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Step 1
Be able to recognize the best hands in a poker game. A royal flush is the only hand that cannot be beat. It consists of an ace, king, queen, jack and ten all of the same suit. The next highest-ranking hand is a straight flush. It is also a hand in which all the cards are of the same suit and are in numerical order, but the highest card is lower than ace.
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Step 2
Know when you have four of the same numerical cards. That is when you have a four-of-a-kind, which is the third highest-ranking hand. The next best hand to a four-of-a-kind is a full house, which consists of three of the same numerical value and two of the same numerical value cards.
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Step 3
Recognize the rankings of a flush and a straight. A flush ranks higher than a straight, but lower than a full house. The straight is the sixth best-ranking hand. A flush is a hand that consists of cards that are all the same suit, while a straight is a hand that consists of cards that are in numerical order, regardless of suit.
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Step 4
Understand the rankings of the weaker hands. A three-of-a-kind and a set of two pair are the next raking hands, in that order. A single pair is the next weakest hand, while a "high card" hand is the absolute weakest hand you can have in poker. A high card hand is when you have nothing but your highest ranking single card to rank your hand against the hands of other players.
