Poker hand rankings
Poker Hand Rankings — From Strongest to Weakest
Ten hands, one order, no exceptions. Learn the poker hand rankings once and every later decision at the table gets easier.
Poker Hand Rankings Chart (Strongest to Weakest)
Below is the full poker hands ranking, from strongest to weakest. Use this chart to see instantly which poker hand beats which, or print the poker hands chart and keep it beside you at the table. The percentages show how often each hand turns up by the river in Texas Hold’em, using the best five cards out of the seven available. Suits carry no rank of their own.
Royal Flush
A-K-Q-J-10, all one suit
Everything
0.0032%1 in 30,940
Straight Flush
Five in sequence, all one suit
Four of a kind and below
0.028%1 in 3,590
Four of a Kind
All four cards of one rank
Full house and below
0.17%1 in 595
Full House
Three of a kind plus a pair
Flush and below
2.6%1 in 38
Flush
Five of one suit, any order
Straight and below
3.0%1 in 33
Straight
Five in sequence, mixed suits
Three of a kind and below
4.6%1 in 22
Three of a Kind
Three cards of one rank
Two pair and below
4.8%1 in 21
Two Pair
Two pairs plus one kicker
One pair and high card
23.5%1 in 4.3
One Pair
Two cards of one rank
High card only
43.8%1 in 2.3
High Card
No pair, no straight, no flush
Nothing — lowest hand
17.4%1 in 5.7
The 10 Poker Hands, Explained
Each entry below expands one row of the poker hand rankings chart above: what the hand is made of, a worked example, and the mistake people most often make with it.
Royal Flush
A royal flush sits at the top of the poker hand rankings: A K Q J 10, all one suit. It beats a straight flush and everything under it. The famous 1-in-650,000 figure is a five-card-draw number — in Hold’em you see seven cards, so it lands closer to 1 in 30,940. More on the royal flush (coming soon)
Straight Flush
Five cards in sequence sharing a suit, such as 9 8 7 6 5. It loses only to a higher straight flush or to a royal. A straight flush is not automatically unbeatable: nine-high loses to ten-high, and the two can legitimately meet in the same pot. More on the straight flush (coming soon)
Four of a Kind
All four cards of one rank plus a kicker, like Q Q Q Q 3, usually called quads. Beginners assume quads always scoop the pot, but when the quads sit on the board every player holds them and the fifth card, or a chop, settles it. More on the four of a kind (coming soon)
Full House
Three of a kind plus a pair — J J J 8 8, read as jacks full of eights. The three-card set is compared first, never the pair: jacks full of twos beats tens full of aces. That single rule trips up more new players than anything else in the poker hand rankings. More on the full house (coming soon)
Flush
Any five cards of one suit, for example A J 8 5 2. Suits carry no rank against each other, so a spade flush does not beat a diamond flush. When two players both make one, the highest card wins — which is why a low flush is more dangerous than it looks. More on the flush (coming soon)
Straight
Five consecutive ranks in mixed suits, such as 10 9 8 7 6. The ace plays at both ends: A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight, called the wheel, and 10-J-Q-K-A is the highest. It never wraps around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight at all. More on the straight (coming soon)
Three of a Kind
Three cards of one rank plus two kickers: 7 7 7 K 4. Making it with a pocket pair is a set; making it with two board cards is trips. The difference matters because a set stays hidden while a trip hand is visible to everyone at the table. More on the three of a kind (coming soon)
Two Pair
Two separate pairs plus a kicker, like A A 9 9 Q, read as aces and nines. The higher pair is compared first, then the lower pair, then the kicker. Two pair is strong heads-up and a frequent second-best hand in a crowded pot. More on the two pair (coming soon)
One Pair
Two cards of one rank plus three kickers: K K J 6 3. In poker hands ranking terms it is the most common made hand, and it wins plenty of pots. When two players hold the same pair, the kickers are compared one at a time until one is higher. More on the one pair (coming soon)
High Card
No pair, no straight, no flush — just five unconnected cards such as A Q 9 6 3, called ace-high. It is the weakest holding in the poker hand rankings, yet it still takes a pot whenever everybody misses. Compare the highest card first, then work down. More on the high card (coming soon)
How Ties Are Broken (Kicker Rules)
Same row on the poker hand rankings chart? The kicker decides. Two pair with aces and kings beats two pair with aces and queens, because the second-highest card is higher. The rule never changes: compare the ranked part of the hand first, then fill in with the highest remaining cards until one player is ahead.
For a flush, only the cards matter and never the suit. Compare the highest card, then the second, and keep going down. A full house is settled by the three of a kind first, so sixes full of aces loses to sevens full of twos. Straights compare only the top card, which means two players holding the same top card always split.
Kickers apply to at most five cards. If the best five-card hand is identical for both players, the pot is divided evenly no matter what the sixth or seventh card is. This happens more often than the poker hand rankings chart alone suggests, because everyone shares the same five community cards: when the board plays, every remaining player chops.
Poker Hand Rankings FAQ
- Does a straight beat a flush?
- No. A flush beats a straight, because five cards of one suit is the rarer hand. Only a full house, four of a kind, or a straight flush beats a flush.
- What’s the highest poker hand?
- The royal flush tops the poker hand rankings — ace, king, queen, jack and ten all in the same suit. Nothing beats it, and no suit outranks another.
- What happens if two players have the same hand?
- The kicker decides. If all five cards are identical in rank, the pot is split evenly between the players.