Every poker variant, from Texas Hold’em to Three Card Poker, is built on the same hand ranking hierarchy. Knowing it cold is the first real step to playing any poker game correctly.
The Rankings, Highest to Lowest
Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10, all one suit. Straight flush: five sequential cards, one suit. Four of a kind: four cards of the same rank. Full house: three of a kind plus a pair. Flush: five cards of one suit, not in sequence. Straight: five sequential cards, mixed suits. Three of a kind: three cards of the same rank. Two pair. One pair. High card: no matching hand, ranked by the highest card held.
Common Mistakes
New players often misjudge a flush versus a straight, or forget that suits never break ties in standard poker — a tie between equal hands is broken by kicker cards. Memorizing this hierarchy removes hesitation at the table and speeds up every decision you make.
