Hand Rankings
Poker hand rankings list the ten five-card hands from royal flush down to high card. A rarer hand always beats a more common one.
Hand rankings are the fixed order that decides which poker hand wins. In Texas Hold'em, every player makes their best five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards, and the highest-ranked hand takes the pot. The order is based on how rare each hand is: the harder it is to make, the higher it ranks.
The ten hands, from best to worst
| Rank | Hand | Example | Five-card combos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ | 4 |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 36 |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 7♦ | 624 |
| 4 | Full house | 8♠ 8♦ 8♣ K♥ K♠ | 3,744 |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 2♦ | 5,108 |
| 6 | Straight | T♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♠ 6♣ | 10,200 |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ K♣ 9♠ | 54,912 |
| 8 | Two pair | J♥ J♣ 4♠ 4♦ A♥ | 123,552 |
| 9 | One pair | T♠ T♥ A♣ 8♦ 3♠ | 1,098,240 |
| 10 | High card | A♣ Q♦ 9♥ 6♠ 3♣ | 1,302,540 |
These counts cover all 2,598,960 possible five-card hands from a 52-card deck.
Breaking ties
- Same hand type: compare the ranks that form the hand first. A full house is compared by its three of a kind, then its pair.
- Then kickers: for pairs, two pair, trips and quads, the remaining cards, or kickers, decide it.
- Flushes: compare the highest card, then the next, down all five cards.
- Suits never break ties. Identical hands result in a split pot.
Example showdown
The board is J♠ 9♠ 6♥ 6♣ 2♠. Player A holds A♠ 4♠, Player B holds J♥ J♦ and Player C holds T♣ 8♣. Player C has only a pair of sixes: T-9-8 with the jack looks close to a straight, but no seven or queen is on the board. Player A has an ace-high flush, A♠ J♠ 9♠ 4♠ 2♠. Player B has jacks full of sixes, J-J-J-6-6. Player B wins, because a full house outranks a flush. This example shows why you must count the cards carefully rather than trust a first glance.
Notice how close Player A came: one more spade on the board and the ace-high flush would have been a strong hand, but it would still lose here to the full house. Rankings decide the winner, not how impressive a hand feels.
Tips for learning the rankings
- Flush beats straight. This is the pair beginners most often mix up.
- An ace can be low. A-2-3-4-5 is a valid straight, the lowest one.
- Three of a kind beats two pair, even though two pair uses four matching cards.
Frequently asked questions
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush ranks above a straight because it is rarer.
What is the best hand in poker?
A royal flush, the ace-high straight flush A-K-Q-J-T of one suit.
Does three of a kind beat two pair?
Yes. Three of a kind always beats two pair, regardless of the ranks involved.
Is an ace high or low in poker?
Both. The ace is the highest card, but it can also be used as the lowest card in the straight A-2-3-4-5.
Related poker terms
- Flush — A flush is five cards of the same suit in any order. It beats a straight and loses to a full house, and flushes are compared by their highest card.
- Straight — A straight is five cards in consecutive rank of mixed suits, such as 9-8-7-6-5. It beats three of a kind and loses to a flush.
- Full House — A full house is three cards of one rank plus two of another, such as 8-8-8-K-K. It beats a flush and loses to four of a kind.
- Two Pair — Two pair is a hand with two cards of one rank, two of another rank and a fifth unrelated card, such as J-J-4-4-A. It beats one pair and loses to trips.
- Kicker — A kicker is a side card that does not form part of a pair or set but still counts in your five-card hand, used to break ties between similar hands.
- The Nuts — The nuts is the best possible hand given the community cards at that moment. Holding the nuts means no other hand can beat you, though ties are possible.