A Look At The Strength of Hands in the Game of Poker
Q: What Beats What in Poker?
A: Now, first off, the answer to the question of "what beats what" in poker is dependent on the variant of poker that you are playing.
![Royal Flush beats all other hands in the game of Holdem Poker. Illustration.](https://www.poker-king.com/images/articles/royal-flush-wins.jpg)
It is obviously important to know the strength of hands when you are starting out playing Hold'em, whether it is online or at a local casino. You should have this chart memorized before you play, or you can reference this page via a bookmark.
Here are the strength of hands in Hold'em, from strongest to weakest:
1. Royal Flush.
This is the strongest hand in poker - this is when your hand makes a Broadway straight (10, J, Q, K, A) and they are all of the same suit (say, spades).
2. Straight Flush.
This is when you make a straight and all of the cards are of the same suit. For instance, let's say you hold the 2 of Spades and the 3 of Spades, and the flop comes As-4s-5s (all spades) - this is a straight flush, and is the second strongest hand in poker.
3. Quads.
This is when you have four of a Kind. For instance, you are dealt a pair of Twos, and the flop comes 2s-2h-Qh. This would give you Quad Twos, and this is the third strongest hand in Hold'em.
4. Full House.
This is when your hand makes Three of a Kind plus Two of a Kind. So, for instance, if you are holding a pair of Twos and the flop comes 2h-Qh-Qd, you would have a full house, Twos full of Queens.
5. Flush.
This is when your hand makes five cards of the same suit. For instance, let's say that you are holding the 7 of Spades and the 8 of Spades, and the flop comes Qs-As-2s - this would give you a flush.
6. Straight.
This is when your hand makes five consecutive cards - for instance, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Let's say that you are dealt 9-10, and the flop comes 7-8-J - this would give you a straight, Jack High.
7. Three of a Kind.
This is when your hand makes Three of a Kind. For instance, if you are dealt 7-9 and the flop comes 7-7-Q, you would have Three of a Kind.
8. Two Pair.
This is self-explanatory, as your hand would make Two Pair. So, if you held Q-K and the flop came Q-K-J, you'd hold Two Pair.
9. One Pair.
If you held Q-K and the flop came K-10-2, you'd hold one Pair of Kings.
10. High Card.
If you held Q-K and the flop came 2-2-J, you'd hold a high card of a King.
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So - for instance, a Straight Flush will beat Quads, a Flush will beat a Straight, Two Pair will beat One Pair, a Royal Flush will beat a Straight Flush, and so on.
Just refer to this chart while you are playing, and you will quickly learn "what beats what" in poker.
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