It helps to know what beats what in the game of poker. In all the games offered on TowerGaming, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, 7 card stud and 5 card draw, the best five card poker hand wins the pot. Here are the hand rankings in poker from lowest to highest:
         | | High Card: The lowest hand in poker is nothing, also known as your high card. When you have nothing, your only hope of winning the pot is that your opponent also has nothing, and that you have the high card. |
         | | Pair: Two of the same rank of card. If two or more players have a pair, the player with the highest pair wins. If two or more players have the same pair, the next highest card in each players hand (called the ‘kicker’) determines who wins. |
         | | Two Pair: Two pair beats one pair. This hand is made up of one pair of one rank and a second pair of another rank. If two or more players have two pair, the player with the higher of the two high pair wins. For example, jacks and eights beats tens and nines. If two players have the exact same two pair, the ‘kicker’ will determine who wins. |
         | | Three of a Kind: Three of a kind beats two pair. This hand is exactly what it sounds like – three cards of the same rank, also referred to as trips, or a set. |
Of course, all of these hands have alternate or slang names for them. There are the traditional name, like Royalty for the Royal Flush; and there are other names that certain players have given to the different hands. To learn more about poker slang, please see Tower Gaming's online poker glossary.