Poker for Dummies (Mini Edition) (6 page)

Four-of-a-kind

Four-of-a-kind,
or
quads,
is a five-card hand composed of all the cards of one rank, plus one unrelated card, such as J
J
J
J
5
. The higher the rank, the better the hand. For example, four Kings beats four Jacks.

Full house

Three cards of one rank and a pair of another make a
full house.
The rank of the full house is determined by the three-card grouping, not the pair. A hand like 9
9
9
5
5
is referred to as “nines full of fives.”

Figure 1-1:
Poker hands in descending value, with royal flush as the best hand.

Flush

A
flush
is any five cards of the same suit. The cards are not in sequence. If they were in sequence, it would be a
straight flush.
If there is more than one flush, the winning hand is determined by the rank order of the highest card, or cards, in the flush. A flush composed of A
Q
J
6
5
is higher than A
Q
J
4
3
.