In any card game, it is critical to understand the value of the cards you hold. This is especially true of games where money is riding on the strength of your cards. With poker hand rankings explained, knowing the value of your cards will be easier and may lead to a higher number of hands won as well as more astute betting.

The likelihood that a particular hand will happen is known as the probability of that hand, and it is what determines its value. This is why, for example, a pair of cards is worth less than three of a kind. Pairs are much more common than three cards of the same value. Some players devote great effort to learning the probabilities of hand occurrence.

At the very bottom of the possible card hands is the high card, which is simply the highest card in the hand of any player. The next highest hand is the pair, which is two cards of equal value, and after that two pairs. Three of a kind beats two pairs, regardless of the values of the cards. It is interesting to note that the suits of cards in poker do not have value relative to one another.

Three of a kind is beaten by a straight, which is five cards in numerical sequence, regardless of suit. The sequence can start at any point in the deck, as long as the sequence is not broken. The ace can often be played as either the highest card, or the lowest one, depending on the rules of the specific game one is playing.

Above the straight comes the flush, which is five cards all of the same suit, regardless of their numeric value. This means five hearts, or clubs, or spades, or diamonds. The value of a flush is further determined by the highest card in it, so a flush with an ace beats a flush with the highest card of a king or lower.

The full house, consisting of 3 of a kind plus a pair, comes next in the ranking of hands. The vernacular used for this hand is the value of the three cards with regard to the value of the pair, as in the example of kings full of tens where there are three kings and two tens. Next comes four of a kind, which beats a full house. If more than one player has this hand, then the higher value cards would win, as in four queens beating four nines.

Of all the hands, the highest is the straight flush, which as the name implies, is both a flush and a straight, or five cards in sequence and of identical suit. When a straight flush is ace high, it is known as a royal flush, which can beat any other straight flush. Having poker hand rankings explained, a player can bet with more confidence and may be able to win more hands.