Ranking Individual Poker Hands – Which One is Best?

Posted by Harry Kane on Tuesday, May 7, 2024

While the halcyon days of poker may have ended during the noughties, this game of skill retains a cult following in jurisdictions such as the US and UK. Online and video poker still accounts for around 5% of the total iGaming GGY in Great Britain, while the game enables players to leverage skill, strategy and knowledge to gain a competitive edge over their opponents.

Whether you want to enjoy poker as a casual or professional player, however, it’s crucial that you study the game and its various iterations. Similarly, you’ll need to understand the universal rules that underpin poker as a discipline, such as how each hand is ranked. We’ll explore the poker hand hierarchy below, while asking how you should play each one!

What are the Available Poker Hands

Across poker games, the way each hand is ranked remains largely unchanged. There are 10 poker hands in total, each of which has a clear place in hierarchy and will determine precisely how you’ll play the hands that you’re dealt. Here’s a summary of each poker hand, along with a table that provides an at-a-glance reference.

• Royal Flush: The best possible poker hand, this comprises a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace all from the same suit. It’s the also the highest ranked ‘flush’ hand in poker, while it’s unbeatable in both Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha games.
• Straight Flush: The second highest ranked poker hand is a ‘Straight’ flush. This comprises any five numerically sequential cards from the same suit, other than the picture cards. This an incredibly tough hand to beat, although the odds against it being dealt are prohibitive (we’ll touch more on this below).
• Four-of-a-Kind: As the name suggests, this hand features four numerically matching cards from each suit. There are only four of each card in a standard 52-card deck, so it’s another scarcely seen hand. It’s the third-ranked poker hand and one that’s coveted among players.
• Full House: A ‘Full House’ comprises a combination of three-of-a-kind (three numerically identical cards) and an additional pair. This is the fourth-highest ranked poker hand in the game, while it’s significantly more likely to be drawn than any of the previous combinations.
• Flush: A standard flush is ranked fifth in the poker hand hierarchy, while it’s the lowest ranked iteration of a flush. This hand comprises five non-sequential cards of the same suit, such as hearts, diamonds, clubs or spades.
• Straight: Next up is the sixth-ranked ‘Straight’ hand. This comprises five cards in sequential order of any suit, while there are relatively competitive odds of this hand being drawn despite there only being 10 distinct iterations.
• Three-of-a-Kind: This hand simply comprises three numerically identical cards of any suit. This is the seventh highest-ranked poker hand (out of 10) and can also be combined with a single pair to create a full house.
• Two Pair: Now we’re down to the eighth best poker hand, which comprises two pair. Hands of this type are valued according to the highest value pair. In the unlikely event that opposing players are drawn two identical pairs, the highest-value remaining or ‘kicker’ card seals the deal.
• One Pair: As the name suggests, this hand features any two numerically matching cards. There’s a high implied probability of this hand being drawn, particularly after the first three community cards have been drawn in an iteration of Texas Hold ‘em. However, playing this hand requires thoughtful strategy, while you may have to bluff your opponents.
• High Card: This describes a hand without any pair or the configurations listed above. This hand is the lowest-ranked and determined by its highest value card. An Ace is the highest value card, while two is the lowest. The theoretical probability of a high card hand being drawn is 100%.

What are the Odds Against Each Hand Being Drawn?

Now that you’ve seen the poker hand hierarchy, the next step is to understand the odds against each hand being drawn. From here, you can calculate the implied probability of each hand being dealt, prior to the initial hole and community cards being drawn. So, let’s explore each hand’s odds in a little more detail!

• Royal Flush: There’s only four distinct Royal Flush hands (one for each suit), while the odds against this being dealt are incredibly prohibitive at around 649,739/1. These odds imply a probability of just 0.000154% of the necessary cards being drawn during a hand, so this is something that you may experience rarely when playing online poker.
• Straight Flush: There are only nine distinct straight flush hands, as a royal flush has its own unique place in the poker hierarchy. The odds against a straight flush being dealt are estimated to be around 77,192.33/1, suggesting that you have a 0.00139%% chance of this outcome occurring.
• Four-of-a-Kind: There are 156 distinct four-of-a-kind poker hands, as this comprises four numerical identical numbers from any suit. The odds against a four-of-a-kind hand being dealt is 4,164/1, implying a 0.02401% probability of this outcome occurring. So, it’s significantly more common than the previous two hands.
• Full House: We’re now entering the realm of more commonly dealt hands. The odds against a full house being drawn are 693.1667/1, so there’s a 0.1441% probability of you constructing this hand. There are also 156 distinct full house hands, although this also comprises three-of-a-kind and a single pair.
• Flush: Interestingly, there are 1,277 distinct flush hands, which comprise five cards of the same suit in any numerical order. The odds against a flush being drawn are 507.8019/1, so there’s a 0.1965% probability of this outcome occurring. Despite the number of potential flush hands, the odds are influenced by need to match five cards of an identical suit.
• Straight: There are only 10 distinct ‘Straight’ hands, which will comprise any five sequential number cards. However, the odds suggest that you’re twice as likely to be dealt a straight than a flush (253.8/1), while they also imply a 0.3925% probability of the hand being constructed.
• Three-of-a-Kind: The remaining four poker hands are relatively common. For example, the odds against being dealt three-of-a-kind are just 46.32955/1, implying a 2.11% probability of the outcome occurring. In total, there are 858 distinct three-of-a-card hands that may be dealt from a standard 52-card deck.
• Two Pair: There are also 858 two pair combinations that can be drawn from a 52-card deck. This is an incredibly common poker hand that wins a large percentage of pots, with odds of 20.03535/1 against implying a 4.7539% of your receiving two pairs. Your odds can shorten further depending on the hole cards that you’re dealt.
• One Pair: The odds against being dealt a single, numerically matching pair are just 1.3664777/1, implying a 42.2569% probability of your hand being structured in this way. It’s much harder to play a one pair-hand due to its frequency and the number of alternatives that beat it, while you’ll need to be wary when dealing with big blinds and raising.
• High Card: This is an incredibly common poker hand, with odds of just 0.9953015/1 against your finishing with a high card. The implied probability of this being your final hand is 50.1177%, so the statistics suggest that you’ll be dealt this in one of every two rounds. The cumulative odds of finishing with at least a high card hand are 100%.

How to Play Different Types of Poker Hand

These hands may be described as strong, medium strength or weak. Because of this, they’ll need to be played differently, according to your precise circumstances and several external factors (we’ll touch more on these below). But first, let’s look at how you should consider playing specific types or strength of hand!

Treat Weak Hands with a Well-Timed Raise – Unless Your Fold

If you’re dealt a high card hand where a highest individual card value is incredibly low (such as a 2), you may choose to fold. After all, it’s incredibly risky to bluff this type of hand, while it may also cost a considerable percentage of your bankroll when playing against aggressive players or individuals with strong hands.

However, if you have a high value hole card (such as an Ace), a conservative and well-timed raise can afford you a foothold in the round and dictate the actions of others at the table. Arguably, this is a sensible move even if you’re left with a terrible hand after the flop, so long as you have the bankroll to effectively pursue pots in this instance.

This is an example of an ‘Esther Bluff’. This is a scenario where you raise or reraise with a weak hand but overt false confidence. This creates a scenario where you appear to have a strong hand, which when combined with the raise, encourages aggressive players to muck their hands and increase your chances of winning the pot.

However, we’d urge against you doing this if you’re in a late position. This means that the pot may be significant larger by the time you come to bet, or that the big blind could be beyond the inherent value of your hand.

Playing a Medium-Strength Hand – Err Towards the Side of Aggression

Generally speaking, it’s better to err on the side of aggression as a poker player. This is certainly true when you’re playing a medium-strength hand, such as a flush, straight or two pair. Remember, even two pair will statistically beat more than 92% of poker hands that are dealt during games, so there’s always room to bluff and raise with this type of hand.

Conversely, a middle pair is unlikely to be the best in a multi-way pot. So, you must play with controlled aggression, perhaps opting for a semi-bluff depending on your position at the table. Try to gauge the strength of your opponents’ hands where possible, as in instances where you’re called by stronger hands, you’ll only have about five outs to improve.

Of the available medium-strength hands, straight or flush draws can be played a little more aggressively as they have eight or nine outs. The same principle applies to ‘draws’, as while these hands don’t have significant value in their current state, your position may enable you to dictate the round and force others to fold.

Playing a Strong Hand – Pressing Home Your Advantage

When playing a strong hand, you should generally look to press home your advantage. However, your precise strategy will depend on the full strength of your hand, as premium pairs should be raised pre-flop in order to build the pot. This will protect your hand from being outdrawn by weaker ones.

But what if you have high hand comprising JJs, AKs or AQs? Well, these aren’t quite as strong as premium pairs, and in this instance, you should tread with a little more caution. However, raising from a late position is still recommended here, primarily because you’re likely to have your best hand pre-flop with the potential to improve further.

A key consideration here (as with all poker hands) is the composition of your table and contrasting playing styles. For example, passive tables may be much easier to bluff and raise out of contention, whereas a table packed with loose-aggressive players may demand a more conservative approach. After all, your raises here may see the pot spiral out of control quite quickly, so it’s important to gain an understanding of the table dynamics before plotting a precise playing strategy.