KEY TAKEAWAYS
Poker hands are ranked in ten categories, from the royal flush at the top to a single high card at the bottom. A stronger category always beats a weaker one, so a flush beats a straight and a full house beats a flush, regardless of how high the individual cards are. Learning this order is the single most useful thing a new player can do before sitting down.
The ranking exists because some five-card combinations are much harder to make than others. The rarer the combination, the higher it ranks. You do not need to memorize the odds to use that idea, because the order itself is fixed and never changes from hand to hand in standard poker.
This guide lists the ten hands from best to worst with example cards, then explains how ties are settled with kickers, what happens when two players hold the same type of hand, and the mistakes beginners make most often.
The Ten Poker Hands, Ranked
This table shows every standard hand from strongest to weakest, with an example of each and a short description. Read it from the top down, because each hand beats everything below it.
| Rank | Hand | Example | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | Ace-high straight, all one suit |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five in a row, all one suit |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 8♣ K♦ | Four cards of one rank |
| 4 | Full House | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 4♣ 4♠ | Three of a kind plus a pair |
| 5 | Flush | K♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦ | Five of one suit, not in a row |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | Five in a row, mixed suits |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ K♣ 9♦ | Three cards of one rank |
| 8 | Two Pair | J♠ J♦ 4♣ 4♥ A♠ | Two different pairs |
| 9 | One Pair | 10♥ 10♣ A♦ 7♣ 3♠ | Two cards of one rank |
| 10 | High Card | A♥ J♦ 8♣ 5♠ 3♦ | None of the above |
The royal flush is not a separate category in practice. It is simply the highest possible straight flush, which is why some charts list nine categories instead of ten. Because it can never be beaten, it is shown on its own line.
Many beginners find the middle of the list the hardest to remember. A helpful way to keep it straight is that the hands built from matching ranks sit at the top and bottom (four of a kind, full house, three of a kind, pairs), while flush and straight sit in the middle. A full house beats a flush, and a flush beats a straight.
Texas Hold’em Hand Rankings: The Best Five of Seven
In Texas Hold’em the ranking is the same, but you build it from seven cards. You hold two private cards and share five community cards with the table, and your hand is the best five-card combination you can make from those seven. If you are not yet sure how a hand unfolds, read how to play Texas Hold’em step by step first.
You may use both of your hole cards, only one, or neither. Playing the board means using all five community cards and none of yours, which happens when the shared cards already form a better hand than anything you could make by swapping one in. Only five cards ever count, so a sixth or seventh card matters only as a tiebreaker, called a kicker.
Other variants can use different rules for how many hole cards must be used, and some games, such as lowball and short-deck poker, change the order itself. This guide covers the standard ranking used in regular high-hand games like Hold’em and the poker hand hierarchy most casinos and home games follow.
How Ties Are Broken: Kickers and Card Rank
When two players hold the same type of hand, the cards inside it decide the winner. The rule is always the same: compare the highest relevant cards first, then move down until one hand wins. Suits are never used in Hold’em.
Pairs, trips and quads
For a pair, three of a kind or four of a kind, the higher-ranked set wins, so a pair of kings beats a pair of nines. If both players hold the same pair, the remaining cards, called kickers, are compared from highest to lowest. A kicker is a side card that plays no part in the pair but breaks the tie.
Two pair and full houses
For two pair, compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the single kicker. For a full house, compare the three of a kind first and then the pair, so 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A, even though the second hand has aces.
Flushes, straights and high card
For two flushes, compare the highest card, then the next, and so on until the cards differ. For straights, the one that reaches the higher top card wins, so a six-high straight beats a five-high straight. For high card hands, compare all five cards in order.
Three Example Showdowns
Worked examples show how the rules apply to real boards. All three are invented for illustration, and each uses Texas Hold’em with five community cards.
Example 1: the kicker decides
The board is A♠ 8♥ 5♣ 3♦ 2♠. Player One holds A♣ K♦, and Player Two holds A♦ Q♠. Both have one pair, aces, and the fives, threes and twos on the board are shared. Player One wins with an ace and a king kicker, because king beats queen. The best five cards for Player One are A-A-K-8-5.
Example 2: a board that plays
The board is A♠ K♠ Q♦ J♥ 10♣, which is an ace-high straight. Player One holds 2♣ 3♦ and Player Two holds 4♠ 4♦. Neither can improve on the board, so both players play the board and split the pot. Their private cards do not matter.
Example 3: two flushes
The board is K♥ 9♥ 6♥ 3♣ 2♠. Player One holds A♥ 4♥ and Player Two holds Q♥ J♥. Both have five hearts. Player One’s flush is A-K-9-6-4, and Player Two’s is K-Q-J-9-6. Player One wins because the ace outranks the king at the top of the comparison.
Special Cases: The Ace, Suits and Split Pots
The ace can count as high or low in a straight. It is highest in 10-J-Q-K-A, and lowest in A-2-3-4-5, which is called the wheel and is the weakest possible straight. Straights do not wrap around the ace, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
In standard poker, suits have no rank when deciding who wins a pot. Two identical hands in different suits tie and split the pot. There is one narrow exception in Seven-Card Stud and Razz, where suits decide who must pay the forced opening bet, called the bring-in, but they do not decide the winner of the hand.
When a pot splits and the chips do not divide evenly, the odd chip rule decides who receives the extra chip, and the exact rule depends on the cardroom. If you are in a tournament or a casino, the dealer will handle it.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Mixing up the middle of the list is the most common error. New players often think a straight beats a flush because it feels harder to make, but a flush ranks higher. Likewise, a full house beats a flush, and four of a kind beats a full house.
Another frequent mistake is believing suits break ties. They do not in Hold’em, so a pair of kings in spades and a pair of kings in hearts, with identical kickers, split the pot.
Beginners also forget the kicker. When two players have the same pair and the same board, the side card decides. Always compare the full five-card hand, not just the pair.
Finally, some players try to add hands together. Seven cards are available in Hold’em, but only the single best five-card hand counts. It is the highest category you can make, never a sum of several smaller ones.
Using the Rankings at a Real Table
Keep a printed chart nearby while you learn, because many casinos and home games allow you to glance at one between hands. Learning by repetition is faster than memorizing, so say the hand aloud at showdown, for example “flush, king high.”
At a showdown, show your cards and let the dealer read the hand if you are not sure. Casino dealers do this all the time, and a read hand cannot be misjudged. At home, ask the group to confirm before pushing the pot.
Poker involves real financial risk, and knowing the rankings does not guarantee results. Set a budget before you play, and never stake money you need for essentials.
What to Learn Next
After the rankings, learn the structure of a full hand, so you know when the showdown happens and who acts first. A good starting point is what poker is, which explains blinds, chips and the two ways to win a pot.
From there, move on to the rules that cause the most disputes, such as side pots and split pots, and to the table vocabulary heard at a live game. Every hand on this page returns at showdown, so the same chart will keep working as you learn more.
