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Royal Flush
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Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace all of the same suit.
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Straight Flush
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Five cards in sequence, all of the same suit. Should two players have a straigt a flush then the person holding the highest one wins.
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Four of a kind
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Four cards of the same rank. Also called "quads", or "poker". Should two players have four of a kind, the player with the higher set of four cards wins. If both players have the same four of a kind, then the fifth card becomes the tie-breaker. i.e. Four Jacks with a King beats four Jacks with a Queen.
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Full house
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Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank - for example three aces and two fives (colloquially known as "aces full"). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.
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Flush
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Five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on.
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Straight
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Five cards of mixed suits in sequence. When comparing two straights, the one with the higher ranking top card is better. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both at once, so A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five.
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Three of a kind
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Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Trips. When comparing two three of a kinds the hand in with the three equal cards of higher rank is better. For example 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-Q. If you have to compare two threes of a kind where the sets of three are of equal rank, then the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand are compared, and if those are equal, the lower odd card is compared.
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Two pair
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Two sets of two cards of the same rank. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards - so J-J-2-2-4 beats 10-10-9-9-8 because the jacks beat the tens. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, for example 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K. Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so Q-Q-5-5-8 beats Q-Q-5-5-4.
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One pair
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Two cards of equal rank and three un-matching cards. When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better - so for example 6-6-4-3-2 beats 5-5-A-K-Q. If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards. So J-J-A-9-3 beats J-J-A-8-7 because the 9 beats the 8.
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Highcard
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Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal too the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.
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