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Texas Hold’em - Hand Ranking
Before you hit the online poker tables, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the basic hand rankings and rules that govern Texas Hold’em. Here are the 10 hands every player should know before joining the action.
Royal Flush
Poker’s most famous hand, a royal flush, cannot be beaten. It consists of the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of a single suit.
Straight Flush
Five cards in sequence, of the same suit. In the event of a tie, the highest rank at the top of the sequence wins.
Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank, and one side card or ‘kicker’. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest side card (‘kicker’) wins.
Full House
Three cards of the same rank, and two cards of a different, matching rank. In the event of a tie, the highest three matching cards wins.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. In the event of a tie, the player holding the highest ranked card wins.
Straight
Five non-suited cards in sequence. In the event of a tie, the highest ranking card at the top of the sequence wins.
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated side cards. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest, and if necessary, second-highest side card (‘kicker’) wins.
Two Pair
Two cards of matching rank, two cards of different matching rank, and one kicker. If both players have an identical Two Pair, the highest kicker wins.
Pair
Two cards of matching rank, and three unrelated side cards. In the event of a tie, the player with the highest, and if necessary, second or third-highest side card wins.
High Card
Any hand that does not qualify under the categories listed. In the event of a tie, the highest card wins, such as ‘ace-high’.
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