Poker Hand Questions, Answered

Short, accurate answers to the questions that come up at every home game.

• Does a flush beat a straight?
  Yes. A flush always beats a straight. It ranks higher because it is rarer: there are 5,108 flushes in five-card poker but 10,200 straights.
• What beats a full house?
  Only three hands beat a full house: four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush. A full house beats everything else, including a flush and a straight.
• Straight flush vs four of a kind
  Yes. A straight flush beats four of a kind. Only a royal flush, which is itself the highest straight flush, ranks above it.
• Two pair vs three of a kind
  Three of a kind beats two pair. Even three twos beat aces and kings. A straight beats both.
• What is a kicker?
  A kicker is a card that is not part of your made hand but still counts when two players have the same hand. Only your best five cards play, so you can have up to three kickers with one pair.
• Poker hands with wild cards
  With wild cards the usual order stays the same, but a new hand appears at the top: five of a kind. Most home games rank it above a royal flush. Agree on the house rules before the first deal.
• 5 card draw rules
  Each player gets five private cards, bets, swaps up to three cards (or more by house rules) for new ones, bets again, and the best five-card hand wins. It uses the standard poker hand rankings.
• Poker hands for kids
  Teach the hands as patterns: matching cards (pairs, trips, quads), cards in a row (straights) and same colour suit (flushes). Then learn the order from the bottom up, using real cards on the table.
• Omaha hand rankings
  Omaha uses the same hand rankings as Texas Hold'em. The difference: you must use exactly two of your four hole cards and exactly three of the five board cards.
• Gifts for poker players
  The best poker gifts are things they use on game night or show off in their game room: a hand rankings poster, a good chip set, plastic cards, a felt table topper or a card shuffler.