The most important thing for every poker player to know is the hand rankings. Hand rankings are specific card pairings. The more difficult it is to get a combination of cards in your hand, the better such combination is, and therefore the more probable you will win.

Rankings of poker hands from greatest to worst.

A royal flush is defined as five consecutive cards of the same suit ranging from 10 to Ace.

A straight flush is defined as five consecutive cards of the same suit and value. If more than one player has this hand rating, the one with the most value cards is regarded better.

Four of a kind: Having the same card in each of the four suits. The highest card among those on the table or in your hand completes the five-card hand.

Full House: The same card in three suits plus two equal-valued cards from other suits.

A flush is defined as five cards of the same suit in any sequence. If more than one player gets this hand rating, the flush with the highest-valued card decides the winner.

A straight is defined as five consecutive cards of any suit. If many players have the same hand rating, the winner is determined by the highest-ranked card in the hand.

Three of a kind: Three equal-valued cards from three different suits plus two more cards. If more than one person gets this combination, the highest of the three cards decides the winner.

There are two pairs:

Two distinct sets of two cards of the same rank.

A pair is two cards of the same rank but different suits. The rest of the hand is made up of the three highest-ranking cards available.

The top card in your hand is your ‘best hand.’