Poker Hand Rankings

Poker hands, best to worst

These rankings are used by Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud and every other game where the best hand wins. A hand higher on the list beats any hand below it.

The odds show how rare each hand is: first the chance of being dealt it in five cards, then the chance it is your best hand from seven cards, as in Hold'em, where you use your two cards and the five on the board.

1. 1

   Royal flush

   A, K, Q, J and 10, all in one suit. The best hand there is, and the rarest.

   • Ace of spadesAA
   • King of spadesKK
   • Queen of spadesQQ
   • Jack of spadesJJ
   • Ten of spades1010

   Dealt in 5 cards

   0.00015%1 in 649,740

   Best hand in 7 cards

   0.0032%

2. 2

   Straight flush

   Five cards in a row, all in one suit. A royal flush is simply the highest one.

   • Nine of hearts99
   • Eight of hearts88
   • Seven of hearts77
   • Six of hearts66
   • Five of hearts55

   Dealt in 5 cards

   0.0014%1 in 72,193

   Best hand in 7 cards

   0.028%

3. 3

   Four of a kind

   All four cards of one rank, plus any fifth card. Also called quads.

   • Queen of spadesQQ
   • Queen of heartsQQ
   • Queen of diamondsQQ
   • Queen of clubsQQ
   • Four of spades44

   Dealt in 5 cards

   0.024%1 in 4,165

   Best hand in 7 cards

   0.17%

4. 4

   Full house

   Three of a kind and a pair together. Said as "jacks full of eights".

   • Jack of spadesJJ
   • Jack of heartsJJ
   • Jack of diamondsJJ
   • Eight of clubs88
   • Eight of spades88

   Dealt in 5 cards

   0.14%1 in 694

   Best hand in 7 cards

   2.60%

5. 5

   Flush

   Any five cards of the same suit that are not in a row.

   • King of diamondsKK
   • Ten of diamonds1010
   • Seven of diamonds77
   • Four of diamonds44
   • Two of diamonds22

   Dealt in 5 cards

   0.2%1 in 509

   Best hand in 7 cards

   3.03%

6. 6

   Straight

   Five cards in a row of mixed suits. The Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A).

   • Ten of clubs1010
   • Nine of diamonds99
   • Eight of spades88
   • Seven of hearts77
   • Six of clubs66

   Dealt in 5 cards

   0.39%1 in 255

   Best hand in 7 cards

   4.62%

7. 7

   Three of a kind

   Three cards of one rank and two that do not pair. Also called trips, or a set.

   • Seven of spades77
   • Seven of hearts77
   • Seven of clubs77
   • King of diamondsKK
   • Two of spades22

   Dealt in 5 cards

   2.11%1 in 47

   Best hand in 7 cards

   4.83%

8. 8

   Two pair

   Two cards of one rank, two of another, and a fifth card.

   • Ace of spadesAA
   • Ace of diamondsAA
   • Nine of clubs99
   • Nine of hearts99
   • Five of spades55

   Dealt in 5 cards

   4.75%1 in 21

   Best hand in 7 cards

   23.5%

9. 9

   One pair

   Two cards of the same rank and three that do not match.

   • Ten of hearts1010
   • Ten of spades1010
   • Ace of clubsAA
   • Eight of diamonds88
   • Three of clubs33

   Dealt in 5 cards

   42.3%1 in 2

   Best hand in 7 cards

   43.8%

10. 10

    High card

    None of the above. The hand is named by its highest card: this is "ace high".

    • Ace of clubsAA
    • Jack of diamondsJJ
    • Eight of hearts88
    • Five of spades55
    • Two of clubs22

    Dealt in 5 cards

    50.1%

    Best hand in 7 cards

    17.4%

How a tie is broken

When two players have the same kind of hand, the cards inside it decide. Only the best five cards count, and the suits never do.

Higher cards win

A pair of kings beats a pair of queens. A straight to the ten beats a straight to the nine. A flush is compared card by card from the top: K-10-7-4-2 beats K-9-8-6-5 at the second card.

Kickers

The cards that are not part of the pair, trips or quads are kickers. If two players both have a pair of aces, the higher kicker wins: A-A-K beats A-A-Q.

Two pair

Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.

Full house

The three of a kind decides first: queens full of twos beats jacks full of aces.

Suits are all equal

No suit beats another. If two hands are exactly the same rank for rank, the pot is split.

The board plays

In Hold'em, if the five shared cards are the best hand for everyone still in, every player has the same hand and the pot is split, whatever their own two cards.

Common questions

Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes. A flush beats a straight, and a full house beats both.

Does a straight beat three of a kind?

Yes. A straight ranks above three of a kind, which ranks above two pair.

What beats a full house?

Only four of a kind and a straight flush (a royal flush included).

Can an Ace be low?

Yes, in one straight: 5-4-3-2-A, called the wheel, which is the lowest straight. A straight cannot wrap around the Ace, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.

How many cards make a hand?

Always five. In Hold'em you use the best five of your two cards and the five on the board, in any mix. In Omaha you must use exactly two of your four cards and three from the board.

Is it the same in every game?

In every game where the best hand wins, yes, except Short Deck, where a flush beats a full house. Low games such as Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw turn the order around, so the worst hand wins.

Poker hands cheat sheet