Although rankings of suits do not affect the outcome of hands in poker, the general ranking of suits are as follows: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. The best way to remember the rankings is to think of the suits reverse alphabetically (S, H, D, C).

Here are examples of hand rankings from highest to lowest:

A Royal Flush is a hand with a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all of the same suit:

A Straight Flush is five sequential cards of the same suit:

Four of a Kind, or Quads, are four cards of the same rank:

A Full House, or Full Boat is a combination of three cards of one rank and two of another:

A Flush consists of five cards of the same suit:

A Straight consists of five sequential cards:

Three of a Kind, or Trips, is three cards of the same rank:

Two Pair consists of two different pairs:

A Pair is two cards of the same rank:

High Card is the highest single card you have in your hand:

In some instances at showdown, two players might have the same made hand, but the winner is determined by highest card or a kicker, which is the highest card that is not part of the made hand. The Ace is considered the highest card and the deuce is the lowest.

If two players make a flush or a straight, whoever holds the highest card will win the pot. If they both hold the same high card, then the second highest card determines a winner. If multiple players have full houses, whoever holds the better three-of-a-kind segment wins the pot.

Here are some examples:

ACE-HIGH:

If two players only have Ace-high, then the second highest card determines who will win the pot. If that card is tied, then the third card determines who wins, and so on.

For instance:

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PAIR:

If two players both hold the same pair, the winner is determined by whoever holds the higher kicker. For example, if two players hold a pair of eights at showdown, whoever has a better kicker will win.

For instance:

  beats   

TWO OF A KIND:

If two players both hold two of a kind, whoever holds the highest pair wins the pot.

For instance:

  beats   

If by chance both players hold the same high pair, then whoever holds the highest second pair wins the pot.

For instance:

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If by chance both players hold the same exact two pair, then the winner is determined by the kicker.

For instance:

  beats   

THREE OF A KIND:

If two players hold three of a kind, the player with a better three of a kind wins.

For instance:

  beats   

STRAIGHTS:

The highest straight is a Broadway Straight consisting of a Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.

The lowest straight is the Wheel or A-2-3-4-5.

If two players have a straight, the player with the highest straight wins the pot.

For instance:

  beats   

FLUSHES:

An Ace is the highest possible flush card, followed by the King.

If two players make a flush, whomever holds the highest card wins the pot.

If both players hold the same high card, then rank is determined by the second card, and if that is tied, then the third, and so on.

For example:

  beats   

Keep in mind that a straight flush (five sequential cards of the same suit) beats an Ace-high flush.

For instance:

  beats   

FULL HOUSE:

Aces full is the highest possible full house. The rank is determined by the higher three-card part of the full house.

For example:

  beats   

  beats   

STRAIGHT FLUSH:

In the rare event two players make a straight flush that is not a Royal flush, the player with the highest card will be determined the winner.

For example:

  beats   

In split pot high/low games like Stud Hi/Lo or Omaha Hi/Lo, half of the pot is awarded to whomever holds the best low five-card hand, but only if all five cards are eight or lower. If four or fewer cards are below eight, then there is no qualifying low and the high hand wins the entire pot.

The low hand is determined by the five lowest-ranking cards in a hand, with an Ace being the lowest card. Straights and flushes do not come into consideration.

The best possible low is A-2-3-4-5, also known as The Wheel:

The low is determined by the highest card in the hand. For example, 7-4-3-2-A loses to 6-5-4-3-2. A hand like A-2-3-4-9 does not qualify as a low hand because the 9 is higher than an eight, hence why those games are called “Stud Eight or Better” or “Omaha Eight or Better”.

The best low hands in descending order, starting with The Wheel are: