Poker Hands

If you want to win at Ignition Poker, there’s no way around it: You need to know which hands are the best. Beginner players should prioritize learning the standard poker hand rankings, as they will be required to identify and assess the strength of their cards during each and every hand.

For those who have not yet mastered this skill, we recommend reading and studying this detailed guide showcasing all the different hands you can make here at Ignition Poker. Only then will you be able to play the game of real money poker like a true champion.

Hand Rankings From Best to Worst

To make learning the poker hand rankings easier for you, we’ve included some Texas Hold’em examples where you can compare different hands and determine the winner of each round. Let’s start at the top with the best hand in poker:

Royal Flush

The royal flush is the hardest hand to make in poker – you need the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit. The royal flush is unbeatable, as there are only four possible variations (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades), and it is impossible for two players to have it at the same time unless the royal flush uses all five community cards post-flop. Even if that happens the pot will be split among any players still in the hand.

Here's an example of a hand with a royal flush:

Your hand: A♥4♥

Opponent's hand: 9♥2♥

Community cards: 5♥, 10♥, Q♥, K♥, J♥

In this example, you have the unbeatable royal flush with A♥-K♥-Q♥-J♥-T♥, guaranteeing you the win. Your opponent has four of the five cards they need, but only you have the “nuts” with the Ace of Hearts.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is any five cards of the same suit in consecutive order of rank. If two or more players have a straight flush, the winner is determined by the player with the highest-ranking card in their hand. A straight flush can start with an Ace or end with it, but in the latter case, you actually have a royal flush – the strongest hand in poker.

Here's an example of a hand with a straight flush:

Your hand: J♣T♣

Opponent: 6♣5♣

Community cards: 3♣, 7♣, 8♣, 9♣, A♣

Both you and your opponent have a straight flush here, but you win the hand their highest card is a Nine (9♣), whereas yours is a Jack (J♣).

Four of a Kind

Just like the name says, four of a kind is a hand consisting of four cards of the same rank. If two players have the same four of a kind, then the one with the higher fifth card (known as the kicker) wins.

Here’s an example of a hand with four of a kind:

Your hand: 8♣8♥

Opponent: Q♠️Q♣

Community cards: 8♠️, Q♥, 4♣, 9♥, 8♦️

You win this hand because you have four Eights in total, while your opponent only has the three Queens to go with the two Eights on the board.

Full House

Your opponent in the previous example has a full house: a combination of three cards of the same rank and a pair of any two other cards. If multiple players have a Full House, the winner is determined by the highest-ranked set of three cards; if those cards are equal, then the winner is determined by the highest-ranked pair.

Here’s an example of a full house:

Your hand: 9♣9♥

Opponent: 6♣6♦️

Community cards: 2♣, 2♠️, 2♥, Q♦️, J♠️

Both players have a full house in this case, using the three Deuces on the board. The winner is determined by the higher pair, which is your pair of Nines.

Flush

A flush is a hand that consists of five cards of the same suit, in any sequence. If multiple players have a Flush, the winner is determined by the highest card in the hand. If the highest card is common to more than one player, the next-highest card is compared, and so on.

Here’s an example of a flush:

Your hand: A♠️3♠️

Opponent: K♠️J♠️

Community cards: 2♥, 6♠️, 7♠️, A♦️, Q♠️

You win this hand because your flush is stronger than your opponent's flush - since your Ace is stronger than their King.

Straight

A straight in poker contains five consecutively ranked cards of various suits. If multiple players have a straight, the player whose made hand features the highest-ranked card is the winner.

As with the straight flush, the Ace can be the highest card or the lowest card in your straight. The highest possible straight is Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten (aka Broadway), and the lowest possible straight is Five-Four-Three-Deuce-Ace (aka “the wheel”).

Here’s an example of a straight:

Your hand: 9♦️J♦️

Opponent: 9♣T♠️

Community cards: 5♦️, 6♥, 7♣, 8♠️, T♦️

In this case, both players have a straight, but you win because your highest card is a Jack, and your opponent's highest card is a Ten.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind in poker is when you have three cards of the same rank such as three Deuces It is a fairly strong hand in Texas Hold’em that players often bet on aggressively, but not so strong in Omaha.

When multiple players have three of a kind, the highest-ranked set wins. If both players have sets of the same rank, the winner is determined by their kicker cards.

Here’s an example of a three-of-a-kind:

Your hand: A♥A♣

Opponent: Q♦️Q♠️

Community cards: Q♥, 8♣, A♦️, K♠️, 4♣

You win this hand because your set of three Aces is higher than your opponent's set of Queens. 

Two Pair

No surprises here: Two cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank combine to form two pair. When multiple players have two pair, the player with the highest pair wins. If the top pairs are the same, the winner is determined by the highest second pair, then the highest kicker.

It's important to note that there is no such thing as a three pair hand in standard poker games. If a player has three different pairs, the two strongest are used.

Here's an example of two pair:

Your hand: 7♠️6♠️

Opponent: 6♥5♥

Community cards: 7♣, 5♣, 4♦️, 6♦️, K♥

You are the winner because your two pair (Sevens and Sixes) is higher than your opponent's (Sixes and Fives).

Pair

A pair in poker is a combination of two cards of the same rank. The highest pair is a pair of Aces, and the lowest is a pair of deuces. When multiple players have a pair, the player with the higher-ranked pair wins. If both players have the same pair, then the kickers are compared until a winner is determined.

Here is an example of a pair:

Your hand: A♠️5♥

Opponent: Qs8♣

On the table: A♣, 7♣, K♥, 2s, Q♣

You pair wins because Aces rank higher than your opponent's Queens.

High Card

High card is the weakest hand possible in poker, even though it always consists of the highest value card in play.

Despite being the weakest hand, it is still possible to win at showdown with Ace-high, King-high or even worse if none of the players has a made hand (meaning at least a pair). When this happens, the hand with the highest-value cards will win, giving “high card” its name.

If multiple players share the same highest rank, then the second-highest cards are compared, and so on.

Here is an example of high card:

Your hand: As3♥

Opponent: K♣4♠️

On the table: Q♣, 7♥, 9♥, 3s, 2♣

You only have Ace-high in this hand, but you are still the winner because your opponent only has King-high.

Learn More About Poker Hands

Figuring out when or how much to bet with all the different hands you can make in poker can be a challenge for beginners, as there are a multitude of factors that can come into play. The type of poker game, the betting structure, the position at the table, and the tendencies of your opponents all play a role in determining which hands you should hold, and which ones you should fold.

Because of this, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to how you should play your hand. Luckily, we have a wide variety of informative poker guides here at Ignition which you can use to get a better feel for how strong you are at any point in the hand you’re playing.

Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold'em, which we used for our hand ranking examples shown above, is the most popular variation of poker here at Ignition and the rest of the world for that matter. In Texas Hold'em, players are dealt two hole cards that are only visible to them, and then up to five community cards face-up on the table. The goal is to make the best possible five-card hand using any combination of the hole cards and the community cards.

The starting hands you choose to play with in Texas Hold'em can greatly affect your chances of winning. Our Texas Hold'em hands guide will give you further insights into the hand rankings and their probabilities, so you can start building a winning poker strategy.

Omaha

Omaha poker is a variant of poker that is nearly identical to Texas Hold'em, but with a few key differences. In Omaha, players are dealt four hole cards instead of two, and they must use exactly two of these hole cards in combination with three community cards to form their best hand.

This means that Omaha poker presents you with a much wider range of possible starting hands than Hold’em, and players must carefully consider their cards and the potential hands they can make.

When choosing starting hands in Omaha, it's important to look for hands with connected cards (meaning they’re of consecutive rank) and suited cards to increase their chances of making strong hands. Our Omaha poker hands guide provides more detailed information on the hand rankings and starting hand selection in this exciting and challenging game.

Winning Hands

As a general rule, poker hands can be divided into three categories: weak, strong, and strongest. Weak hands usually have little chance of winning the pot, and should only be used in certain situations. High card is considered a weak hand in nearly every situation you’ll run into at the tables.

Strong hands have a higher chance of winning; as we said earlier, three of a kind is a pretty strong hand in Texas Hold’em. Two pair will also prove to be the winning hand quite often if you can make it.

Finally, the strongest hands in poker have the highest chance of winning the pot, and are naturally the most sought-after. Making a straight or better in Hold’em is usually considered a big hand, but you’ll probably want at least a full house if you’re playing for big piles of money in Omaha.

Again, if you want to improve your poker game and learn more about winning poker hands, check out our guides on poker starting hands and poker hand comparison. These will provide you with valuable information on how to choose the best starting hands and how to compare different poker hands to determine the winner.

Poker Hands Odds

The probability of making a particular five-card hand in Texas Hold'em can be calculated to some extent by randomly selecting seven cards (two hole cards plus five community cards) from the standard 52-card deck. The chances of completing each hand rank are as follows:

• Royal Flush (1 in 30,940)
• Straight Flush (1 in 3,590)
• Four of a Kind (1 in 595)
• Full House (1 in 38)
• Flush (1 in 33)
• Straight (1 in 21)
• Three of a Kind (1 in 20)
• Two Pairs (7 in 17)
• One Pair (5 in 11)
• High Card (4 in 23)

Are you looking for a quick reference guide to help you make the right decisions while playing poker? Ignition Poker offers a comprehensive poker cheat sheet that includes all the charts, tables, and infographics you need to improve your game. Keep reading, keep practicing, and best of luck at the tables.

FAQ

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