Texas hold'em hand rankings explained

Hand rankings are the foundation of poker. Before strategy, bluffing or betting can make sense, you have to know which combination of cards beats which. This article lays out the standard order used in Texas hold'em and most other popular poker games, explains how ties are resolved, and shows why the ranking follows rarity. It describes rules only, is meant for adults 18 and over, and is not encouragement to gamble. Rules and legality vary by location. If you are new to card games in general, our blackjack basics guide is a gentler place to start.

The ranking from strongest to weakest

1. Royal flush: ten, jack, queen, king and ace, all of the same suit.
2. Straight flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit.
3. Four of a kind: four cards of the same rank.
4. Full house: three of a kind plus a pair.
5. Flush: five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
6. Straight: five consecutive cards of mixed suits.
7. Three of a kind: three cards of the same rank.
8. Two pair: two different pairs.
9. One pair: two cards of the same rank.
10. High card: none of the above, so the highest single card plays.

How Texas hold'em uses the ranking

In hold'em, each player receives two private cards, and five community cards are dealt face up on the table over several rounds. Your final hand is the best five-card combination you can make from those seven cards. You may use both of your private cards, one of them, or none of them. That last case, playing the board, is possible when the five community cards form the best hand.

Breaking ties

When two players hold the same type of hand, the ranks of the cards decide the winner. A pair of kings beats a pair of nines. If the main combination is identical, the remaining cards, called kickers, are compared in order. For example, two players with a pair of queens are separated by their highest unpaired card. If everything is equal, the pot is split.

Suits do not rank above one another in standard poker. They matter only for forming flushes. The ace is flexible in straights: it can sit high (ten through ace) or low (ace through five).

Why rarer hands rank higher

The order is not arbitrary. It reflects how often each hand appears among all possible five-card combinations from a 52-card deck, a total of 2,598,960. Only 4 of them are royal flushes, one for each suit. Four of a kind appears in 624 combinations, and a full house in 3,744. One pair occurs in 1,098,240 combinations. Hands that are either a single pair or a high card make up roughly 92% of all five-card hands. The rarer the hand, the higher its place in the ranking.

Common misunderstandings

• "A flush beats a full house." It does not. A full house is rarer and ranks higher.
• "The ace is always high." In straights it can also count as low.
• "Having a strong hand means winning." Others may hold something stronger, and in hold'em the shared board often supports several strong hands at once.
• "Bad luck has to turn around." Each deal is independent. Expecting good cards because you have received poor ones is a classic error. To see how likelihood is actually measured, read our guide to American, decimal and fractional odds.

Poker involves skill in decision-making, but luck plays a large role, particularly over short periods, and no strategy guarantees profit.

A short practice habit

If you are learning, deal yourself seven random cards and practice naming your best five-card hand until it becomes automatic. Hand reading speed matters at real tables, where mistakes can be costly.

Frequently asked questions

What beats a straight?

A flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush and royal flush all beat a straight, as does anything higher in the list above.

What is a kicker?

It is an unpaired card used to decide between two otherwise equal hands.

Can two players both have a royal flush?

Only if the royal flush is made from the community cards, in which case the pot is split.