Best possible hands in poker

At first, poker can seem like a confusing game. It’s a game of genuine nerve and skill, meaning that whether you’re playing online or in person, you always need to keep aware of the best ]poker hand rankings](/blog/livecasino/poker/poker-hands-explained) and how you process them.

To help you understand the best poker hands in the game, this LeoVegas guide breaks down each of the hands in detail, taking you through why they rank so highly, and how likely it is that you’ll actually get them in the game itself.

Once you digest the poker hand order and start playing, your knowledge will probably come naturally to you – but, of course, that’s only half the game! Regardless, let’s take a closer look at the best possible hands in poker.

The best hand in poker: royal flush

The royal flush is the most valuable of all the winning poker hands simply because it’s the rarest one you can make. To make a royal flush, you’ll need to draw an ace, a king, a queen, a jack and a 10, all in the same suit – for example, hearts or spades.

The probability of you getting a royal flush sits at around 30,939 to one. This means that you’ve pretty much won the game if you get it – it’s a golden opportunity. Also, it’s impossible for two players to make the hand in one game.

Throughout any poker game, you’ll have just four opportunities to make a royal flush – and only the most skilled manage to achieve it, thanks to those extreme odds.

Great poker hands: straight flush

The straight flush is a much more achievable hand, though at 3,437.8 to one, it’s still pretty unlikely that you will make one unless you balance luck with sheer determination. A straight flush is a consecutive five-card run all in the same suit.

For example, you could play a two, a three, a four, a five and a six of clubs to claim a straight flush. At the other end of the scale, you could play a jack, a 10, a nine, an eight and a seven of diamonds.

There are 36 different combinations in any game of poker that could lead you to making a straight flush. It’s pretty unlikely that two players will make this hand in one game. However, if they do, the highest card declares the winner.

So, let’s use our example from above. The diamond hand would win, because it holds a jack.

Great poker hands: four of a kind

A four of a kind simply means that your hand has four cards in the same rank – for example, you might play a hand that has four jacks and a six, or one with four fives and an ace.

This is an excellent poker hand that’s more likely to appear than the straight flush, with 624 different hand combinations that could lead to this play. This means that you’re looking at odds of 594 to one – still fairly long, but more achievable than the top two hands.

Again, it’s still pretty unlikely that two players will face off with four of a kind in the same game. However, in the event that this does happen, the highest card wins. If you both have the same ranks, four times, the highest remainder card wins.

Good poker hands: full house

The full house is the first poker hand on this list that’s eminently achievable, and it’s one of the best poker hands for beginners to look out for. With this hand, you need to make a three of a kind and a pair, meaning that you have three cards in one rank, and two in another.

So, a hand containing three queens and two sixes, or one containing three sevens and two threes, would make a full house. Your chances of making this hand in any game of poker sit at around 37.51 to one, with 3,744 different combinations possible at any time.

Full houses aren’t foolproof – they can lose out to lucky four of a kinds, for example – but many players see them as a strong hand. It’s not impossible for two players to each play a full house either – and again, the highest card played in either hand wins the tie (the trio is judged before the pair).

Good poker hands: flush

To play a flush, you need five cards in the same suit in your hand. So, you might have a two, a four, a five, a queen and an ace of spades, for example – or, say, a three, a five, an eight, a nine and a king of hearts.

Flushes are somewhat strong hands that can still come unstuck to full houses or even higher. However, there are 5,108 different flush combinations available in any game, and you have odds of 32.1 to one of getting one in your draw.

If two players get a flush – which isn’t completely unheard of – the highest cards are compared, then the second highest, and so on, until the tie is broken.

Good poker hands: straight

It’s a common misconception among poker newbies that the straight is more powerful than the flush! A straight is a straight run of consecutive cards in mixed suits – for example, a two, a three, a four, a five and a six in spades, diamonds and a remaining club.

Straights are pretty common compared to what we’ve discussed so far. However, they can still make for some strong hands. There are 10,200 different straight combinations to make in the game, and your odds of getting one sit at 20.6 to one.

That said, playing a straight carries a fair amount of risk. Flushes aren’t impossible to get, and someone luckier may get a full house or higher. Be careful!

Two players getting straights will, again, compare their highest cards until they break their tie.

Good poker hands: three of a kind

The three of a kind is a simple hand where you need to make three cards of the same rank, in different suits. So, you could have a two of hearts, spades and clubs.

The three of a kind is only slightly more likely than a straight at around 19.7 to one. It’s a good hand that you might see pop up occasionally, with 54,912 different combinations. Getting outplayed by a straight is unlucky, but entirely possible.

If two of you play this hand, again, the highest card wins.

Worst poker hands

Yes, there are some poker hands left to discuss, and those happen to be the absolute worst you could play – weak plays that will really rely on your poker face!

We discuss these in our worst poker hand guide – so be sure to check it out before you start playing at our live casino.

What is the average hand in poker?

Assuming that you’re taking part in a four-player game, it’s most likely that you’ll have a one pair in your hand – one of the worst hands in the game. However, following the laws of probability, it’s actually more likely that at least one of the players in your hypothetical game has at least a two pair.

Of course, any card can be a high card, which is the play you make when absolutely nothing else is available. That said, if you start with a high card, there’s a 12% chance that you’ll get a pair on the next card. When you multiply that by five, you have around a 60% chance of getting a pair on your first hand.

However, the odds become significantly slimmer when aiming for a two-pair hand. Since a two pair requires two specific cards of matching rank, the probability is lower at around 4.75%.

Best starting hands in poker

Regardless of where on the poker hand chart you land, it’s always wise to prioritise high-value cards just in case you get a tie. Don’t assume that you’re likely to make one of the best hands in the game off your first couple of cards.

That said, keep in mind that it’s entirely possible to start making strong hands with just two cards in the same suit. For example, when trying to make a flush, if you get two same-suited cards, you have around a 35% chance of winning the game overall.

As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to different poker hands and which ones are likely to win the most – and, as most poker players will know, stranger things have happened than some of the rarest hands appearing during play.

Just keep an open mind and learn the rankings as best you can – and as much as you shouldn’t play a two pair, you shouldn’t always assume that you’re going to get a royal flush!