Poker Hand Rankings — From Strongest to Weakest
Every form of poker played in the major online operators — Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Razz (reversed), and short-deck — uses the same ten-hand ranking system, with small variant-specific adjustments noted below. The ranking is determined by the rarity of the combination: the rarer the hand, the higher it ranks.
The ten hands, strongest first:
- Royal Flush — A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit
- Straight Flush — Five consecutive cards of the same suit
- Four of a Kind — Four cards of the same rank
- Full House — Three of a kind plus a pair
- Flush — Five cards of the same suit, not consecutive
- Straight — Five consecutive cards of mixed suits
- Three of a Kind — Three cards of the same rank
- Two Pair — Two separate pairs
- One Pair — Two cards of the same rank
- High Card — None of the above; highest single card plays
That ranking holds for every "high" poker variant the PokerSites.org review team has tested on every licensed operator. The "low" variants (Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw, the low half of Hi-Lo split games) use a reversed ordering, documented in a separate section below.
Each Hand, Explained
1. Royal Flush
A royal flush is the best possible hand in standard high poker: the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of a single suit. Example: A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠.
There is exactly one royal flush per suit and four suits, which means there are exactly four possible royal flushes in a 52-card deck. At a Texas Hold'em table with seven cards available to make the best five, the odds of being dealt a royal flush on any given hand are approximately 1 in 30,940. A recreational player logging 10,000 hands per year can expect roughly one royal flush every three years.
2. Straight Flush
A straight flush is any five consecutive cards of the same suit that is not ace-high. Example: 9♦ 8♦ 7♦ 6♦ 5♦.
Straight flushes are ranked by their highest card: a king-high straight flush (K-Q-J-10-9 suited) beats a five-high straight flush (5-4-3-2-A suited, also called a "steel wheel"). The ace in a steel wheel plays as the low card; it does not beat a six-high straight flush.
At seven-card Texas Hold'em, the odds of making a straight flush (excluding royal flush) are approximately 1 in 3,590.
3. Four of a Kind
Four of a kind — also called "quads" — is four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card (the "kicker"). Example: Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♠.
Four of a kind is ranked first by the rank of the quad and then, only if two players have the same quad (mathematically possible only in variants with a community-card board, like Hold'em or Omaha), by the kicker. Quad aces beat quad kings regardless of kickers.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 594.
4. Full House
A full house is three cards of one rank combined with two cards of another rank. Example: 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 4♣ 4♠ — "eights full of fours."
Full houses are ranked first by the three-of-a-kind portion and then by the pair. Aces full of twos (AAA22) beats kings full of queens (KKKQQ), because the triple aces rank higher than the triple kings. When two players have the same three-of-a-kind (possible only on a board game), the pair determines the winner.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 37.5.
5. Flush
A flush is five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Example: K♥ J♥ 9♥ 6♥ 3♥.
Flushes are ranked by the highest card in the flush. An ace-high flush beats a king-high flush regardless of the other four cards. If two players both hold ace-high flushes, the second-highest card determines the winner, and so on down the line. Suits do not break ties in standard poker — hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades all carry equal weight.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 32.
6. Straight
A straight is five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Example: 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠.
Straights are ranked by their highest card: a ten-high straight (10-9-8-7-6) beats a nine-high straight (9-8-7-6-5). The ace plays both high (A-K-Q-J-10, called "Broadway") and low (5-4-3-2-A, called "the wheel"). The wheel is the lowest possible straight — it is beaten by a six-high straight.
A straight cannot "wrap around" the ace. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 20.6.
7. Three of a Kind
Three of a kind — also called "trips" (when the pair hits the board in Hold'em) or "a set" (when the pair is in a player's hole cards) — is three cards of the same rank plus two unpaired cards of different ranks. Example: J♠ J♥ J♦ 9♣ 4♠.
Three of a kind is ranked by the rank of the triple first, then the highest kicker, then the second kicker. Three aces with any kickers beats three kings with ace-king kickers.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 19.7.
8. Two Pair
Two pair is two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank, and a fifth unmatched kicker. Example: K♠ K♥ 7♦ 7♣ 2♠ — "kings and sevens."
Two pair is ranked first by the higher pair, then by the lower pair, then by the kicker. Kings and twos (KK22) beats queens and jacks (QQJJ) because the kings outrank the queens. When both the high pair and low pair are identical (possible only on a board game), the kicker determines the winner.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 3.26.
9. One Pair
One pair is two cards of the same rank plus three unpaired cards of different ranks. Example: 10♠ 10♥ A♦ 6♣ 2♠.
One pair is ranked by the rank of the pair first, then by the three kickers in descending order. Pair of aces with a king-queen-jack kicker beats pair of aces with a king-queen-ten kicker because the third kicker (jack vs. ten) breaks the tie.
Odds at seven-card Hold'em: approximately 1 in 1.28.
10. High Card
High card is the hand type assigned when no other hand ranking applies. The highest single card plays, then the second, and so on down to the fifth. Example: A♠ J♥ 8♦ 6♣ 4♠ — "ace-high."
Ace-high beats king-high regardless of the other cards. When two players both hold ace-high, the next card determines the winner, and so on.
In seven-card Hold'em, the odds of the best-five-cards from seven being a high card hand are approximately 1 in 4.7.
Tie-Breaker Rules
Tie-breakers follow three general principles that apply across all hand ranks:
- Hand rank first. A flush always beats a straight regardless of the specific cards.
- Rank within the category second. When two players have the same hand type, the ranking of the primary cards in that hand determines the winner (e.g., ace-high flush beats king-high flush).
- Kickers third. When the primary cards are identical, the side cards (kickers) break the tie from highest to lowest.
- Exact ties produce split pots. If two players' best five cards are identical in rank (suits do not count), the pot is split evenly. A "chop" is common in Hold'em when the community cards produce the best five-card hand regardless of what either player holds in their pocket.
Worked Tie-Breaker Example
Two players at showdown in Texas Hold'em. Community board: A♣ Q♦ 8♥ 4♣ 2♠.
- Player A holds: K♠ Q♠. Her best five cards are: A♣ K♠ Q♦ Q♠ 8♥. That is one pair of queens with ace-king kickers.
- Player B holds: J♠ Q♣. His best five cards are: A♣ Q♦ Q♣ J♠ 8♥. That is one pair of queens with ace-jack kickers.
Both players have one pair of queens. The first kicker (ace) ties. The second kicker (king for Player A, jack for Player B) breaks the tie. Player A wins the pot.
If instead the third card in the hand had also tied (example: both players held Q-J and needed to compare the fourth or fifth card), the comparison would continue through all five cards; if all five are identical, the pot is split.
Variant-Specific Notes
Texas Hold'em
Each player receives two hole cards and combines them with five community cards to make the best five-card poker hand. Players may use any combination: both hole cards plus three community cards, one hole card plus four community cards, or all five community cards (called "playing the board"). Standard high-hand rankings apply.
Omaha
Each player receives four hole cards. The best five-card hand must use exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards. That "exactly two" rule is the single most common source of hand-reading errors for players new to Omaha — a player holding A♠ K♠ 5♣ 4♣ does not have a flush when the board is J♠ 8♠ 7♠ 3♦ 2♦, because only one of her hole cards is a spade.
Seven Card Stud
Each player receives seven cards — three face-down and four face-up across several betting rounds. The best five-card poker hand wins; standard high rankings apply.
Razz (Seven Card Stud Low)
A low variant of stud where the goal is to make the lowest possible five-card hand. The rankings are inverted: the best razz hand is A-2-3-4-5 ("the wheel"). Straights and flushes do not count against a low hand in razz. This means that even A-2-3-4-5 with all cards of the same suit is still the best razz hand — the straight and flush are simply ignored.
2-7 Triple Draw
Another low variant, but with a different twist: straights and flushes do count against a low hand, and the ace plays exclusively as a high card. The best 2-7 triple draw hand is 7-5-4-3-2 ("a seven-five") — not A-2-3-4-5, because A-2-3-4-5 would be a straight (bad in 2-7) with the ace playing as high.
Short-Deck (Six Plus) Hold'em
Played with a 36-card deck (twos, threes, fours, and fives removed). Two hand-ranking changes reflect the altered deck: a flush beats a full house (because flushes are now rarer than full houses in a shortened deck), and three-of-a-kind beats a straight. The ace can still play low as part of A-6-7-8-9 (the short-deck "wheel").
Probabilities at a Glance
The table below shows the approximate probability of making each hand in seven-card Texas Hold'em (i.e., the best five-card hand from your two hole cards plus the five community cards). Probabilities are rounded.
| Hand | Probability | Odds Against |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 0.0032% | 1 in 30,940 |
| Straight Flush | 0.0279% | 1 in 3,590 |
| Four of a Kind | 0.168% | 1 in 594 |
| Full House | 2.60% | 1 in 37.5 |
| Flush | 3.03% | 1 in 32 |
| Straight | 4.62% | 1 in 20.6 |
| Three of a Kind | 4.83% | 1 in 19.7 |
| Two Pair | 23.50% | 1 in 3.26 |
| One Pair | 43.80% | 1 in 1.28 |
| High Card | 17.41% | 1 in 4.7 |
These numbers are the baseline — the actual frequency with which a given player makes each hand depends on starting-hand selection, board texture, and whether they fold before reaching showdown. A tight-aggressive player playing roughly 22% of starting hands will see each of these distributions roughly once per the expected frequency in the hands they play to showdown, while folding the weak hands before showdown.
Memorizing the Rankings
The single most common mistake new players make is losing small pots at showdown because they have not internalized the ranking system and over-value specific hands (for example, slowplaying two pair against an obvious flush draw). The following mnemonic — used by the PokerSites.org coaching desk with beginners — is the fastest way to commit the rankings to muscle memory:
"Royal Straight-flush, Quad Full, Flush Straight, Trip Two One, High."
Each word in that phrase, in order, corresponds to a hand rank from top to bottom. Repeat it aloud ten times while looking at a ranking chart, then play 100 hands of free-money poker (see free poker options) attempting to identify what you have immediately when you look at your seven cards. Within a few hundred hands, hand recognition becomes automatic and players stop losing pots to simple misreads.
Common Misreads to Avoid
Five specific misreads appear most frequently in the hand histories the review team has analyzed from beginner cash-game sessions:
- Confusing a straight and a flush. A straight is five in a row (mixed suits). A flush is five same-suit (not in order). Both can be made simultaneously — that is a straight flush.
- Missing the ace as a low card in the wheel. A-2-3-4-5 is a valid five-high straight. An ace can play either high or low, but not both simultaneously.
- Thinking suits break ties. They do not in standard poker. Ace of spades and ace of clubs are equal for ranking purposes. A hearts flush and a spades flush are compared by the rank of the cards, not the suits.
- Mis-reading two pair vs. three of a kind. Two pair uses four cards of two different ranks; three of a kind uses three cards of one rank. On a board of K-K-8, a player with K-8 has a full house (three kings and two eights), not two pair — the third king came from the board.
- Over-valuing sets in Omaha. Because every player in Omaha has four hole cards, sets (three of a kind where the pair is in hand) are more vulnerable than in Hold'em. A set that holds up 85% of the time in Hold'em may hold up only 60% of the time in Omaha against multiple opponents.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best hand in poker?
In standard high-hand poker (Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven Card Stud), the best possible hand is a royal flush — ace, king, queen, jack, and ten of the same suit. No other hand beats it.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes, in standard high poker a flush (five same-suit cards) beats a straight (five consecutive cards of mixed suits). The only exception is short-deck (Six Plus) Hold'em, where flushes beat full houses because of the modified deck composition — but in that variant, flushes still beat straights.
What beats three of a kind?
Three of a kind is beaten by a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush — in that order of increasing strength.
What is the lowest hand in poker?
In standard high poker, the lowest hand is "high card" — five cards that do not form any other hand. Among high-card hands, the lowest possible is 7-5-4-3-2 of mixed suits (the lowest combination that is not a straight or flush). In "low" poker variants, the rankings invert: in razz, A-2-3-4-5 is the best (lowest) hand; in 2-7 triple draw, 7-5-4-3-2 is the best (lowest) hand because straights and flushes count against you.
Do suits matter in poker?
No, suits do not break ties in standard poker. All four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades) are ranked equally. If two players have the same hand with different suits, the pot is split. Some home games use suit rankings to break ties, but no licensed online operator does.
What is a kicker?
A kicker is a side card that breaks ties when two players have the same primary hand. For example, if both players have a pair of kings, the kicker (the highest non-paired card) determines the winner. Kings with an ace kicker beats kings with a queen kicker.
Are the hand rankings the same in every poker game?
The high-hand rankings are the same in every "high" poker variant played at licensed online operators (Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, short-deck). Low variants (razz, 2-7, Hi-Lo split games) invert the rankings. Short-deck specifically swaps full house / flush and three of a kind / straight because of its 36-card deck.
How do you memorize poker hand rankings?
Practice is the fastest method — play at least a few hundred hands of free-money poker with the rankings visible as a reference, then gradually remove the reference. Most players internalize the rankings within 200–500 hands of active play. The mnemonic "Royal Straight-flush, Quad Full, Flush Straight, Trip Two One, High" is useful as an initial scaffold.
Next Steps
Once hand rankings are internalized, the next skill to develop is pre-flop hand selection (which starting hands to play in which positions) followed by post-flop decision-making (equity, pot odds, implied odds). Suggested reading order:
- Texas Hold'em Rules — full rules of the most common variant
- Poker Math Basics — pot odds, equity, and expected value
- Free Poker Practice — where to apply the rankings without risking money
Players who plan to play for real money after working through these guides should review the best poker sites for a verified list of operators that passed the PokerSites.org review team's testing in the current review cycle.