the winner.