Poker Hand Rankings
The official poker hand rankings from royal flush to high card, with a chart, tie-breaker rules, and worked examples for Hold'em and Omaha.
Every form of poker — Texas Hold’em, Omaha, seven-card stud — is decided by the same ladder of hands. Learn it once and you will never again hesitate at showdown wondering whether your flush beats their straight. Below are all ten hands from strongest to weakest, how ties break, and the spots beginners miss.
The poker hand rankings chart
| # | Hand | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | A-high straight flush. The unbeatable nuts. |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five cards in sequence, all one suit. |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 4♦ | All four cards of one rank. Quads. |
| 4 | Full House | J♠ J♦ J♣ 8♥ 8♠ | Trips plus a pair. Jacks full of eights. |
| 5 | Flush | K♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 3♦ | Five of one suit, not in sequence. |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | Five in sequence, mixed suits. |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | 7♠ 7♦ 7♣ K♥ 2♠ | Three of one rank. Trips or a set. |
| 8 | Two Pair | A♣ A♦ 6♠ 6♥ 9♣ | Two different pairs. |
| 9 | One Pair | 10♦ 10♠ K♣ 7♦ 2♥ | Two cards of the same rank. |
| 10 | High Card | A♠ J♦ 8♣ 5♥ 2♠ | No combination. Highest card plays. |
Why this order? Rarer hands beat common ones. There are only 4 royal flushes in a 52-card deck but 1,098,240 ways to make a single pair — so the royal flush sits on top and a pair near the bottom.
How ties are broken (kickers)
When two players hold the same category, the remaining cards — kickers — break the tie, highest to lowest.
Board K♦ K♠ 9♣ 4♦ 2♠. Player A holds A♣ Q♥ (pair of kings, ace-queen
kicker → K-K-A-Q-9). Player B holds A♥ 10♣ (pair of kings, ace-ten kicker).
Both have kings; A’s queen outkicks the ten, so Player A wins. The fifth
card decides everything.
The two matchups beginners miss
Most hand-ranking mistakes happen in the middle of the chart, on two specific comparisons:
- A flush beats a straight — always. Detail: does a flush beat a straight.
- A full house beats a flush — a plain flush never beats a full house. Detail: what beats a full house.
Get those two right and you’ve covered the spots that cost beginners the most pots. For the full at-a-glance order, see what beats what in poker.
How to memorize the rankings fast
You don’t need to grind flashcards. Two tricks make it stick:
- Group by “how many alike.” Four of a kind → full house (3+2) → three of a kind → two pair → one pair. The count of matching cards steps down as the hands get weaker.
- Remember the flush/straight family sits in the middle, ordered by rarity: straight flush, then flush, then straight. The more “connected and suited,” the stronger.
Within a day of playing you’ll know the order cold — the ladder is short and you use it every hand.
Do rankings change between games?
The ladder above is standard for “high” games. A few variants flip it: lowball (Razz, 2-7) rewards the worst hand, and hi-lo split games (Omaha 8) split the pot between best high and best qualifying low. Learn the standard ranking first — it covers the games you’ll actually play.
The hands beginners confuse most
Three comparisons cause almost every showdown mistake, so commit them to memory:
- Flush beats straight — always. Why.
- Full house beats flush — a plain flush never beats a boat. Why.
- Trips vs a set — both are three of a kind; a “set” is a pocket pair that hits a third card, “trips” is one hole card pairing the board twice. They rank the same, but sets are better disguised.
Nail those and you’ll read the board correctly every time. For the complete order at a glance, see what beats what in poker.
Frequently asked
What is the highest hand in poker?
A royal flush — A-K-Q-J-10 all of the same suit. It is the rarest hand and cannot be beaten.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush ranks above a straight because it is statistically harder to make.
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes. The order from the top is straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight.