Knowing which cards beat which is one of the first skills every poker player needs. The standard poker hands ranking contains ten categories, beginning with the royal flush and ending with a high card. This order applies to Texas Hold’em and many other common variants.
At showdown, each player forms the strongest five-card hand available. In Texas Hold’em, that hand can use both hole cards, one hole card or neither hole card. The winner is the player with the highest category or, when two players share a category, the stronger card values.
Poker Hands Ranking Chart
The table below shows the rank of poker hands from strongest to weakest. Rarer hands are placed above more common ones, which is why a flush beats a straight and four of a kind beats a full house.
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| Rank | Poker hand | Example |
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ |
| 3 | Four of a kind | K♣ K♦ K♥ K♠ 4♣ |
| 4 | Full house | Q♣ Q♦ Q♠ 7♥ 7♣ |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦ |
| 6 | Straight | 8♠ 7♥ 6♦ 5♣ 4♠ |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 9♣ 9♦ 9♠ K♥ 3♣ |
| 8 | Two pair | A♣ A♦ 6♠ 6♥ 2♣ |
| 9 | One pair | J♣ J♥ 8♦ 5♠ 2♥ |
| 10 | High card | A♣ Q♦ 9♠ 6♥ 3♣ |
1. Royal Flush
A royal flush is the strongest possible poker hand. It contains an ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all from the same suit. No other hand can beat it.
A royal flush is technically the highest form of a straight flush, but it is usually listed separately because it has a fixed card sequence. It is also exceptionally rare, appearing once in every 649,740 random five-card hands.
2. Straight Flush
A straight flush contains five consecutive cards of the same suit. Nine through five in hearts is one example. A higher straight flush beats a lower one, so a jack-high straight flush defeats a nine-high straight flush.
The ace can sit above a king or below a two. Therefore, A-2-3-4-5 is a valid five-high straight flush, while Q-K-A-2-3 is not a valid sequence.
3. Four of a Kind
Four of a kind, often called quads, contains all four cards of one rank plus an unrelated fifth card. Four kings beat four queens, regardless of the kicker.
When both players use the same quads from the community cards, the fifth card decides the pot. For example, quads with an ace kicker beat the same quads with a king kicker.
4. Full House
A full house combines three cards of one rank with two cards of another. Queens full of sevens means three queens and two sevens.
The three-card portion is compared first. Kings full of twos therefore beat queens full of aces. Only when both players share the same trips does the pair decide which full house wins.
5. Flush
A flush consists of five cards from the same suit that do not form a consecutive sequence. Suits have equal value, so spades do not automatically beat hearts or clubs.
When two players have flushes, compare the highest card. If those cards match, compare the second-highest card, continuing until a difference appears. An ace-high flush is one of the stronger poker winning hands, but it still loses to every full house.
6. Straight
A straight contains five consecutive card ranks with at least two suits represented. A ten-high straight beats a nine-high straight.
The ace can be high in A-K-Q-J-10 or low in A-2-3-4-5. It cannot wrap around, so K-A-2-3-4 does not count. A flush ranks above a straight because five suited cards occur less often than five sequential ranks.
7. Three of a Kind
Three of a kind contains three matching cards and two side cards. In Hold’em, a “set” uses a pocket pair plus one matching community card. “Trips” uses one hole card plus a pair on the board.
Both are equal within the formal poker combinations, though a set is often harder for opponents to detect. If two players hold equal trips, kickers settle the result.
8. Two Pair
Two pair contains two cards of one rank, two of another and a kicker. Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair and finally the kicker.
Aces and twos beat kings and queens because the pair of aces is checked first. Two pair can be one of the more frequent winning hands in poker, but its strength falls on boards that permit straights, flushes or full houses.
9. One Pair
One pair contains two matching cards and three kickers. A pair of aces beats any lower pair. When the pairs match, compare the highest kicker, followed by the next side card if needed.
One pair is the weakest made hand, yet it wins many Hold’em pots when opponents miss the board. Its value depends heavily on the pair’s rank, kicker strength and board structure.
10. High Card
High card applies when no player forms a pair, straight, flush or stronger category. Compare the highest card first and continue downward until one player has the better value.
For example, A-Q-9-6-3 beats A-J-10-8-7 because the queen beats the jack. High card sits last among the best poker hands, but it can still take the pot when every opponent has an inferior unpaired holding.
How Poker Ties Are Decided
Kickers decide many tied hands involving pairs, two pair, trips, quads and high cards. If both players’ best five cards are identical, the pot is divided equally. Extra hole cards outside the final five-card combination do not count.
Learning the ranking order prevents costly showdown mistakes. Royal flush, straight flush and quads occupy the top, while one pair and high card sit at the bottom. Once this hierarchy becomes familiar, judging hand strength and comparing possible opponent holdings becomes much easier.
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