Poker hand rankings
The ten poker hands from royal flush to high card, with examples, how often each one comes up, and how ties are broken.
Every poker hand is exactly five cards, even though in Texas Hold'em you choose them from seven. The ranking below never changes, and it is the one thing you must know by heart before your first game.
The ten hands, best first
| # | Hand | Example | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠ | A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥ | Five in a row, one suit |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♣Q♦Q♥Q♠7♦ | Four cards of one rank |
| 4 | Full house | K♥K♦K♠4♣4♥ | Three of a kind plus a pair |
| 5 | Flush | A♦J♦8♦5♦3♦ | Any five of one suit |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣9♦8♥7♠6♣ | Five in a row, mixed suits |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 7♣7♦7♠K♥2♣ | Three cards of one rank |
| 8 | Two pair | J♥J♣4♦4♠A♠ | Two different pairs |
| 9 | One pair | A♦A♥9♣6♠3♦ | Two cards of one rank |
| 10 | High card | A♣J♦8♥5♠2♣ | None of the above |
Suits never rank against each other in Texas Hold'em. A flush in spades is not better than a flush in hearts.
How often each hand comes up
The chances below are for holding each hand as your best five out of seven cards, which is what happens by the river in Hold'em. Notice that you will finish with one pair or better about 83% of the time, which is why a single pair is often not strong.
Rarer hands rank higher: that is the whole logic of the list.
Breaking ties
When two players have the same kind of hand, compare them like this:
- Straights and straight flushes: the highest card wins. 9♥8♣7♦6♠5♥ beats 8♠7♦6♣5♥4♦.
- Flushes: compare the highest card, then the next, and so on.
- Four of a kind, full house, three of a kind: the rank of the set decides. Three kings beat three sevens, whatever the other cards are. A full house is named by its three cards first: kings full of fours beats queens full of aces.
- Two pair: the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.
- One pair and high card: compare the pair, then the remaining cards one at a time. These spare cards are called kickers.
Kickers in practice
You hold A♥6♦, your opponent holds A♠4♣, and the board is A♣K♦9♥7♠2♣. Both of you have a pair of aces. Your best five are A-A-K-9-7... and so are theirs: the king, nine and seven on the board are better than either of your spare cards. Split pot.
Now make the board A♣K♦9♥3♠2♣. Your best five are A-A-K-9-6 against A-A-K-9-4: your six now plays, beats their four, and you win the whole pot. One low card on the board changed which kicker counts.
Common mix-ups
- The ace is high and low. It makes the top straight (10-J-Q-K-A) and the bottom one (A-2-3-4-5, called the "wheel"). It cannot wrap around: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
- A flush beats a straight. Many new players think the opposite.
- Only five cards count. A sixth card never helps. With A♥2♣ on a board of A♠A♣A♦K♥Q♦, you have four aces with a king; your two does not play.
- You can play the board. If the five community cards are your best hand, you use all of them and none of yours.
Practise with the interactive rankings on the front page, or move on to positions.