Poker Hand Rankings: Best to Worst
A poker hands chart from Royal Flush to High Card, with card examples, five-card probabilities and the rules for ties and kickers.
The 10 commonly listed poker hands, from best to worst, are: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and High Card. This chart uses standard 52-card, high-hand rules, as in Texas Hold'em and Omaha. A royal flush is the highest straight flush; lowball and some other variants use different rankings.
All 10 poker hands, ranked
The probabilities below describe five random cards from a standard 52-card deck: 2,598,960 possible hands. Percentages and “1 in” figures are rounded. Straight flush counts exclude royal flushes, which are listed separately. Cards with dashed borders are kickers. These are five-card deal probabilities, not the chance of completing a hand from seven cards in Hold'em.
-
1
Royal Flush
A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠A, K, Q, J and 10, all of the same suit. It is the best possible hand and can never be beaten — at most it can be tied if the royal flush is on the board.
5-card odds: 4 combos · 1 in 649,740 · 0.000154% -
2
Straight Flush
9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥Five cards in sequence, all of the same suit. If two players have one, the straight flush with the higher top card wins.
5-card odds: 36 combos · 1 in 72,193 · 0.00139% -
3
Four of a Kind
Q♠Q♥Q♦Q♣7♠All four cards of one rank (“quads”), plus one unrelated card called the kicker. Higher quads win; if quads are shared on the board, the kicker decides.
5-card odds: 624 combos · 1 in 4,165 · 0.0240% -
4
Full House
J♥J♦J♣4♠4♥Three of a kind plus a pair, e.g. “jacks full of fours”. Compare the three-of-a-kind first, then the pair.
5-card odds: 3,744 combos · 1 in 694 · 0.144% -
5
Flush
A♦J♦8♦6♦2♦Any five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Between two flushes, compare the highest card, then the next, and so on.
5-card odds: 5,108 combos · 1 in 509 · 0.197% -
6
Straight
10♣9♦8♥7♠6♣Five cards in sequence of mixed suits. The Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A), but a straight never “wraps around”.
5-card odds: 10,200 combos · 1 in 255 · 0.392% -
7
Three of a Kind
8♠8♥8♦K♣3♥Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated kickers. Called a “set” when you hold a pocket pair and a “trips” when two of the cards are on the board.
5-card odds: 54,912 combos · 1 in 47 · 2.11% -
8
Two Pair
A♥A♣9♠9♦5♥Two different pairs plus a kicker. Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker.
5-card odds: 123,552 combos · 1 in 21 · 4.75% -
9
One Pair
K♥K♠J♦7♣2♠Two cards of the same rank plus three kickers. Higher pairs win; with the same pair, the highest kicker decides.
5-card odds: 1,098,240 combos · 1 in 2.4 · 42.3% -
10
High Card
A♣Q♥9♦6♠3♣No pair, straight or flush — your hand is ranked by its highest card, then the next highest, and so on.
5-card odds: 1,302,540 combos · 1 in 2 · 50.1%
Poker hand rankings cheat sheet
| # | Hand | Example | 5-card odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | 0.000154% |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 0.00139% |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♠ | 0.0240% |
| 4 | Full House | J♥ J♦ J♣ 4♠ 4♥ | 0.144% |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | 0.197% |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♠ 6♣ | 0.392% |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 3♥ | 2.11% |
| 8 | Two Pair | A♥ A♣ 9♠ 9♦ 5♥ | 4.75% |
| 9 | One Pair | K♥ K♠ J♦ 7♣ 2♠ | 42.3% |
| 10 | High Card | A♣ Q♥ 9♦ 6♠ 3♣ | 50.1% |
How hands are made in Texas Hold'em
In Texas Hold'em you get two private “hole” cards and share five community cards on the board. Your hand is the best five-card combination from those seven cards. You can use both hole cards, one, or even none — if the five board cards are your best hand, you are “playing the board”.
You hold K♥ Q♥ and the board is J♥ 10♣ 4♥ 9♠ 2♥. You have both a straight (K-Q-J-10-9) and a flush (K♥ Q♥ J♥ 4♥ 2♥). Only your best five cards count, so your hand is a flush.
Omaha is different: you get four hole cards and must use exactly two of them with exactly three board cards. A board with four hearts does not give you a flush in Omaha unless two of your own cards are hearts.
Ties, kickers and split pots
- Same hand type? Compare the ranks that make the hand first — the higher pair, set or straight wins.
- Still tied? Compare the remaining cards, highest first. These are the kickers. With A♠ K♦ against A♣ 9♥ on a board of A♥ 8♣ 6♦ 4♠ 2♣, both players have a pair of Aces, but the King kicker wins.
- Only five cards count. A sixth or seventh card never breaks a tie.
- Suits never break ties. Identical five-card hands split the pot equally.
Common hand-ranking mistakes
- Thinking a straight beats a flush. It doesn't — the flush is higher.
- “Wrap-around” straights. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight. The Ace is only high (10-J-Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3-4-5).
- Misreading full houses. 9-9-9-2-2 beats 8-8-8-A-A, because the three-of-a-kind part is compared first.
- Counting three pairs. If you have three pairs across seven cards, only the two highest pairs plus the best kicker count.
- Forgetting Short Deck rules. In Short Deck (6+) Hold'em, cards 2–5 are removed and a flush beats a full house. Always check the table rules.
Practise reading cards without wagering
Use a physical deck to lay out five cards, name the hand, then compare it with the chart. For a seven-card example, find the strongest five cards and leave the other two aside. No account, deposit or money is needed.
Scope: standard high-hand rankings. For formal procedures for comparing and showing hands, see the Poker Tournament Directors Association rules. Tournament and house procedures can differ. This guide explains card combinations and does not recommend wagering.
Common Questions
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush (five cards of one suit) beats a straight (five cards in sequence) because it is harder to make — 5,108 five-card combinations versus 10,200.
What beats a full house?
Only four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush. Everything else — flush, straight, three of a kind and lower — loses to a full house.
Is A-2-3-4-5 a straight?
Yes. A-2-3-4-5 is called the “wheel” and it is the lowest possible straight — the Ace plays as a 1. A 6-high straight (2-3-4-5-6) beats it.
Do suits matter in poker?
Not for ranking hands in Texas Hold'em. No suit is higher than another, so two identical five-card hands in different suits split the pot.
What is the best hand in poker?
The royal flush — A, K, Q, J and 10 of the same suit. The odds of being dealt one in five cards are 1 in 649,740.
Learn Texas Hold'em
Blinds, betting rounds and showdown — explained step by step with an example hand.