Poker Sequence : Learn Poker Hand Rankings From High to Low
Learning Poker hand rankings, poker sequences, charts, hierarchy, orders & combinations are very important to play poker game in a proper way. Poker is a skill based game, so it is very important that you should learn how poker hands fare up against each other. In any game of Poker, a good hand of cards never disappoints. Of course, skilled players can turn a bad hand into a good one through their expertise in the game, and the ones who do not understand the game well, may as well lose a round with a good hand of cards.
To improve one’s game a player must have complete knowledge of poker hand rankings and poker sequences. There are ten poker hands used to describe all poker hand rankings. These poker hand rankings comprise of poker sequences, others pairs, triplets and cards of a similar suit. Let’s discuss each poker hand ranking, Poker Sequence Charts, Hierarchy, Orders & Combinations one by one.
Poker Sequence - List of Poker Hands Ranking Charts, Hierarchy, Orders & Combinations
Royal Flush
This is the strongest hand in the poker hand rankings chart. Royal Flush is a unique poker hand consisting of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten, each of the same suit. The probability of getting it is 0.000154% (odds as 649739:1). The Royal Flush is an invincible hand, yet the rarest poker sequence, because any player who possesses it cannot be beaten under any circumstances.
Straight Flush
This is the 2nd most difficult poker sequence and the next strongest invincible poker hand. A Straight Flush features five suited cards in a poker sequence. The probability of getting a Straight Flush is 0.00139% (odds as 72192:1). Theoretically, the only way this poker hand can be beaten is by a Royal Flush. That’s because Royal Flush is the highest Straight Flush.
Four of a Kind
The 3rd highest hand in the poker hand rankings chart is Four of a Kind. As the name goes, it involves As the name goes, it involves exactly four cards of the same rank plus one random card. A♠,A♠,A♠,A♠,9♦ is the highest-ranking Four of a Kind. Also known as Quads, the probability of making this hand is 0.0240% (odds as 4164:1).
Full House
Full House, is the 4th strongest hand in poker hand rankings. It is a much simpler poker sequence wherein the five cards are arranged in a 3+2 formation. It consists of three similar cards of one rank and another two cards of a different rank. When two players have a Full House, the player with the higher ranking three cards in their hand becomes the winner. The probability of getting a Full House is 0.1441% (odds as 693:1).
Flush
Sitting 5th in the poker hand rankings chart, a Flush poker, hand consists of five cards of the same suit without any poker sequence. If more than one player gets a Flush, then the winner is decided on the basis of who has the card of the highest value. A formidable and winning poker hand, the probability of getting a Flush is 0.1965% (odds as 508:1).
Straight
Sitting 6th in the poker hierarchy chart, five cards of different suits arranged in perfect numerical poker sequence make a Straight poker. In case more than one player makes a Straight poker sequence, the highest-ranking card in their hands is used to decide the winner. Here, Ace can act both as the High or Low card depending on the cards it is placed with. The probability of getting a Straight poker sequence is 0.3925% (odds as 254:1).
Three of a Kind
Three of a Kind is a relatively simple poker hand that involves three cards of the same ranking and two random (unrelated) cards. If two or more players have similar triplets, the winner will be determined by the highest card of the two remaining random cards in the hand. If the higher of the two random cards are both equal, the second random card decides the winner. The probability of getting it is 2.1128% (odds as 46.3:1).
Two Pair
As the name goes, Two Pair Poker, hand consists of two cards of a similar rank, another two cards of a similar rank and one random card. If two or more players have Two Pair, the highest pair wins. If the first pairs are equal, the second pair decides the winner. The probability of getting Two Pair hand is 4.7539% (odds as 20:1).
Pair
This poker hand has two cards of the same rank, and three random, unrelated side cards. This is one of the most frequent poker hands made in both Texas Holdem and Omaha poker games. The probability of making One Pair is 42.2569% (odds as 1:1).
High Card
A High Card can be simply any card that does not fall into any of the nine poker hands mentioned above. It is best used to break a deadlock and determine the winner in case of a tie, provided players fail to make any of the aforementioned poker hand rankings. If the first cards are identical, the second card is taken into account. If they are also identical, then the next one and so on until the first superior card is found.
Poker Hands Strategy
As a beginner, it is easy to get confused regarding how to make the best poker hands. Here are a few things you may note to determine the ideal Poker winning sequence to win in Poker.
- The above-mentioned Poker hands should be thoroughly memorized and you should be able to react after receiving the cards spontaneously.
- For new players, it is good news that the ranks and their positions are exactly the same for all poker variations.
- Starting from the King of Poker hands, the Royal Flush, the list keeps going down and ends with the random five cards.
- Getting a Royal Flush poker hand where all top five cards are from the same suit is very rare. Most players earning mega wins in Poker wait for their lives to get this winning sequence.
- The Straight flush containing 5 consecutive cards is rare, but the 3rd strongest hand, Four-of-a-kind, is still common in the game.
- Take note that a Full house always ranks at a higher position than Flush in poker. Similarly, a Flush always beats a Straight.
- Don’t play too many hands. You should play only 20-25% of the hands. This means stick to playing only good hands, especially when you are playing against 8 to 9 players.
- A few good starting hands pre flop that you can play aggressively are A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K, A-Q and AJ.
- Last but not the least, players have to read the minds of other players with every hand and establish a secure position for themselves on the table.
Poker Hand Ranking FAQs
The best poker hands among all is the Royal Flush as per standard poker rankings. This is formed by the Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit.
The worst starting hand in Texas Hold’em poker hands is 3-2 offsuit. Often 7-2 is also referred to as one of the worst poker hands since it has less straight potential than a 3-2, despite having higher pot equity.
In most variants of poker, it is necessary to use exactly five cards to make a hand. In Texas Holdem poker you have to use your hole cards (face down) in combination with three of the five community cards to form the best five-card poker hand. In Pot Limit Omaha poker, you have to use two out of the four hole cards in combination with any of the five community cards to make the best five-card poker hand.
Poker hands are ranked based on the standard poker hand hierarchy, which goes from the highest-ranked hand to the lowest-ranked hand. Here is a list of Poker Sequence Charts, Hierarchy, Orders & Combinations from highest to lowest:
- Royal Flush - Top five cards of the same suit. For example, A, K, Q, J, 10 of clubs.
- Straight Flush - Any five cards of the same suit in sequence (for example, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 of clubs).
- Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank and one random card (for example, A♦A♥A♠A♣,9♣).
- Full House - Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank (for example, three jacks and two 6's).
- Flush - Any five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Example: A♥,J♥,2♥,8♥,10♥
- Straight - Any five cards in sequence, not of the same suit. Example: K♥,Q♣,J♥,10♦,9♠
- Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank and two random cards (for example:K♠,K♠,K♣,A♣,2♥).
- Two Pair - Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and one different card(for example, J♥,J♣,K♣,K♦,10♦).
- One Pair - Two cards of the same rank (for example, Q♦,Q♣,A♣,2♥,4♦).
- High Card - If a hand doesn’t fall in any of the above poker hand rankings, the highest-ranking card in the hand is used to determine the winner. For example, A♦,2♣,K♥,7♠,4♣. Here, Ace of Diamonds is the high card.
In a showdown, the player with the highest-ranking poker hand wins the pot.
The highest ranking poker hand is the Royal Flush. It is made of the top five cards all belonging to the same suit. A♣,K♣,Q♣,J♣,10♣ is an example of Royal Flush. This is the most invincible hand that also makes it the most desirable hand in Poker.
A pair is a combination of two cards of the same rank and three different cards. It is the second lowest hand in strength in any game of Poker.
A poker sequence is made of five cards arranged in a sequence. The highest poker sequence is the Royal Flush followed by the Straight Flush where all five cards are of the same suit. This is followed by a Straight poker sequence (6th strongest hand) that is made of five serial cards all of different suits. All the poker sequences rank higher than a Pair in Poker games.
In poker hand rankings, the best poker hands are those that rank high on the poker hand chart. The best and strongest combination in poker is the Royal Flush, which is composed of the top five cards, A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit. The Royal Flush is also the rarest hand that cannot be beaten by any other hand.
The Royal Flush is followed by Straight Flush that is also made of five cards of the same suit arranged in a sequence. This means the Royal Flush is the highest Straight flush. The next best poker combinations are Four of a Kind and Full House.
In Texas Hold'em poker, there are a total of 1,326 possible starting hands. This number is derived from the total number of possible combinations of two cards that can be dealt from a deck of 52 cards.
Each player is dealt two cards at the start of the hand, and these two cards are known as "hole cards." The starting hands in Texas Hold'em include all possible poker sequences of two cards, such as Ace-King, Queen-Jack, 10-9, and so on.
The number of Three of a Kind poker hands that are possible in a standard deck of 52 cards depends on the specific rank of the three cards that make up this poker hand. There are 13 ranks in a standard deck of 52 cards, ranging from 2 to Ace, and each rank can form a Three of a kind hand in four different suits. Therefore, the total number of three of a kind hands possible in poker is 54,912.
In a poker game, there are ten poker hands that rank from the highest to the lowest in order of strength. These poker hands are: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and High Card.
