The first thing that you need to know when you are learning how to play Texas Hold’em Poker is what a poker hand is.  There are 8 different types of poker hands that you could have.  Ranked in order, starting with the best and working downwards these include:

1. Straight flush. This occurs when you have five cards in sequence, all of the same suit.
2. Royal flush. ÂThis occurs when you have the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 cards in sequence. ÂA royal flush is the highest-ranking standard poker hand, excluding 5 of a kind.
3. A 5-high straight flush, a. k. a. a steel wheel. This occurs whenever you have a 5, 4, 3, 2 and Ace.
4. Four of a kind a. k. a. quads. This occurs whenever you have a hand, which contains four cards of one rank, and an unmatched card. It ranks above a full house and below a straight flush. Â If you have a higher-ranking quad it will defeat a lower-ranking quad.
5. Full house a. k. a. a boat or a full boat. This occurs when you have 3 of what card and 2 of another. It ranks below a 4 of a kind but above a flush.
6. Flush. This occurs when you have a hand that contains five cards of the same suit, but they are not in sequence. This ranks above a straight but below a full house.
7. Straight. This occurs when you have 5 cards of sequential rank, but of varying suits. Â This ranks above a three of a kind but below a flush.
8. Three of a kind a. k. a. trips. This occurs when three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. It ranks above two pair and below a straight.
9. Two pair. This occurs when you have two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of a different rank, which match each other but do not match the first pair, and one unmatched card. This ranks above one pair and below three of a kind.
10. One pair. This occurs when you have a hand that contains two cards of the same rank, plus three unmatched cards. It ranks above any high card hand, but below all other poker hands.
11. High-card or no-pair. This occurs when you do not have two cards of the same rank, the five cards are not in sequence, and the five cards are not all the same suit. Â It ranks below all other poker hands.