How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game: Poker Hand Rankings

How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game is a 13-part series on how to run the superlative poker night for all your friends and coworkers.
We’ll cover everything from what game of poker is easiest to play, what hand beats what and even what drinks and food to serve. Follow this guide and people will be reserving their seat at your table weeks in advance.
In our second part we’re going to be taking a look at the basic rules of Texas Hold’em (the most popular game of poker) and the hand rankings. This is the first step in understanding the Cadillac of poker marked cards.
We’ll start with hand rankings and then move on to how the game progresses.
Poker Hand Ranking:

Royal Flush		A straight from a ten to an ace with all five cards of the same suit. In poker all suits are ranked equally.
Straight Flush		Any straight with all five cards of the same suit.
Four of a Kind		Any four cards of the same rank. If two players share the same Four of a Kind, the bigger fifth card (known as the kicker)   decides who wins the pot.
Full House		Any three cards of the same rank together with any two cards of the same rank. Our example shows "Aces full of Kings" and it is a bigger full house than "Kings full of Aces."
Flush		Any five cards of the same suit (not consecutive). The highest card of the five determines the rank of the flush. Our example shows an Ace-high flush, which is the highest possible.
Straight		Any five consecutive cards of different suits. Aces can count as either a high or a low card. Our example shows a five-high straight, which is the lowest possible straight.
Three of a Kind		Any three cards of the same rank. Our example shows three-of-a-kind Aces, with a King and a Queen as side cards - the best possible three of a kind.
Two Pair		Any two cards of the same rank together with another two cards of the same rank. Our example shows the best possible two-pair, Aces and Kings. The highest pair of the two determines the rank of the two-pair.
One Pair		Any two cards of the same rank. Our example shows the best possible one-pair hand.
High Card		Any hand not in the above-mentioned hands. Our example shows the best possible high-card hand.

How to Make a Hand

In Texas Hold'em you combine your two hole cards with the community board to make the best five-card poker hand. Both hole cards, one hole card or no hole cards (play the board) can be used to comprise a hand.

---

Example: Hold'em

Hole Cards A                                       Hole Cards B
                                                 
Flop                                                     Turn                            River
                                                                    
Final Hand A                                        Final Hand B
                                     
Two pair (Q's and 3's with a K)                Two pair (K's and 3's with an A)