Poker Starting Hands - Comprehensive guide to which poker hands you should play, including a 2020 Texas Hold'em poker starting hands chart. Poker Hand Rank Here is the standard hand rank, from highest to lowest: A royal flush is a hand where all the cards are of the same suit and the 5 highest cards in consecutive order (10, J, Q, K, A). This hand is the best hand that you can get in the game of Texas Hold'em.
- Poker Hands Texas Holdem Odds
- Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Tournaments
- Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Rules
- Poker Hands Texas Holdem Calculator
- Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Game
In poker, players form sets of five playing cards, called hands, according to the rules of the game. Each hand has a rank, which is compared against the ranks of other hands participating in the showdown to decide who wins the pot. In high games, like Texas hold 'em and seven-card stud, the highest-ranking hands win. For your reference we have organized poker hands by strength so that you are never wondering who is the winner of any poker hand at the table. Note that the poker games Pot Limit Omaha and Texas Hold'em both share the same hand rankings format. Poker Hand Rankings Guide. Does a straight beat a flush? Does 2 pair beat a set?
With few exceptions, all poker games place hands on the same
scale from high- to low-value. Poker hands are ranked depending
on their likelihood. The least-likely hands are the
highest-ranked; the most common hands are the lowest-ranked.
Identical poker hands are ranked by which hands holds cards of
the highest value.
Poker Hands Texas Holdem Odds
Poker Hand Rank
Here is the standard hand rank, from highest to lowest: Difference between no limit and limit poker.
A royal flush is a hand where all the cards are of the same suit and the 5 highest cards in consecutive order (10, J, Q, K, A). This hand is the best hand that you can get in the game of Texas Hold'em.
A straight flush is a hand where all the cards are of the same suit and are in consecutive order. For example, a 23456, all of hearts, is a straight flush. In the event of a tie, the straight flush with the highest card wins.
A 4 of a kind is a hand where 4 of the 5 cards are of the same ranking. An example of a hand with a 4 of a kind might have KKKK2. That would be the 2 in every suit–clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. In the event of a tie, the 4 of a kind with the highest hand ranking wins.
A full house is a hand that consists of 3 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank. An example of a full house might look like this: KKKQQ. In the event of a tie, the hand with the higher cards in the 3 cards is the winner.
A flush is a hand that consists of 5 cards of the same suit—clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades. In the event of a tie, the flush with the highest card is the winner.
A straight is a hand where all 5 cards of consecutive ranks. 23456 is an example of a straight. In the event of a tie, the straight with the highest card is the winner.
2 pairs is a hand where you have 2 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank along with a final card of another rank. An example of 2 pairs might look like this: AAKK7.In the event of a tie, the hand with the highest pair wins.
1 pair is a hand where you 2 cards of one rank and 3 cards with different ranks. An example of a pair might look like this: JJ278. In the event of a tie, the higher ranked pair wins.
High card means a hand where none of the other hand rankings apply. If no one still in the hand can make a pair or better, the player with the highest card in his hand wins the pot.
Playing a live game of poker requires that you know this
hierarchy. For new players, this may seem a little daunting.
After all, here you have nine pieces of complex information to
remember in precise order.
A Word About Mnemonic Devices
I learned the order of poker hands using a mnemonic. I think
anyone can use this simple method to learn the hierarchy in a
matter of minutes. Mnemonics are popular memory devices used by
students, teachers, and people of all stripes for hundreds of
years in order to remember complex information.
You probably used a mnemonic device to remember the order of
the planets in our solar system. I remember learning the
sentence: 'My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas.'
The first letter of each of the words in that sentence will help
you remember that the planets go in this order – Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. I'll
probably never forget that fact, thanks to the mnemonic device I
was taught.
The trouble is, it's hard to convert hand rankings into
words. Besides that, I don't think you learn much about poker by
simply memorizing the order of hands. You should use the
opportunity of needing to learn proper hand hierarchy to improve
your understanding of poker strategy.
The tips below will help you understand the proper order of
poker hands better and introduce you to some basic poker
concepts to help you improve your overall game.
Low-Value Poker Hands
To remember the order of the four lowest-value hands, just
remember the number series '0, 1, 2, 3.'
- 0 means 'high card.' Having nothing in your hand means
the value of your hand depends on the value of your highest
card. Remember – in poker, aces rank high, while 2's rank
low. - 1 means 'one pair.' Any hand that contains just a single
pair of cards and nothing else valuable is a 1. - 2 means 'two pair.' This is a hand that contains two
pairs of cards. - 3 means 'three-of-a-kind.' It's the most valuable of the
low-value hands.
High-Value Poker Hands
For the purpose of this post, I'm calling every hand above a
three-of-a-kind a 'high-value hand,' but lots of poker
strategists would consider a straight to be a low-value hand.
This is really a difference in philosophy and a language issue
more than anything else.
For that reason, and for simplicity's sake, I like to think
of straight as a '/' symbol in my mnemonic. That means our
current mnemonic string goes: '0, 1, 2, 3, /.'
It's easier to memorize the order of the other high-ranking
hands if you count the number of letters in the hand's name.
It's made all the easier to remember by the fact that the number
of letters increases as you move up the scale.
Here's how I break it down:
- 5 – The word flush contains five letters.
- 9 – The words full house contain nine letters.
- 11 – The words four of a kind contain eleven letters.
- 13 – The words straight flush contain thirteen letters.
- 18 – The words royal straight flush contain eighteen
letters.
Putting them all together, our mnemonic is: '0 – 1 – 2 – 3 /
5 – 9 – 11 – 13 – 18.'
Other Ways to Memorize Hand Hierarchy
I'm not going to pretend that the method I used to learn hand
hierarchy is the only one that will work. The three ideas below
are the most popular tactics on the Web besides the use of
mnemonics, based on my research. You can use any of the four
methods described on this post to keep track of what hand beats
what other hand. That way, you'll be able to plan your tactics
ahead of time and make smart bidding decisions.
Rote Memorization
Some people learn best by repeated drilling of the material
to be memorized. I've heard of actors reading their scripts over
and over, playing tapes of the script in their sleep, and
learning their lines by rote. I can't think of any reason why
you shouldn't try this method.
Hand Evaluation Diagrams
Various poker trainer programs and strategy gurus have put
together diagrams to help you analyze your hand. You can use
these in poker rooms, and obviously you can use them online, so
long as you don't care about the other guys at the table making
fun of you. They're available for free with a simple Google
search.
Frequent Exposure
The more rounds of poker you play, the more you'll become
familiar with all the rules, including the rules of hand
ranking. You may lose a bunch on the way there, because of your
lack of familiarity with hand ranks, but, by God, you'll get it
eventually.
Conclusion
Remember that some poker variations assign different values
to cards and hands. Some games are totally reversed, rewarding
the lowest-value hand instead of the highest-value one. Other
games may consider an Ace to be low, or use Jokers, which throws
off the hierarchy and strategy a bit.
I hope that this page helped you learn about the value of the
cards you're dealt. I believe the best way to practice your
newfound understanding of hand hierarchy is to get out there and
play a bunch of poker. If you're still new to the game and not
yet comfortable with your understanding of hand rankings, you
can always play in free-to-play apps or use play-money at your
favorite online poker room.
The Order of Hands in Poker
Poker hands basics
There are a total of 10 different hands in standard five-card games of poker like Texas Holdem. Each hand's strength is determined by how difficult it is for players to come across it. The rarer a hand is, the harder it is to beat.
Why knowing your hands matter
Even though you can, in some cases, bluff your way to victory in poker, getting a strong hand is still the surest, most straightforward way to win a game. Besides, bluffing and pretty much any other strategy you could think of – including knowing when to fold – relies heavily on your understanding of poker hands.
Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Tournaments
Please note the following card references:
(h) Hearts (d) Diamonds (c) Clubs (s) Spades
Poker hand rankings
Below are all the five-card poker hands at your disposal (arranged from strongest to weakest):
#1 Royal Flush
649,739 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
Made up of five suited cards in sequence with an ace as its highest card, a royal flush is the strongest hand in poker.
Ex: Ac Kc Qc Jc 10c
Royal Flush Tiebreaker Tip: In standard games of poker, the suits cannot be used to break ties so if two or more active players end up with a royal flush, the pot is simply split evenly among them.
Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Rules
#2 Straight Flush
72,192 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
Practically the same as a royal flush, the only thing that sets it apart is that it uses a king or lower as its highest card.
Ex: 6s 5s 4s 3s 2s
Straight Flush Tiebreaker Tip: The highest cards of all tied players are compared first. If they're the same, then we move on to the second highest. The process continues until a winner is determined. If all the cards are the same, however, the pot is split evenly among all tied players.
#3 Four of a Kind
4,164 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
As the name suggests, this hand consists of four cards of the same value (plus a random fifth card).
Ex: Qd Qh Qs Qc 6s
Four of a Kind Tiebreaker Tip: The only way there can be a tie in this case is when the hand appears on the table. When this happens, the pot is split evenly among all tied players.
#4 Full House
693 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
A flush is a hand that consists of 5 cards of the same suit—clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades. In the event of a tie, the flush with the highest card is the winner.
A straight is a hand where all 5 cards of consecutive ranks. 23456 is an example of a straight. In the event of a tie, the straight with the highest card is the winner.
2 pairs is a hand where you have 2 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank along with a final card of another rank. An example of 2 pairs might look like this: AAKK7.In the event of a tie, the hand with the highest pair wins.
1 pair is a hand where you 2 cards of one rank and 3 cards with different ranks. An example of a pair might look like this: JJ278. In the event of a tie, the higher ranked pair wins.
High card means a hand where none of the other hand rankings apply. If no one still in the hand can make a pair or better, the player with the highest card in his hand wins the pot.
Playing a live game of poker requires that you know this
hierarchy. For new players, this may seem a little daunting.
After all, here you have nine pieces of complex information to
remember in precise order.
A Word About Mnemonic Devices
I learned the order of poker hands using a mnemonic. I think
anyone can use this simple method to learn the hierarchy in a
matter of minutes. Mnemonics are popular memory devices used by
students, teachers, and people of all stripes for hundreds of
years in order to remember complex information.
You probably used a mnemonic device to remember the order of
the planets in our solar system. I remember learning the
sentence: 'My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas.'
The first letter of each of the words in that sentence will help
you remember that the planets go in this order – Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. I'll
probably never forget that fact, thanks to the mnemonic device I
was taught.
The trouble is, it's hard to convert hand rankings into
words. Besides that, I don't think you learn much about poker by
simply memorizing the order of hands. You should use the
opportunity of needing to learn proper hand hierarchy to improve
your understanding of poker strategy.
The tips below will help you understand the proper order of
poker hands better and introduce you to some basic poker
concepts to help you improve your overall game.
Low-Value Poker Hands
To remember the order of the four lowest-value hands, just
remember the number series '0, 1, 2, 3.'
- 0 means 'high card.' Having nothing in your hand means
the value of your hand depends on the value of your highest
card. Remember – in poker, aces rank high, while 2's rank
low. - 1 means 'one pair.' Any hand that contains just a single
pair of cards and nothing else valuable is a 1. - 2 means 'two pair.' This is a hand that contains two
pairs of cards. - 3 means 'three-of-a-kind.' It's the most valuable of the
low-value hands.
High-Value Poker Hands
For the purpose of this post, I'm calling every hand above a
three-of-a-kind a 'high-value hand,' but lots of poker
strategists would consider a straight to be a low-value hand.
This is really a difference in philosophy and a language issue
more than anything else.
For that reason, and for simplicity's sake, I like to think
of straight as a '/' symbol in my mnemonic. That means our
current mnemonic string goes: '0, 1, 2, 3, /.'
It's easier to memorize the order of the other high-ranking
hands if you count the number of letters in the hand's name.
It's made all the easier to remember by the fact that the number
of letters increases as you move up the scale.
Here's how I break it down:
- 5 – The word flush contains five letters.
- 9 – The words full house contain nine letters.
- 11 – The words four of a kind contain eleven letters.
- 13 – The words straight flush contain thirteen letters.
- 18 – The words royal straight flush contain eighteen
letters.
Putting them all together, our mnemonic is: '0 – 1 – 2 – 3 /
5 – 9 – 11 – 13 – 18.'
Other Ways to Memorize Hand Hierarchy
I'm not going to pretend that the method I used to learn hand
hierarchy is the only one that will work. The three ideas below
are the most popular tactics on the Web besides the use of
mnemonics, based on my research. You can use any of the four
methods described on this post to keep track of what hand beats
what other hand. That way, you'll be able to plan your tactics
ahead of time and make smart bidding decisions.
Rote Memorization
Some people learn best by repeated drilling of the material
to be memorized. I've heard of actors reading their scripts over
and over, playing tapes of the script in their sleep, and
learning their lines by rote. I can't think of any reason why
you shouldn't try this method.
Hand Evaluation Diagrams
Various poker trainer programs and strategy gurus have put
together diagrams to help you analyze your hand. You can use
these in poker rooms, and obviously you can use them online, so
long as you don't care about the other guys at the table making
fun of you. They're available for free with a simple Google
search.
Frequent Exposure
The more rounds of poker you play, the more you'll become
familiar with all the rules, including the rules of hand
ranking. You may lose a bunch on the way there, because of your
lack of familiarity with hand ranks, but, by God, you'll get it
eventually.
Conclusion
Remember that some poker variations assign different values
to cards and hands. Some games are totally reversed, rewarding
the lowest-value hand instead of the highest-value one. Other
games may consider an Ace to be low, or use Jokers, which throws
off the hierarchy and strategy a bit.
I hope that this page helped you learn about the value of the
cards you're dealt. I believe the best way to practice your
newfound understanding of hand hierarchy is to get out there and
play a bunch of poker. If you're still new to the game and not
yet comfortable with your understanding of hand rankings, you
can always play in free-to-play apps or use play-money at your
favorite online poker room.
The Order of Hands in Poker
Poker hands basics
There are a total of 10 different hands in standard five-card games of poker like Texas Holdem. Each hand's strength is determined by how difficult it is for players to come across it. The rarer a hand is, the harder it is to beat.
Why knowing your hands matter
Even though you can, in some cases, bluff your way to victory in poker, getting a strong hand is still the surest, most straightforward way to win a game. Besides, bluffing and pretty much any other strategy you could think of – including knowing when to fold – relies heavily on your understanding of poker hands.
Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Tournaments
Please note the following card references:
(h) Hearts (d) Diamonds (c) Clubs (s) Spades
Poker hand rankings
Below are all the five-card poker hands at your disposal (arranged from strongest to weakest):
#1 Royal Flush
649,739 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
Made up of five suited cards in sequence with an ace as its highest card, a royal flush is the strongest hand in poker.
Ex: Ac Kc Qc Jc 10c
Royal Flush Tiebreaker Tip: In standard games of poker, the suits cannot be used to break ties so if two or more active players end up with a royal flush, the pot is simply split evenly among them.
Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Rules
#2 Straight Flush
72,192 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
Practically the same as a royal flush, the only thing that sets it apart is that it uses a king or lower as its highest card.
Ex: 6s 5s 4s 3s 2s
Straight Flush Tiebreaker Tip: The highest cards of all tied players are compared first. If they're the same, then we move on to the second highest. The process continues until a winner is determined. If all the cards are the same, however, the pot is split evenly among all tied players.
#3 Four of a Kind
4,164 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
As the name suggests, this hand consists of four cards of the same value (plus a random fifth card).
Ex: Qd Qh Qs Qc 6s
Four of a Kind Tiebreaker Tip: The only way there can be a tie in this case is when the hand appears on the table. When this happens, the pot is split evenly among all tied players.
#4 Full House
693 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
This hand is made up of a trip (i.e., three cards of the same value) and a pair (i.e., two cards of the same value).
Ex: Jd Jh Js 2s 2c
Full House Tiebreaker Tip: The trips are compared first. If they're tied, we move on to the pairs. If they're still tied, then the pot is split evenly among all tied players.
#5 Flush
508 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
This hand consists of five suited cards. The values do not matter.
Ex: Ac 8c 6c 3c 2c
Flush Tiebreaker Tip: Ties are broken in the exact same way as with straight flushes.
#6 Straight
254 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
In contrast to a flush, this hand consists of five non-suited cards of consecutive values.
Ex: 10d 9c 8s 7c 6h
Straight Tiebreaker Tip: This hand also uses the same process to break ties as straight flushes.
#7 Three of a Kind
Poker Hands Texas Holdem Calculator
46.3 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
It's just a trip plus two random cards.
Ex: 7h 7s 7c Qd 4s
Three of a Kind Tiebreaker Tip: The trip gets compared first. If they're tied, then the fourth (and, if needed, fifth) kicker cards are compared. If they're still the same, then the pot is split evenly among all tied players.
#8 Two Pair
20 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
As you may have probably guessed, this hand consists of two pairs (plus a fifth kicker card).
Ex: Jd Jh 8d 8c 3s
Two Pair Tiebreaker Tip: The high pairs are checked first. If they are tied, then the low pairs get compared. If they're still the same, then the kicker cards are used to determine a winner.
#9 One Pair
1.37 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
The only difference between a two pair hand and this one is that a pair only has, as the name implies, one pair (plus three kicker cards to complete the set).
Ex: 6d 6h Ks 7c 4s
One Pair Tiebreaker Tip: Ties are broken just as you would with two pair hands. The only difference is that there are three kicker cards to work with.
#10 High Card
0.995 to 1 odds (In a 52-card Deck)
The weakest one in the bunch, a high card hand is just a set of five random cards. It's something you automatically end up with if you cannot build any of the other hands on this list.
Ex: Qd 7c 5s 3h 2h
High Card Tiebreaker Tip:High card ties are broken with the same method used for straight flushes.
Standard order of poker hands
Seems overwhelming? Don't worry. Most five-card varieties of poker use this exact hand ranking system so you only really have to memorize everything once before you can play.
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Poker Hands In Order Texas Holdem Game
