Don’t jump into a poker game unprepared! Before you start playing, it’s essential to understand the poker hand rankings so you know which hands are the strongest and which ones to avoid. Whether you’re playing video poker or testing your skills in a live game, knowing how hands are ranked gives you a strategic edge. In this Go Spin blog, we’ll walk you through everything—from the lowest poker hands to the most powerful ones—so you can play with confidence. Let’s dive in!
Low-Value Poker Hands Everyone Should Land
Obviously, the lowest-paying hands are also the easiest to land in the Poker Hands Ranking Charts. Not all low-value hands appear in every poker game, as the ranking depends on the specific game variant. However, according to general poker rules, these hands are typically considered the weakest. If you’re looking for a detailed breakdown of such hands, Low-Value Poker Hands Ranking Charts can help you understand how they compare across different poker variations.
- High Card: Not common in video poker games, a high card is typically the highest card you have in your hand, which will normally be a face card.
- Pair: Video poker games may accept a pair of tens, although Jacks or Better are more common as the lowest-accepting poker hand.
- Two Pair: A Two Pair sees you throw down two cards of the same value, even if they have different suits from one another.
Decent-Paying Medium-Value Hands
Onto the decent mid-paying hands next. This is trickier to land but certainly not impossible by any stretch of the imagination. These poker hands include:
- Three-of-a-Kind: You’ll have this hand when you lay down three cards of the same value. Again, having them in the same suit isn’t necessary.
- Straights: Straights feature a hand of five cards, all in numerical order. Aces may be high or low in many poker games.
- Flushes: Suit matters here, but having cards in sequential order does not. Just have all five in the same suit to win.
The Best-Paying Hands in Poker Explained
Finally, we come to the best poker hand rankings. There are four of these, and while you won’t have too much difficulty landing a Full House, a Royal Flush is rare indeed, as explained below:
- Full House: To play with a full house, you’ll need a Pair and a Three-of-a-Kind in your five-card hand.
- Four-of-a-Kind: As you might imagine, a Four-of-a-Kind features four cards of the same value, irrespective of their suit.
- Straight Flushes: Again, this is another hand that is self-explanatory. You’ll have a Straight Flush if your five cards are in the same suit and in sequential or numerical order, with aces high or low.
- Royal Flush: The most difficult hand to land, with odds of 0.000154%, a Royal Flush requires you to line up a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace in the same suit.
Poker Hand Rankings and Payouts
Of course, if you’re playing a game of real poker, the only thing that matters is that your hand outranks any others. If it does, you’ll win whatever is in the pot. However, if you’re playing video poker, you’ll receive a payout from the paytable based on the strength of your hand. While the exact payout varies based on the game you choose, commonly offered winnings include:
- Jacks or Better pays 1:1 in most cases, with a Two Pair offering 2:1 and Three-of-a-Kind delivering wins worth 3:1.
- Straights and Flushes typically pay 4:1 and 5:1, respectively.
- A Full House, Four-of-a-Kind or Straight Flush delivers wins worth 9:1, 25:1, and 50:1 in many cases.
- The highest-paying hand is the Royal Flush, which ranges from 400:1 to 800:1, based on your game.
5 Top Go Spin Tips for Mastering Poker Hands Online
Go Spin’s experts have five top tips we’ll share with you before you start playing poker online. Here are some things to consider to improve your likelihood of landing decent hands when playing:
Tip #1: Study Paytables and Strategy Charts
If opting to play video poker, be sure that you study the paytables of each game so you know which hands to play with and which aren’t valid. If real online poker is your forte, study strategy charts to understand which poker hand rankings will likely feature in the game.
Tip #2: Understand the Probability of Landing Those Hands
You’ll land some hands more frequently than others. It’s important to learn which poker hands are feasible based on your current cards. Understand poker hands and, more specifically, the probability of landing them, so you know which cards to discard and keep when playing.
Tip #3 Play and Practice for Free Online
One of the best tips we have regarding the best poker hands and how to use them is to play for free. You can play most poker games as demos, allowing you to practice poker in a risk-free environment before playing for real.
Tip #4 Learn About Unofficial Hands in Variants
Video poker variants don’t always play with the standard set of rules. In fact, some introduce wild cards, jokers, deuces, bonus payouts, and other things into the mix. These can create unofficial poker hand rankings, such as the fabled Five-of-a-Kind and an Unnatural Royal Flush. They may also remove lower-paying hands from the paytables.
Tip #5 Differentiate Between Online Poker and RNG/Video Poker Games
In most RNG and video poker games, you only need to form a winning hand to bag a prize from the paytable. However, in online or real money poker, you must consider what other players have in their hands, and you’ll use community cards to form yours. This is a wholly different skill set to learn. Be sure that you understand how those games work before playing them.
FAQ
Is there such a thing as a Five-of-a-Kind?
Yes, but unofficially. The Five-of-a-Kind appears in video poker games with wild cards but not in any real online poker games.
Why is a Pair not the lowest-ranking hand in my game?
Video poker variants remove hands from the paytable if they provide wild cards, bonuses, and so on.
How many cards can I discard to form a hand?
That depends on the game you choose. Sometimes, you can drop all five cards, and in some games, none at all. We suggest checking the rules of the game you’re playing.
How are poker hands ranked in general?
Poker hands are ranked based on their strength, from highest to lowest. The ranking follows this order: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.
Do wild cards feature in official poker hands?
No. No official poker games use wild cards, either jokers or deuces. However, video poker games often do, so again, we’d refer you to the paytables and rule guides of the game you’re playing for more information.
