Dating back to the 19th century, poker originated in the United States and has spawned numerous variants, including five-card draw, seven-card draw, Omaha, and Texas hold’em. When playing classic poker at online casino sites, casino hold’em is the most commonly played and can also be found within live casino suites.

Poker Hands

Regardless of the exact variant, there is a common system for ranking the best poker hands. After betting on a hand, the user would be disappointed to only have a high card. Depending on the rules, it might be possible to not draw any further cards or place any more bets if the user starts with only a low high card.

Pairs

Working up from the bottom, a pair of cards is the next strongest hand and can be graded from 2 up to A as the highest pair. Improving on a single pair, it can also be possible for players to end up with two pairs in the same hand. However, two-pair is only the eight-strongest hand.

Mid-level Hands

Above two pairs, a user can make a hand with three of a kind. Above that, a straight is an unbroken sequence of cards (for example, A-2-3-4-5 or 7-8-9-10-J). When a player’s five cards – or however many – are all from the same suit, this is known as a flush, which is the fifth-strongest hand.

Higher Hands

The full house is the fourth-best hand and is one of the most common of the strongest hands. With a full house, the user combines three of a kind with a pair (for example, 2-2-3-3-3). However, a full house can be beaten with four of a kind.

Flushes

When a straight is combined with a flush, this is the second-best hand in classic poker. However, a straight flush will be no match for the royal flush, which consists of 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit, such as hearts or spades.