The Best Hands in Poker - Ranks and Odds

Written by Rolf

Personally I always forget which hand is ranked higher: Three of a Kind or a Straight. Or a Flush or a Full House. So then I make a wrong judgment when placing a bet. Although I don't play for real money, still not something I would prefer to do. So then the next day I am looking for a page that tells me which hands are higher ranked, so why not have an overview on my own little website. Hope this helps someone else, too.

So here is a ranked overview of the possible hands in poker, including the chances in percentages of being dealt such a hand, with 5 cards from a standard 52-card deck. In a game like Texas Hold 'Em, the chances are considerably higher (except the chance of a High Card obviously), as you have basically seven cards to make your 5-card hand from, but the ratios are pretty much the same.

Royal Flush

The Royal Flush is the highest possible hand, a special case of a Straight Flush up to the Ace.
Chance: 0.00015%

Straight Flush

A combination of a Straight and a Flush, simply called Straight Flush is a hand of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit.
Chance: 0.0015%

Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind is as the name implies, a collection of four cards of the same rank, in this case Jacks.
Chance: 0.024%

Full House

A combination of a Three of a Kind and a Pair. If two players have a full house, the one with the highest Three of a Kind wins, so Queens will beat these Eights.
Chance: 0.14%

Flush

A Flush is a collection of five cards of the same suit, regardless of rank. If two players have a Flush, the one with the highest high card wins.
Chance: 0.2%

Straight

A Straight is a sequence of five consecutive ranked cards, regardless of suit. Keep in mind that Ace can count as a One in a Straight with Two, Three, Four and Five.
Chance: 0.39%