Hand Rankings

Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards. The cards are ranked from high to low in the following order: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Aces are ALWAYS high. Aces are worth more than Kings which are worth more than Queens which are worth more than Jack, and so on. The cards are also separated into four suits.

The hands are ranked as follows

Royal Flush - which is a series of cards, all of the same suit ranking Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten. This is the toughest poker hand to get.

Straight Flush - a five card sequence where all the cards are of the same suit. For instance, 5,6,7,8,9 of diamonds is a Straight Flush. If two straights should tie, the one containing the highest card wins. Should both hands contain the same high card, the pot is split.

Four-of-a-Kind - Four cards of the same rank with one other card of varying rank. The highest ranking Four-of-a-Kind would win in case of a tie.

Full House - is a hand comprised of both a three-of-a-kind (three cards with the same rank) and a pair (two cards with the same rank). An example would be K-K-K-6-6. If two full house hands should tie, the hand containing the higher three-of-a-kind wins. (5-5-5-2-2 beats 3-3-3-A-A)

Flush - consists of 5 cards of the same suit. In the case of a tie, the hand with the highest card wins. Should the high cards be the same rank, the next highest cards are compared (and so on).

Straight - five cards in sequence, of mixed suits. Should straights tie, the hand with the highest card wins. Should the hands be identical in rank, the pot is split. "Around the corner" (K-A-2-3-4) straights are NOT allowed.

Three-of-a-Kind is three cards of the same rank with two other cards of varying rank (not a pair). The highest ranking three-of-a-kind would win in the event of a tie.

Two Pair - A hand that contains two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and a dissimilar fifth card. Ties are awarded to the higher of the "high" pair, followed by the higher of the "low" pairs, and finally by the remaining card.

One Pair - A hand that contains one set of cards with the same rank. Highest pair wins ties. If both pairs are the same, highest card wins. Followed by next highest card and so on.

High Card - the weakest of poker hands. The highest ranking card wins the pot. In the event of a tie, the next highest card wins, and so on.