Poker Hand Rankings – Complete Beginner’s Guide to Winning Hands

If you don’t know which hands are best when you sit at a poker table, then there’s a good chance you’re about to learn a few very expensive lessons.

It’s vitally important that you know what hands beat others, as well as which hands are possible at any given moment. If you don’t, then you could find yourself paying to chase a straight when another player already has you drawing dead with a made flush.

In this beginner-focused guide, we’ll explain the official poker hand order, outline how to settle ties, and show you how to quickly identify winning hands. By the end, you’ll know which hands dominate the game and why, equipping you with the skills to compete at any poker table.

Poker Hands (from Best to Worst)

Poker hands are ranked based on rarity and strength. Below is the official poker hand ranking used in Texas Hold’em and most poker games, listed from strongest to weakest.

Hand	Example	Frequency
Royal Flush	A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠	1 in 649,740 hands
Straight Flush	9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥	1 in 72,193 hands
Four of a Kind (Quads)	7♠ 7♥ 7♦ 7♣ K♣	1 in 4,165 hands
Full House	Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 9♣ 9♦	1 in 694 hands
Flush	A♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 3♦	1 in 509 hands
Straight	10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ 6♠	1 in 255 hands
Three of a Kind	5♠ 5♥ 5♦ Q♣ 2♥	1 in 47 hands
Two Pair	K♠ K♦ 4♣ 4♥ A♦	1 in 21 hands
One Pair	J♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 2♠	1 in 2.4 hands
High Card	A♣ J♦ 9♠ 6♥ 3♣	1 in 1 hand

📋 Want a quick reference to keep at the table? Download our free printable poker hand rankings chart.

Detailed Breakdown of Poker Hands

Be sure to pay close attention and memorize the poker hand rankings. Let’s start with the best possible hand in poker….

Royal Flush

The best hand in poker. A royal flush is A-K-Q-J-10, all of the same suit. A royal flush happens only once every 650,000 hands, so don’t expect to see them too often — but if you have one, you can at least be assured that this is one hand that won’t suffer a bad beat.

Straight Flush

Five cards of the same suit, in sequence. If two or more players hold a straight flush, then the higher one wins. For example, a Queen-high straight flush beats a Jack-high straight flush.

A royal flush is technically an Ace-high straight flush, but it’s given its own ranking because of its unique status as the unbeatable hand.

Four of a Kind

Also known as “quads,” four of a kind is a hand with four cards of the same rank/value. This example shows four 8s, plus a 5 (remember that all poker hands must have five cards).

If two or more players have four of a kind, the higher four of a kind wins (e.g., four 9s beats four 8s).

In Hold’em, quads often involve three or four cards on the board — meaning both players may share the same four of a kind. When that happens, the kicker (your best fifth card) decides the winner.

If the board reads K-K-K-K-9 and you hold A-7, your Ace kicker plays and beats an opponent holding Q-J.

Full House

A full house in poker combines three cards of the same rank with a separate pair. In the example above, this full house is made of three 10s with a pair of 7s.

The three-of-a-kind portion determines the strength: three Jacks with a pair of 2s beats three Tens with a pair of Aces. If two players share the same three of a kind, the higher pair wins.

Flush

A flush is five cards of the same suit in any order. Our example shows a Queen high flush.

When two players both have a flush, the player with the highest-ranked card wins. If those match, compare the second card, then the third, and so on. If all five cards are identical in rank, the pot is split.

In games like Hold ‘Em and Omaha, flushes are only possible if three cards of the same suit are on the board. This is important information to know, because the possibility of a flush immediately devalues lesser hands like straights and pairs.

Straight

This hand contains five unsuited cards in sequence. Our example shows a King high straight.

The highest card determines the winner in a tie. One important rule: an Ace can serve as either the highest card (A-K-Q-J-10) or the lowest (A-2-3-4-5, the wheel).

In Hold ‘Em and Omaha, some straights can be hard to spot if you’re not paying attention, so always check for the possibility of one before going crazy with two pair.

Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank and two unrelated cards. Our example shows three 4s.

Three 5s would beat our example hand, three 6s would beat three 5s, and so on. If players share the same three cards, then the value of the highest unrelated card would count, and if necessary, the value of the second unrelated card.

In Hold’em and Omaha, three of a kind comes in two very different forms, and the distinction matters.

A set means you hold a pocket pair and one matching card hits the board (e.g., you hold 7-7 and the flop comes 7-K-2). Sets are well-concealed and very strong.

Trips means two matching cards are on the board and you hold one in your hand (e.g., the board shows K-K-7 and you hold K-Q). Trips are easier for opponents to put you on, and two players can hold the same trips simultaneously. When that happens, the higher kicker wins — K-Q beats K-9 on a K-K-7-6-2 board.

Two Pair

Two different pairs plus a fifth unrelated card. In a tie, the highest pair wins. If the top pair is the same, the lower pair decides.

If both pairs are identical, the kicker (fifth card) determines the winner.

Watch for counterfeiting when you have this hand. For example, if you hold 9-8 and the flop comes K-9-8, you’d have bottom two pair. However, if the turn brings another King, your two pair has been counterfeited by the board and your hand is now Kings and 9s with a weak kicker, leaving you vulnerable to any player with a King or a stronger 9.

One Pair

A paired hand contains two cards of matching rank, plus three additional cards. The value of the pair determines who wins in the event of a tie. If both players hold the same pair, kickers are compared from highest to lowest until one differs.

Kickers are one of the most important concepts in Hold’em. Example: the board reads K-7-4-2-J. You hold A-K; your opponent holds Q-K. You both have a pair of Kings — but your Ace kicker beats their Queen kicker, so you win.

Top pair with a strong kicker (often called TPTK — Top Pair Top Kicker) is one of the most common winning hands in Hold’em cash games, so underestimate it at your own risk.

High Card

If a hand doesn’t fall into any of the above categories, then it is judged on the value of the highest ranked card among the five. In this example we have a hand which is Queen high.

If players share the same highest card, then it goes to the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th card if necessary.

Community Cards

In poker, every hand is made up of five cards, but many popular variations give players access to more than that.

Take Texas Hold’em, for instance: each player receives two hidden “hole” cards and shares access to five community cards placed face-up on the table. That gives each player seven cards to work with, but only the best five-card combination counts toward their final hand. Here’s how it works in practice:

In the above example, the best five cards among total of seven (your two hole cards and five community cards) would be combined to make a flush.

Hand Rankings Are the Foundation — Here’s What Comes Next

Hand rankings are the one thing in poker you simply can’t afford to look up mid-hand. Everything else — position, pot odds, ranges, bluffing — builds on top of this foundation. Get these memorized first, then download our printable chart to keep handy while you’re still building the habit.

Once the rankings are automatic, the next step is understanding which hands are worth playing before the flop (and which ones will cost you money no matter how well you play them post-flop).

Related Lessons

Lesson	Why it matters
Reading the Board	Learn how to quickly tell what you have and what you should be concerned about (before you make an expensive mistake).
Poker Math & Probability	How often you can expect to make certain hands, and how that information should inform your decisions at the table.
Poker Terms Explained	Understand what other players mean when they talk about donkeys, Broadway, and Anna Kournikova.