Poker hand rankings
Every combination from high to low, with examples and the rules that decide who wins when it looks like a tie.
This is the order every poker player needs to know by heart, from strong to weak. Two things to remember before you start: all four suits are worth the same, and you always make the best hand from exactly five cards.
Royal flush
Ten through ace, all of the same suit. The highest hand there is; it comes along on average once in 650,000 hands.
Straight flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Between two straight flushes, the highest top card wins.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank. The fifth card only matters when two players share the same four of a kind through the board.
Full house
Three of a kind plus a pair. Between two full houses the highest three of a kind wins; if those are equal, the highest pair.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not consecutive. Between two flushes the highest card in it wins, then the second, and so on.
Straight
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. The ace may sit on top (10-J-Q-K-A) and at the bottom (A-2-3-4-5), but not in the middle.
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank with two loose cards alongside. A pair in your hand plus a third on the board is called a set.
Two pair
Two different pairs. When two players hold two pair, the highest pair wins; if that is equal, the second pair, then the loose card.
One pair
Two cards of the same rank. The three loose cards (kickers) decide who wins when the pair is equal.
High card
None of the combinations above. The highest card counts, then the second, down to the fifth.
The three thinking mistakes that cost money
Two pair feels stronger than it is. It only sits eighth out of ten. On a board full of consecutive cards, or three of the same suit, two pair is often already beaten while it still feels like a monster in your head.
The flush confusion. Beginners regularly throw away the winning flush because they think their opponent’s straight wins. Remember the order together with the odds: a flush is rarer than a straight, and rarer wins.
Forgetting the kicker. Two players with the same pair happens more often than you think. The highest loose card then decides, and that is exactly why an ace with a low kicker is trickier than it looks: hit your ace and you lose to every ace with a better second card. More about that in the beginner strategy, step two.
frequently asked questions
Who wins?
Which wins: a flush or a straight? +
A flush beats a straight. The order above that: a full house beats a flush, four of a kind beats a full house, and the straight flush sits above everything except the royal flush.
What beats a full house? +
Only four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush beat a full house. Between two full houses the highest three of a kind wins.
Is one suit worth more than another? +
No. In Texas Hold’em all four suits are worth the same. If two players hold exactly equally strong hands, the pot is split.
What happens with exactly the same hand? +
The kickers decide first: with an equal pair, the player with the highest loose card alongside wins. If all five cards of the best hand are equal, the pot is split.
Does a hand of six or seven cards count? +
No. In Texas Hold’em you always make the best hand from exactly five cards, out of your own two and the five on the table. The remaining cards do not take part, even when they seem to make your hand prettier.
from knowing to doing
Know the order? Now test your decisions.
Knowing the order is step one. Knowing what to do with it at the table is where the money sits. Pokiq’s free starter quiz measures exactly that.