For those of you that are only vaguely familiar with the game of poker or who just need a refresher course on which type of hand beats which type of hand, below is a quick review and description of all of the types, ten in all, of poker hands possible. The list begins with the highest possible hand in Poker and continues in descending order. The odds of getting each hand in a game using five cards are also included with the description of each hand.

1. The Royal Flush: This is the highest hand possible in Poker. This hand must have five cards of the same suit in succession, and have an Ace High. In other words, the Royal Flush includes the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the same suit. The odds of getting this hand are 1:649,739.

2. The Straight Flush: This hand consists of five cards all in sequence and of the same suit. The lowest type of Straight Flush is comprised of an Ace, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the same suit. The chances of getting a Straight Flush are 1:72,192.

3. Four of a Kind: This hand consists of four cards of the same rank, such as four tens. The highest type of this kind of hand would be four Aces and the lowest would be four twos. The odds for this hand are 1:4,164.

4. A Full House: The Full House consists of a pair and three of a kind. If two players were both to have a full house then the player with the highest three of a kind would win. The odds for this type of hand are 1:693.

5. A Flush: This Poker hand is made up of all cards of the same suit. If more than one player holds a Flush, the player with the highest flush wins. The chances of getting a Flush are 1:508.

6. The Straight: This hand must consist of cards in sequential order but do not have to be of the same suit. If more than one player holds a straight, the player with the highest straight wins. The chances of getting a Straight are 1:254.

7. Three of a Kind: A Poker hand with Three of a Kind is made up of three cards of the same rank, such as three jacks (plus two other cards). If another player also has Three of a Kind, the highest ranking set wins. Odds of obtaining this hand are 1:46.

8. Two Pair: This hand includes two sets of two cards of the same rank such as two sixes and two tens (plus the fifth card). Chances of getting this hand are 1:20.

9. A Pair: A pair consists of two cards of the same rank. If a pair is the highest hand then the player with the highest pair wins. If two players are holding pairs of equal rank then the player with the highest pair and single card wins. Chances of getting this hand are 1:4.

10. High Card: If there are no players in the game holding a pair, or any of the other Poker hands, the winning hand is determined by the highest card. If more than one player holds the highest card, then the player with the second highest card wins etc., until the winner is determined. Chances of being dealt a high card are 1:2.