Hand Rankings

Hand Rankings

Hand rankings are poker's foundation—the absolute hierarchy that determines every winner at showdown. A Royal Flush always beats Four of a Kind, which always beats a Full House, and so on down to High Card. No debate, no exceptions. While strategy involves bluffing, position, and pot odds, the final arbiter at showdown is hand strength. Memorizing these ten rankings is non-negotiable for any poker player. Within seconds of seeing cards, you should know exactly where your hand sits—and whether it's strong enough to win.

Table of Contents

• Complete Rankings
• Hand Probabilities
• Hand Descriptions
• Kickers and Tie-Breakers
• Common Misconceptions
• Hand Ranking by Game
• Quick Reference

Complete Rankings {#rankings}

From Best to Worst

Visual Memory Aid

Royal Flush     🔥 A K Q J T (same suit)
Straight Flush  📈 5 consecutive (same suit)
Four of a Kind  4️⃣ AAAA x
Full House      🏠 AAA BB
Flush           ♠️ 5 same suit
Straight        ➡️ 5 consecutive
Three of Kind   3️⃣ AAA x x
Two Pair        2️⃣ AA BB x
One Pair        1️⃣ AA x x x
High Card       ❌ nothing

Hand Probabilities {#probabilities}

Probability of Being Dealt Each Hand

Texas Hold'em Probabilities (7 cards)

Flopping Hand Probabilities

Hand Descriptions {#descriptions}

Royal Flush

A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠

Probability of flopping: ~0.0002% with suited cards

Straight Flush

9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥

Ranking within: Higher top card wins. K♥ Q♥ J♥ T♥ 9♥ beats 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥

Four of a Kind (Quads)

K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 7♠

KKKK beats QQQQ. KKKK-A beats KKKK-Q (impossible in Hold'em, same quads)

Full House (Boat)

Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 9♠ 9♥

QQQ-99 beats JJJ-AA (trips compared first)

Flush

A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦

A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦ beats K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ 9♠ (Ace-high beats King-high)

Straight

T♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠

Special case: A can be high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (A-2-3-4-5) but not both (K-A-2-3-4 is NOT a straight)

Three of a Kind (Trips/Set)

7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♠ 2♣

777-AK beats 777-AQ (kickers matter)

Two Pair

J♠ J♥ 5♦ 5♣ K♠

JJ-55-K beats JJ-55-Q (kicker matters) JJ-55 beats TT-99 (compare higher pair first)

One Pair

A♠ A♥ K♠ 9♦ 4♣

AA-KQ9 beats AA-KQ8 (fifth card matters!)

High Card

A♠ K♥ J♦ 8♣ 4♠

AKJ84 beats AKJ83 (fifth card!)

Kickers and Tie-Breakers {#kickers}

How Kickers Work

Kicker Examples

Scenario 1: One Pair

Scenario 2: Two Pair (same two pair)

Scenario 3: Flush

When Kickers Don't Apply

Split Pot Scenarios

Important: In Hold'em, you use best 5 of 7 cards. Sometimes the board is your hand.

Common Misconceptions {#misconceptions}

Myth 1: Three Pair Exists

Reality: Only best 5 cards count. If you have A-A-K-K-Q-Q-7, your hand is AA-KK-Q (two pair with Queen kicker), not "three pair."

Myth 2: Suits Have Rankings

Reality: In standard poker, all suits are equal. A♠ A♥ A♦ A♣ 2♠ ties with A♠ A♥ A♦ A♣ 2♥ (both are quads, same kicker). Suit only matters for determining flushes.

Myth 3: Wrap-Around Straights

Reality: K-A-2-3-4 is NOT a straight. Ace can be high (in A-K-Q-J-T) OR low (in A-2-3-4-5), but not both in the same hand.

Myth 4: Position Affects Hand Strength

Reality: Hand rankings are absolute. Position affects strategy (when to play), not the hand's strength. AA on the button = AA under the gun in terms of ranking.

Myth 5: More Cards = Stronger

Reality: Having 6 suited cards doesn't beat 5 suited. A flush is 5 cards, period. Your sixth spade is irrelevant (but in Hold'em, having more flush cards means opponent likely has fewer).

Hand Ranking by Game {#variants}

Texas Hold'em / Omaha

Standard rankings apply (as shown above).

Lowball (Razz, 2-7)

Note: In 2-7, straights and flushes count against you, and Ace is always high.

Hi-Lo Split Games

Short Deck (6+)

Quick Reference {#reference}

Ranking Order (Memorize This)

1. Royal Flush       - A-K-Q-J-T same suit
2. Straight Flush    - 5 sequential same suit
3. Four of a Kind    - XXXX y
4. Full House        - XXX YY
5. Flush             - 5 same suit
6. Straight          - 5 sequential
7. Three of a Kind   - XXX y z
8. Two Pair          - XX YY z
9. One Pair          - XX y z w
10. High Card        - x y z w v

Quick Decision Chart

Beat-By Probability (Hold'em, River)

Related Calculators

• Hand Rankings Chart - Interactive reference
• Equity Calculator - Compare hand strengths