poker card hands

Poker Card Hands: Every Hand Category With Examples

Learn the main poker card hands, from royal flush to high card, with examples and tournament strategy notes.

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Search intent

Beginner card-hand intent from searchers who need examples for each poker hand category.

Poker card hands chart with examples
The ten standard poker card hands, ordered from strongest to weakest.

The ten poker card hands

The ten standard hands are royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card. Every showdown hand fits into one of these categories.

Examples make rankings easier

A flush is five cards of one suit. A straight is five connected ranks. A full house is three of one rank and two of another. Two pair means two cards of one rank, two cards of a second rank, plus one kicker.

Card hands versus starting hands

A poker card hand is the final five-card result. A starting hand is your two hole cards in Texas Holdem. JustShove focuses on starting-hand tournament decisions before the final hand exists.

How card hands affect tournament study

Knowing the card-hand order helps you understand showdown value. Tournament study adds questions like whether you can shove profitably, whether opponents fold enough, and how ICM pressure changes calling ranges.

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FAQ

Tournament spot questions

How many poker card hand categories are there?

There are ten standard high-hand poker categories.

What is the weakest poker card hand?

High card is the weakest category when no player has a pair or better.