Poker hand rankings
Every game of Texas Hold’em, Omaha and Stud is decided by the same ten hands. Here they are from the strongest to the weakest, with an example of each and what to remember about it.
Updated 2026-10-05- 1A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
Royal flush
Ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit. The best hand in poker — it can’t be beaten, only tied.
- 29♥8♥7♥6♥5♥
Straight flush
Five cards in a row of the same suit, like 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts. The higher top card wins between two of them.
- 3K♣K♦K♥K♠3♦
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank. If two players have it (possible with shared cards), the higher four wins, then the fifth card.
- 4Q♥Q♦Q♠7♣7♥
Full house
Three of a kind plus a pair. The three decide first: queens full of sevens beat jacks full of aces.
- 5A♦J♦8♦5♦2♦
Flush
Any five cards of the same suit, not in a row. Compared card by card from the highest.
- 610♣9♦8♠7♥6♣
Straight
Five cards in a row of any suits. The ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A), but not both at once.
- 78♣8♦8♠K♥4♣
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank. With a pocket pair and one on the board it’s called a set; with one card in hand, trips.
- 8J♥J♣4♦4♠A♣
Two pair
Two different pairs. The higher pair decides first, then the lower one, then the fifth card (the kicker).
- 910♥10♠K♦7♣3♥
Pair
Two cards of the same rank. Between two equal pairs the highest of the other three cards — the kickers — decides.
- 10A♥Q♣9♦6♠3♣
High card
No pair, no straight, no flush: the highest card plays, then the next and so on.
Questions players ask
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush (five cards of one suit) is rarer than a straight (five in a row), so it ranks higher. Only in Short Deck poker does a flush also beat a full house.
What happens when two players have the same hand?
The hand is compared card by card using all five cards. If all five are exactly equal in rank, the pot is split. Suits never break a tie in Hold’em.
What is a kicker?
The side card that is not part of your pair, trips or quads. With A-K against A-Q on an ace-high board, both have a pair of aces — the king kicker wins.
Can I use only the board cards?
In Texas Hold’em, yes: your best five out of seven may use two, one or none of your own cards. In Omaha you must use exactly two of your cards and three from the board.
How often does each hand come?
Over seven cards, high card or a pair make up about 61 % of hands, two pair about 23 %, a straight about 4.6 %, a flush about 3 %, a full house 2.6 %, quads 0.17 % and a straight flush only about 0.03 %.