Poker is a popular card game and is the general name given to a whole range of game variants, some of the most popular of which are 5 card draw and Texas-hold-em. Each variant of the game differs by subtle rule changes in the dealing of the cards or the betting procedure. But generally the aim of the game is to gain the best combination of cards you can - called a hand. Your hand is hidden from the other players and then you place bets that your hand is better then the other players hands.
The combination of cards in your hand determines the value of that hand, according to values assigned to different cards or groups of cards. The order or run of poker hands starting from the highest value hand to the lowest rank are based on the odds of being dealt a particular set of cards. The most valuable hand is the one that contains the highest value cards of the same suit in the correct sequence which statistically is the rarest hand to have.
These basic running order rules are the same whether you are gambling online or in a casino or just playing a poker game for fun.
Poker Hand Rank | Odds | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Royal Flush | 1:649,750 | AKQJ10, same suit |
Straight Flush | 1:81,218 | Any 5 card sequence in the same suit |
Four of a kind | 1:4,165 | 4 cards of the same number |
Full house | 1:694 | Three of a kind combined with a pair |
Flush | 1:508 | Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence |
Straight | 1:283 | Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit |
Three of a Kind | 1:47 | Three cards of the same index |
Two Pair | 1:21 | Two separate pairs |
Pair | 1:2.4 | 2 cards with the same number |
High Card | - | Highest card in the hand |