Poker Hands

Poker Hands in Descending Order

Five of a Kind: five cards of the same rank (possible with wild cards)
    ex. 7♥ 7♠ 7♦ 7♣ 7♣ - five 7's
Royal Flush: an ace-high straight flush; A,K,Q,J,10 of the same suit
    ex. A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ - royal flush
Straight Flush: five cards of the same suit and consecutively ranked
    ex. J♥ 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ - jack-high straight flush
Four of a Kind: four cards of the same rank
    ex. 9♠ 9♣ 9♥ 9♦ J♠ - four 9's
Full House: combination of three of a kind and a pair
    ex. 5♠ 5♥ 5♣ 2♦ 2♠ - 5's over 2's
Flush: five cards of the same suit (but not consecutively ranked)
    ex. Q♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ 3♠ - queen-high flush
Straight: five cards consecutively ranked (but not of the same suit)
    ex. 10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♠ 6♥ - 10-high straight
Three of a Kind: three cards of the same rank
    ex. 10♥ 10♠ 10♣ 9♥ 6♦ - three 10's
Two Pair: two different pairs
    ex. A♠ A♣ 8♠ 8♣ Q♠ - pair of aces and 8's
Pair: two cards of the same rank
    ex. J♥ J♣ 9♥ 5♦ 2♠ - pair of jacks
High Card: the highest ranked card out of five unrelated cards
    ex. K♠ 10♣ 7♥ 6♠ 3♠ - king-high

This posting was inspired by my friend, Brian. I offer this list for him or anyone else who needs assistance determining the correct order of hands when playing poker. Of course, Brian, you can always call me in the middle of a card game on a Friday night if you are unsure whether a flush beats a full house or not.

Again.