Pairs and matching ranks
A pair contains two cards of one rank. Two pair contains two distinct pairs. Three of a kind contains three matching ranks with two unrelated cards. A full house combines three of one rank with a pair of another, while four of a kind uses all four cards of one rank.
Straights and flushes
A straight is five consecutive ranks, such as 4–5–6–7–8. A flush is five cards of one suit. Ace can begin A–2–3–4–5 or end 10–J–Q–K–A, but ranks do not wrap around the ace. A hand with no qualifying combination is described by its high card.
Straight flush and royal flush
A straight flush combines consecutive ranks and a single suit. Its ace-high form is a royal flush: ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of one suit. Those names describe the cards. The number of free credits awarded in video poker depends on the particular paytable.
Read Jacks or Better correctly
In Jacks or Better, a single pair pays only when it is jacks, queens, kings, or aces. A low pair is still a pair, but does not qualify on its own. Deal five cards, hold selected cards, and draw replacement cards once. The full 9/6 paytable is displayed in the game.
Separate variants and table poker
Deuces Wild makes twos wild and introduces categories such as five of a kind. Bonus Poker distinguishes some four-of-a-kind ranks. Texas Hold’em instead compares the best five-card hands formed from private and community cards. Read the selected game’s rules before applying a ranking or paytable from another version.
Written for the original free games on this site. Rules can differ in other versions.