How many poker hands are there in 2024? If you are a beginner player, check the latest poker rules to know how to play the game at online casinos or land-based establishments.
Poker is a popular card game with many fans across the world. Many poker variations keep on changing poker rules with the flow of time. That’s why new players may get confused about the game rules. For example, not everyone knows the value of poker hands. How many poker hands are there? How are they ranked? Follow the latest online poker news to learn more about this iconic casino game.
The role of poker hands in poker
Poker hands are an essential part of each poker game. Following poker rules, players need to beat the dealer or other players with special combinations of cards. These combinations that players collect to win the game are called hands.
Each variation of poker uses hands to determine the winner. To do so, all hands that exist have a specific value (rank). The better the hand, the higher the winning chances. However, one shouldn’t forget that hands form only 50% of successful performance in most poker games, as everything else depends on the player’s bluffing and strategy skills.
How many poker hands are there?
The number of poker hands in poker games is fixed. There are ten types of hands you can collect to win the game. They are called Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, Pair, and Highest Card (from the highest to the lowest).
Although the number of poker hands remains the same in all poker variations, the number of cards on the table may vary. Players can form hands using 3-7 cards depending on the type of poker. Read more about poker hands here.
Poker hands ranked
To determine a winner, poker hands are ranked from the crème de la crème to the downright duds. If someone scores a winning combo, there’s a method to the madness to figure out who comes out on top. Here are 10 poker hands, ranked from best to not-so-best.
- Royal Flush. The strongest hand consists of the five highest cards of the same suit. E.g., Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of hearts.
- Straight Flush. Any five cards in consecutive order of the same suit. E.g. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 of spades.
- Four of a Kind. Any four cards of the same rank. E.g. 6 of spades, 6 of diamonds, 6 of hearts, 6 of clubs.
- Full House. A combination of Three of a Kind and a Pair. E.g. Three 10s and two Queens.
- Flush. Five cards in a random order of the same suit. E.g. 3, 5, 10, Jack, Ace of diamonds.
- Straight. Five cards in consecutive order but not of the same suit. E.g., 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, all of the different suits.
- Three of a Kind. Any three cards that share the same value. E.g. three 9s.
- Two Pairs. Two sets of Pairs. E.g. two 6s and two 9s.
- Pair. Two cards of the same rank. E.g. two Kings.
- Highest Card. The lowest combination consists of one card that has the highest value in the hand.
It’s crucial to remember that you only sometimes need both of your hole cards. If you can whip up a stronger hand using one hole card and four community cards, feel free to ditch the weaker hole card. Sometimes, you might not even need your hole cards at all. This is known as “playing the board.” If the community cards form a winning hand alone, a player can ride with those instead.
