Poker Hand Rankings — All 10 Hands Ranked with Chart & Examples

There are 10 poker hands in order from best to worst: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. These poker hand rankings are universal across Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and most standard poker games — a higher-ranked hand always beats a lower-ranked hand.

What Are All the Poker Hands in Order?

The table below shows every poker hand ranked from strongest to weakest, along with a description, example, and the probability of being dealt each hand in a five-card deal.

Want a printable quick-reference? See our complete poker cheat sheet with hand rankings, starting hands, positions, and key odds all on one page.

How Does Each Poker Hand Work?

Royal Flush

The best possible hand in poker. Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of the same suit. All Royal Flushes are equal — there is no ranking between suits in standard poker.

There are exactly four possible Royal Flushes in a standard 52-card deck — one per suit:

In Texas Hold’em (which uses five community cards), it is impossible for two players to each hold a Royal Flush at the same time. If the board shows a Royal Flush (all five cards A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit), every remaining player in the hand splits the pot — nobody can beat or improve on it. The odds of being dealt a Royal Flush in a five-card hand are roughly 1 in 649,740. Learn more: What is a Royal Flush?

Straight Flush

Five cards in sequence, all the same suit. If two players both have a straight flush, the one with the higher top card wins. A Royal Flush is technically the highest straight flush.

Here are some examples of straight flushes ranked from strongest to weakest:

The Ace can be used as a low card in a straight flush (A-2-3-4-5), known as a “wheel” or “bicycle” — this is the lowest possible straight flush. However, the Ace cannot wrap around: Q-K-A-2-3 of the same suit is not a valid straight flush.

Two players can both make a straight flush in Hold’em if the board provides three or more suited consecutive cards, but it is extremely rare. When it happens, the higher top card wins:

There are 40 possible straight flush combinations in a 52-card deck (including the four Royal Flushes), making the odds roughly 1 in 72,193 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is a Straight Flush?

Four of a Kind

Four cards of identical rank plus one side card (kicker). Also called “quads.” If two players have four of a kind, the higher set of four wins. If both have the same four of a kind (possible in community card games like Hold’em and Omaha), the kicker decides.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

The fifth card (the kicker, shown dimmed) only matters when two players hold the same quads — a rare scenario that requires four of the same rank on the board. In that case, whoever holds the highest remaining card wins:

Both players have quad Kings (dimmed — they cancel out), so the kicker decides. The 8 beats the 2. There are 624 possible four-of-a-kind combinations in a 52-card deck, making the odds roughly 1 in 4,165 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is Four of a Kind?

Full House

Three of a kind combined with a pair — also called a “boat.” The three-of-a-kind portion determines the rank first. If two players both have a full house, compare the trips; if those are equal, compare the pair.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

The trips always outrank the pair when comparing full houses — the pair is irrelevant until the trips are tied:

Kings full of Twos beats Queens full of Aces because kings outrank queens — the pair never comes into play. A full house has no kicker since all five cards are part of the hand. There are 3,744 possible full house combinations, making the odds roughly 1 in 694 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is a Full House?

Flush

Five cards of the same suit in any order. Ranked by the highest card, then second highest, and so on. Suits themselves have no ranking in poker — a heart flush and a spade flush of the same card ranks split the pot.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

When two players both have a flush, compare cards from highest to lowest until one is higher — you do not add up the cards or compare the lowest ones:

Both flushes are Ace-high (dimmed — they cancel out), so the second card decides. The King beats the Queen, and the remaining cards never come into play. There are 5,108 possible flush combinations (excluding straight flushes), making the odds roughly 1 in 509 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is a Flush?

Straight

Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. The highest top card wins. Also called a “run.”

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

A-K-Q-J-10 (“Broadway”) is the highest straight. A-2-3-4-5 (the “wheel”) is the lowest — the Ace acts as a low card here. The Ace cannot wrap around: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a valid straight. The top card is all that matters:

A straight has no kicker since all five cards form the sequence — if two players have the same top card, they always split the pot. There are 10,200 possible straight combinations (excluding straight flushes), making the odds roughly 1 in 255 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is a Straight?

Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated side cards (kickers). Also called “trips” when made using two board cards and one hole card, or “a set” when using a pocket pair plus one board card. Higher three of a kind wins.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

If two players have the same trips (possible with community cards), the kickers decide. Compare the highest kicker first, then the second:

There are 54,912 possible three-of-a-kind combinations, making the odds roughly 1 in 47 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is Three of a Kind?

Two Pair

Two separate pairs plus a fifth card (kicker). Ranked by the highest pair first, then the second pair, then the kicker.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

The top pair is compared first — J-J-4-4-A beats 10-10-9-9-K because jacks beat tens, regardless of the second pair. If both top pairs match, the second pair decides. If both pairs match, the kicker breaks the tie:

There are 123,552 possible two-pair combinations, making the odds roughly 1 in 21 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is Two Pair?

One Pair

Two cards of the same rank plus three unrelated side cards (kickers). Higher pair wins. If pairs are equal, compare kickers in descending order.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

One pair is the most commonly made hand in poker. With three kickers, ties are broken by comparing them from highest to lowest. The first kicker that differs decides the winner:

There are 1,098,240 possible one-pair combinations, making the odds roughly 1 in 2.4 for a five-card hand. Learn more: What is a Pair?

High Card

When no other hand is made, the highest card plays. This is the most common outcome in poker — over half of all five-card combinations are high-card hands.

Here are some examples ranked from strongest to weakest:

Compare the highest cards first; if tied, compare the next highest, and so on. A-K-9-5-2 beats A-Q-J-10-8 because the king is higher than the queen — the remaining cards never come into play:

There are 1,302,540 possible high-card combinations, making the odds roughly 1 in 2 for a five-card hand. The worst possible high-card hand (and the worst hand in poker) is 7-5-4-3-2 of mixed suits — the lowest five cards that don’t form a straight. Learn more: What is High Card?

Poker Card Rankings

Individual cards in poker are ranked from highest to lowest:

A > K > Q > J > 10 > 9 > 8 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 4 > 3 > 2

The Ace is the highest card in most situations. However, the Ace can also act as a low card in a straight or straight flush (A-2-3-4-5). Suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) are all equal in standard poker — no suit outranks another when determining a winning hand.

Card rankings matter for:

• Kickers — when two players have the same hand type (e.g., both have a pair of kings), the highest remaining cards break the tie
• High card hands — when nobody makes a pair or better, the player with the highest card wins
• Straights — individual card rank determines which straight is higher (a king-high straight beats a ten-high straight)

How Do Tiebreakers Work in Poker?

1. Compare hand rank first — a flush always beats a straight, regardless of the cards involved.
2. Within the same rank — compare the relevant cards (e.g., the pair value for one pair, the highest card for a flush).
3. Kickers — if the main cards are tied, compare the remaining side cards from highest to lowest.
4. Suits never break ties — if all five cards are equivalent in rank, the pot is split equally.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the winning order of poker hands?

The poker hands winning order from best to worst is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. This order applies to all standard poker games including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud.

Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes. A flush (five cards of the same suit) ranks higher than a straight (five consecutive cards of mixed suits). A flush is rank 5 while a straight is rank 6 in the poker hand rankings.

Does three of a kind beat two pair?

Yes. Three of a kind ranks higher than two pair. Despite two pair having more paired cards, three of a kind is statistically harder to make and therefore ranks higher.

What are all the poker hands from best to worst?

In order from best to worst, the 10 poker hands are: (1) Royal Flush, (2) Straight Flush, (3) Four of a Kind, (4) Full House, (5) Flush, (6) Straight, (7) Three of a Kind, (8) Two Pair, (9) One Pair, and (10) High Card.

What is the worst hand in poker?

In Texas Hold’em, 7-2 offsuit is considered the worst starting hand because the cards are too far apart to make a straight easily and they have no suit connection for a flush. As a final hand, the lowest possible high card — such as 7-5-4-3-2 of mixed suits — is the weakest. For a complete guide on which hands to play and which to fold, see starting hands.

Are poker hand rankings the same in all games?

Most poker variants use the standard rankings listed above, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and Five-Card Draw. Exceptions include lowball games (Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw) where the lowest hand wins, Short Deck poker (where a flush beats a full house due to changed probabilities), and some Hi-Lo split games where the pot is divided between the best and worst hands.

How many poker hands are there?

There are 10 distinct hand rankings in poker. From a standard 52-card deck, there are 2,598,960 possible five-card combinations, each falling into one of these 10 categories.

Have a specific rules question? Check the full Texas Hold’em FAQ for answers to common scenarios and situations.