The main objective in a game of poker is to form the best 5-card combination also known as a poker hand. The highest-ranking poker hand wins in a showdown. In Texas Holdem poker, the suits, viz., Diamonds, Hearts, Spade, and Club are not ranked. Hence, if the only difference between the two poker hands is that of the suits, they are considered of equal rank.
While the rules may vary depending on the poker tournament, the highest-ranking poker hand always wins. Here are the best to worst-ranked Texas Holdem poker hands that are accepted on all the best poker sites:
1. Royal Flush
This is the best poker hand you can play. The highest-ranking poker hand, Royal Flush is a 5-card combination with Ace as its highest card followed by King, Queen, Jack, and Ten, all of the same suit.
2. Straight Flush
The second best poker hand in a game of Texas Holdem poker is the Straight Flush. It consists of 5 cards of the same suit in an increasing sequence. An example of a Straight Flush is 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of Spade. The only way to beat a Straight Flush in a game of poker is with a Royal Flush. If there are two players with a Straight Flush, then the winner is determined by the highest-ranking card in the sequence.
3. Four of a kind
The next best poker hand is Four of a kind. As the name suggests, this poker hand features four cards of the same rank and one random card. These four cards can belong to any suit as long as they are of the same rank. Four Queens plus Ace (any suit) is an example of this poker hand.
When there are two players on a table with this poker hand, the one with the highest-ranking Four of a kind wins. In a rare scenario where two players have the same four of a kind, the hand with the highest kicker card wins.
4. Full House
Full House is a simple poker hand combination that consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of the other. If two players have a Full House, the hand with the highest set or the highest-ranking triplet wins. If the set is also the same, in that case, the Full House poker hand with the highest pair wins the pot.
5. Flush
The next in poker hand rankings, Flush is a poker hand with 5 cards of the same suit. The sequence of these cards does not matter. Card rankings are used to determine the winner in the case of several players with Flush poker hands.
6. Straight Flush
In Texas Holdem poker, a Straight is a hand that contains 5 cards from different suits in a perfect sequence. A Flush beats Straight and a Straight beats Three of a kind. In a showdown where two players have a Straight poker hand, the one with the highest-ranking card wins.
7. Three of a kind
Three of a kind poker hand in Texas Holdem features three cards of the same rank and two random cards of any rank. Like it is with the Four a kind, the suit of the cards does not matter in this poker hand. The ranking of the Three of a kind determines the winner in the case of two players with the same poker hand.
8. Two Pair
This poker hand contains two pairs, i.e. two cards of one rank and two cards of another. An example of this poker hand is J, J, 2, 2, 7. If there is a tie, the winner is determined by card-ranking while the kicker comes into play when two players have the same two pairs.
9. One Pair
One Pair poker hand contains two cards of the same rank and three random or unrelated cards. This is the second worst-ranking poker hand in Texas Holdem poker. If there are two players with One Pair, the hand with the highest-ranking pair wins the pot.
10. High Card
The worst possible poker hand in Texas Holdem, High Card is just that, a card, and not a combination. It is the highest-ranking card that is used to determine a winner when none of the above-mentioned poker hands is formed.