Who beats whom? Often times in poker, players can bet the house,
completely sure
that
theirs is the winning hand-- only to find out that their buddy across
the table
has the same
hand. But if two players both have the same hand, who wins? We’ll cover
the rules for
who wins the pot in various circumstances, but first we’ll go over the
rankings
of different
poker hands.
For the beginning poker player, it is important to be familiar with
the rankings
of different
poker hands. Here are the different hands in poker, ranked from lowest
to highest.
High Card:
When no player has a hand consisting of a pair or better, the winner
is the
player with the
highest card. 2 is the lowest, Ace is the highest.
One pair:
A pair consists of 2 cards of the same number or face. Example: 2 Aces
Two pair:
Two pair consists of 2 separate pairs of cards, each of the same
number or face.
Example:
2 Aces, 2 Jacks
Three-of-a-kind (Trips, set):
Three of a kind consists of 3 cards of the same number or face.
Example: 3 Tens
Straight (Run):
A straight consists of 5 consecutive cards of varying suits. Example:
Four of
spades, Five
of hearts, Six of clubs, Seven of diamonds, Eight of spades
Note: In Hold’em poker, Aces can be either high or low.
Flush:
A flush consists of 5 non-consecutive cards of the same suit. Example:
Two,
Five, Nine,
Seven, King – all of Spades
Full house (Full boat, boat):
A full house consists of three of a kind, and one pair. Example: 3
Jacks, 2
Sevens
Four-of-a-kind (Quads):
Four of a kind consists of 4 cards of the same number or face.
Example: 4 Queens
Straight flush:
A straight flush consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit.
Example:
Six, Seven,
Eight, Nine, Ten – all of hearts
Royal flush:
A royal flush is the highest possible straight flush and consists of
the Ten,
Jack, Queen,
King, Ace all of the same suit.
Who wins when two or more players have the same poker hand? In most
cases, a
winner can
be determined. If the hands are identical and no winner can be
determined, the
pot gets split
evenly among those who are tied.
In cases when players have the identical hand, and the hand uses less
than
5 cards (four-of-a-kind,
three-of-a-kind, two pair, one pair, and high card), the winner is the
player
with the highest kicker,
or the highest unpaired side card.
For example: Player 1 and Player 2 each have a pair of Tens. Player
1’s
hand is Ten, Ten, Ace, Three,
Nine, and Player 2’s hand is Ten, Ten, Jack, Five, Seven. Although
both
players have a pair of Tens,
player 1 would win because an Ace kicker beats a Jack kicker.
In cases where more than one player has a straight,
flush, or
straight flush, the winner is determined by
which player has the highest-ranking card(s) within the hand. If the
highest-ranking
card is the same for
both players, then the next highest card is used. If both hands are
identical,
then the pot is split evenly
between all players with the identical hand. For example: Player 1 and
Player
2 each have a flush. Player
1’s high card in the flush is a Nine; Player 2’s high card in the
flush is a Jack. Player 2 would win.
In cases where more than one player has a full house, the winner is
determined
by which player has the
highest ranking three-of-a-kind. If players tie for the highest ranked
three-of-a-kind,
then the rank of the
pair determines the winner.
For example: Player 1’s hand is Ace, Ace, Ace, Ten, Ten; Player 2’s
hand is Six, Six, Six, Queen, Queen.
Player 1 would win because, when comparing the two players’
three-of-a-kind
rankings, the Aces outrank
the Sixes.
In cases where more than one player has two pair, the winner is
determined
by which player has the
highest-ranking single pair first. If both players have the same
ranking single
pair, then the other pair is
compared. If both players have the same two pairs, then the pot is
decided by
who has the higher
kicker card.
For example: Player 1’s hand is Five, Five, Three, Three, Nine;
Player
2’s hand is Jack, Jack, Two,
Two, Eight. Player 2 would win.
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