There are ten poker hands. 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. The rarer a hand, the higher it ranks. The order is the same in Texas Hold'em, Omaha and seven-card stud, and your hand is always the best five cards available to you.
The ten hands, best to worst
| Hand | What makes it | Example | Chance in five cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Royal flush | A, K, Q, J and 10, all the same suit | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | 0.000154% |
| 2. Straight flush | Five cards in sequence, all the same suit | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 0.00139% |
| 3. Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank | Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 7♦ | 0.0240% |
| 4. Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | K♠ K♦ K♣ 4♥ 4♠ | 0.144% |
| 5. Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | 0.197% |
| 6. Straight | Five cards in sequence, mixed suits | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | 0.392% |
| 7. Three of a kind | Three cards of the same rank | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ | 2.11% |
| 8. Two pair | Two different pairs | J♥ J♣ 5♠ 5♦ A♣ | 4.75% |
| 9. One pair | Two cards of the same rank | 10♠ 10♥ A♦ 8♣ 4♥ | 42.3% |
| 10. High card | None of the above: the highest card plays | A♣ Q♦ 9♠ 6♥ 3♣ | 50.1% |
Only 4 of the 2,598,960 possible five-card hands are royal flushes, against 1,302,540 high-card hands. A flush beats a straight because it is rarer: there are 5,108 ways to make one and 10,200 ways to make a straight.
Kickers, ties and split pots
- Same hand, higher cards win. A pair of aces beats a pair of kings. When two players both hold a pair of aces, the next-highest card, the kicker, decides: A-A-K-7-3 beats A-A-Q-J-10.
- Only five cards count. If two players have the same best five cards, they split the pot, whatever their other cards.
- Suits never break ties in Hold'em or Omaha. No suit ranks above another.
- Aces play high or low in straights. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight and 10-J-Q-K-A the highest, but Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
- Full houses rank by the three of a kind: K-K-K-4-4 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A.
- Flushes compare from the top card down: K-Q-9-5-3 beats K-Q-8-7-6.
Seven cards change the odds, not the order
In Texas Hold'em you make your best five cards from seven, so strong hands come up far more often. By the river, one pair is the most common result at 43.8%, two pair comes up 23.5% of the time and high card only 17.4%, so finishing with no pair is rarer than making two pair. A straight arrives 4.62% of the time and a flush 3.03%. The ranking doesn't change: it is always based on five-card hands.
New to the game? Read Texas Hold'em rules next.
Hands beginners misread
- Three pairs. A hand can only use two. With 9-9 on a K-K-5-5-2 board, your hand is kings and nines with a five kicker.
- Playing the board. If the five community cards are your best hand, anyone who can't beat them splits the pot with you.
- Four to a flush is nothing. Four hearts and a club is not a flush: the hand is ranked by its pairs or highest card.
FAQs
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush beats a straight because it is rarer: there are 5,108 ways to make a flush with five cards against 10,200 ways to make a straight, not counting straight flushes. A full house, four of a kind and a straight flush all beat a flush.
What beats a full house in poker?
Only three hands beat a full house: four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush. Between two full houses, the one with the higher three of a kind wins, so kings full of fours beats queens full of aces.
Do suits matter in poker?
Not in Texas Hold'em or Omaha. No suit ranks above another, so two players with the same five-card hand in different suits split the pot. Suits only matter when you're making a flush or a straight flush.