The Different Kinds of Poker Hands

There are many types of poker hands. The different hands in the game of poker are the five of a kind, royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pairs, pair and no pair hand.

There are hands that are considered, in varying degrees, superior to the others. These are the five of a kind, royal flush, straight flush and four of a kind. Players who are dealt with these types of hands have a high advantage over their opponents.

The highest poker hand is the five of a kind, which comes out only in games where wildcards, or cards featuring the joker, are included in the deck used for play. The five of a kind hand has one wildcard and four cards of the same value, such as four kings.

In games where there is no wildcard, the highest possible hand that a player can receive is the royal flush. As its name implies, this hand consists of the three royals - the king, queen and jack - as well as an ace and a ten. The cards in this hand have to be all from the same suit. In poker games, all of the four suits are considered equal in value.

After the royal flush is the straight flush which consists of five cards from the same suit that are in sequence. The four of a kind hand has four cards that are of the same value, such as four tens, plus a random card to complete the hand.

The next five hands - the full house, flush, straight, three of a kind and two pairs - have average strengths, meaning these are neither strong nor weak. The full house is made up of a three of a kind plus a pair, or two cards with the same value.

The flush consists of cards that all belong to the same suit. These cards are not in sequence, which differentiates it from the straight flush. The straight hand has cards that are in sequence but are not from the same suit.

The three of a kind has two three cards of the same value, such a three tens, plus two random cards to complete the hand. The two pairs hand, as its name implies, has two sets of two cards with the same value, plus a random card to complete the hand. Two aces, two nines and a three is an example of a two pairs hand.

The last two hands are the weakest: the pair and the no pair hand. The pair hand has two cards that are equal in value plus three random hands to complete the hand. The pair is higher than the no pair hand, which is made up of five cards from different suits, and none of which are similar in value.

It is vital that players know when they have a winning or a risky hand. Being aware of these eleven different kinds of poker hands is crucial in playing - and more importantly, winning - a poker game.