In poker, hands are ranked based on the strength of the combination of cards a player holds. The highest-ranking hand is the Royal Flush, which consists of the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit. Following that, the next strongest hand is the Straight Flush, which is five consecutive cards of the same suit. Then comes the Four of a Kind, which is four cards of the same rank, like four Kings or four Aces. A Full House consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another, such as three 7s and two 10s. Other hands include the Flush, which is five cards of the same suit but not in sequence, and the Straight, which is five consecutive cards in any suit.

Lower-ranking hands include Three of a Kind, which is three cards of the same rank, and Two Pair, where a player has two sets of pairs, like two 8s and two 4s. A Single Pair, which consists of two cards of the same rank, is ranked below Two Pair. The lowest possible hand is the High Card, where no other hand combination is made, and the highest card in the player's hand determines the winner. In most poker games, players aim to form one of these strong hands by either betting, bluffing, or using strategy to outplay their opponents. The ranking of hands is critical because it decides who wins the pot at the end of each round.