Poker Hands and Basic Rules

Straight Flush
A straight flush is a hand with five cards of the same suit that are in a row. A royal flush (A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit) is the highest hand in poker. A straight flush with higher ranking cards will win over a straight flush with lower ranking cards. For example, a hand made up of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of the same suit will lose to a hand made up of 7, 8 , 9, 10, and J of the same suit.

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Four of a Kind
Four of a kind is all four cards of the same rank such as all four 10s. The hand with the four higher cards will beat the hand with four lower cards.

Full House
A full house is made up of three of a kind and one pair. The hand which has the higher three of a kind beats the hand which has the lower three of a kind.

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Flush
A flush is a hand with five cards, all of which are the same suit. A flush with higher-ranking cards will win over a flush with lower-ranked cards. In the event that both hands have the same highest-ranking card, the next highest-ranking cards will determine the winner, and so on.

Straight
A straight is a hand with five cards in a row. The straight with the higher-ranking card at the head of the row will beat the straight with the lower ranked card at the head of the row. A, K, Q, J, 10 is the highest straight in poker while 5, 4, 3, 2, A is the lowest straight.

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Three of a Kind
Three of a kind is three cards of the same rank such as three Jacks. The higher-ranking three of a kind beats the lower-ranking three of a kind. Three 2s are the lowest while three aces are the highest.

Two Pair
Two pair is two cards of the same rank plus two cards of another rank, such as two 5s and two Kings. If more than one player has two pair, the player whose hand has the highest-ranking pair will beat the player with another two pair hand. If both players have the same highest-ranking pair, then the player with the second highest-ranking pair hand wins. If both players have the same second highest-ranking pair, then the player with the highest-ranking fifth card wins.

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One Pair
One pair is two cards of the same rank such as two 7s. The player with the higher-ranking pair will beat the player with the lower-ranking pair. If both players have the same pair, then the player with the highest ranking single card (of the remaining three cards) will win. If this card happens to be the same for both players, then the next highest-ranked cards are looked at, and so on.

High Card
A high card hand is a hand that does not fall into any of the above mentioned categories. When comparing high card hands, the hand with the highest-ranking single card will win. If both hands have the same highest-ranking card, then the next highest-ranking cards are looked at, and so on.

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