The Casino Poker Hand Ranking Hierarchy

When playing casino poker, players must have a firm understanding of the poker hand hierarchy, the list of possible winning hands in rank order from the highest-value hand to the lowest-value hand. Casino poker hand rankings are valued by how difficult the hand is to obtain. If the hand can be made with little effort, it is placed lower in the hierarchy than a hand that requires more difficult elements.

Having a firm knowledge of this hierarchy can help players succeed in both casino poker and online poker. Without this knowledge, players will find it difficult to play and bet appropriately on their hands. Imagine that a player is holding a Three of a Kind. He thinks that a Three of a Kind has a higher hand ranking than a Straight. There happens to be a 4, 5, 6, 7 laid out in the community cards, indicating that someone is likely to have the 3 or 8 needed to make this a full 5-card Straight. Believing that his Three of a Kind trumps the Straight, however, the player mistakenly bets aggressively on his Three of a Kind. This, of course, will prove to be a fatal move when a Straight is laid down, defeating the Three of a Kind.

To ensure that this amateur mistake is avoided, memorize the casino poker hands from highest to lowest value: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Pair, and High Card.