Straight Poker Hand Ranks

These rankings are applicable to both traditional poker games, and Video Poker games.

Straight Flush - Any five card sequence in the same suit. (Ex: 8, 9, 10, J, Q and A, 2, 3, 4, 5 of same suit). A straight flush is the ultimate natural hand (meaning no wild-cards are involved). It is a combination of a flush and a straight. So all the cards are of the same suit, and all are consecutive. Ranking between straights is determined by the value of the high end of the straight. A royal flush is a straight flush that has a high card value of Ace.

Four of a kind - All four cards of the same index (Ex: K, K, K, K).
Four cards of the same value (such as four jacks or four 7s) represent the second strongest hand in the game of poker. It beats everything except a straight flush.

Full house - Three of a kind combined with a pair (Ex: A, A, A, 5, 5).
A full house is a combination of three of a kind and a pair. Meaning all five of your cards are part of a set of either two or three of the same value. An example hand would be 3 7's and 2 Kings. Ties on a full house are broken by the three of a kind, as you cannot have two equal sets of three of a kind in a single deck.

Flush - Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence.
A flush is a hand where all the cards are of the same suit. If each card you have is all one suit, such as 2 of clubs, 4 of clubs, 5 of clubs, 8 of clubs, King of Clubs, then you have a flush. Don't be fooled into thinking a flush is all five cards of the same color. The high card determines the winner when two people have a flush.

Straight - Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit.
A straight is a hand in which all of the cards are consecutive. There is no continuative quality to this poker hand a straight cannot wrap around (meaning it is not a straight if you have Queen, King, Ace, Two, Three). Standard poker rules state that in the case of more than one straight, the higher straight wins. In the case of straights that tie, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same index.
Any three cards with the same value (ie, a 6 of clubs, a six of spades, and a six of diamonds) is considered three of a kind. The highest set of three cards wins.

Two Pair - Two separate pairs (Ex: 4, 4, Q, Q).
Two sets of two cards of equal value constitute a hand that has two pairs. As usual the pair with the higher value is used to determine the winner of a tie.

Pair - One pair of two equal value cards constitutes a pair.

High Card - When the hand you are left with has no pairs, and is not a straight or a flush, its relative value is determined by the highest value card. When two players have no pairs, straight, or flush the winner of the tie is determined by the highest value card in the hand. If the highest cards tie, the tie is broken by the second highest card. Suits are not used to break ties.