Poker hand ranking, order and plays

Updated October 2026.

The poker hand rankings are the same in Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud and Five Card Draw: ten hands ordered from highest to lowest, from the royal flush to the high card. A hand of a higher category always beats one of a lower category, however high the latter's cards; between two hands of the same category, card values decide, and suits never break ties. Here is the complete order with examples, how ties are resolved, the probability of each hand and, at the end, the best starting hands in Hold'em and their nicknames.

The 10 poker hands, from highest to lowest

The odds column is the chance of being dealt that hand in five random cards. In Texas Hold'em, where you pick the best five of seven, every hand is more frequent, but the order is the same.

Each hand explained

1. Royal flush

The highest possible straight flush: 10 through ace of the same suit. It is unbeatable. There are only four, one per suit, and between them the pot is split.

2. Straight flush

Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Between two straight flushes the one with the higher top card wins. The ace can play low: A-2-3-4-5 of one suit is the smallest straight flush.

3. Four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank plus a fifth, the kicker. The higher quads win. If two players hold the same quads (possible with community cards), the kicker decides.

4. Full house

Three of a kind plus a pair. It is named by the trips: "nines full of fours". Between two full houses the higher trips win; if the trips are equal, the higher pair.

5. Flush

Five cards of the same suit that do not form a straight. The flush with the highest card wins; if tied, compare the second, third and so on down to the fifth. Two identical flushes split the pot: suits do not break ties.

6. Straight

Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. The one with the higher top card wins. The top straight is 10-J-Q-K-A ("Broadway"); the lowest is A-2-3-4-5 ("the wheel"), where the ace counts as 1. The ace cannot sit in the middle: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.

7. Three of a kind

Three cards of the same rank and two unrelated ones. Higher trips win; if equal, the higher kicker, then the second kicker. In Hold'em a distinction is made between a set (a pair in your hand plus one card on the board) and trips (a pair on the board plus one card in your hand); the set is stronger because it is better hidden.

8. Two pair

Two pairs and one unrelated card. The higher top pair wins; if tied, the lower pair; if still tied, the kicker.

9. One pair

Two cards of the same rank and three unrelated ones. The higher pair wins; if equal, the highest kicker, then the second and third.

10. High card

No combination at all. The highest card wins and, if tied, the next one. A hand with an ace beats a hand with a king.

How ties are broken: the kicker

Only the five cards of the hand are compared, and only five. If two players hold the same pair, the one with the best unpaired card (the kicker) wins. In Hold'em this creates the most frequent split-pot situation: two players with the same pair and kickers that sit on the board and are equal for both. Remember that suits never break ties and that a sixth card does not count, however good it is.

The possible straights

There are ten different straights, from the wheel (A-2-3-4-5) to Broadway (10-J-Q-K-A). Each exists in a plain version, a flush version and, for the highest, the royal flush. In Hold'em two kinds of straight draw are distinguished:

• Open-ended straight draw: four consecutive cards, such as 6-7-8-9, completed by two ranks (5 or 10): eight useful cards.
• Gutshot (inside straight draw): four cards with a gap, such as 5-6-8-9, completed by only one rank (7): four useful cards.

Watch the ace: A-2-3-4 is completed only by a 5 (the wheel), not by a king.

The best starting hands in Texas Hold'em

The ranking above is for complete five-card hands. In Hold'em, before the flop you hold only two cards, and their value depends on how often they become the best hand. The ten best, in approximate order:

The "s" means suited (same suit) and the "o" offsuit (different suits). There are 1,326 two-card combinations, which reduce to 169 distinct hands if suits are ignored; at a beginners' table, playing only the twenty best from early positions is already an edge. And remember that pocket aces are the favourite against any hand before the flop, yet lose around 15% of the time against a random hand that goes to the river.

Other nicknames you will hear at the table

• Snowmen: a pair of eights (they look like snowmen).
• Ducks: a pair of twos.
• Crabs: a pair of threes.
• Sailboats: a pair of fours.
• Route 66: a pair of sixes.
• Dead man's hand: aces and eights, the hand Wild Bill Hickok is said to have held when he was shot.
• Doyle Brunson: 10-2, with which he won the WSOP Main Event twice.

Frequently asked questions about hand rankings

Which wins, a flush or a straight?

The flush. The order is royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.

Which wins, a full house or four of a kind?

Four of a kind beats a full house (three of a kind plus a pair).

Do suits matter for breaking ties?

No. In poker no suit outranks another. Two flushes with the same five ranks split the pot.

What is the best hand in poker?

The royal flush: 10, J, Q, K and A of the same suit. The odds of being dealt one in five cards are 1 in 649,740.

Can the ace be a low card?

Yes, only to form the A-2-3-4-5 straight. In every other case it is the highest card.

Are the rankings the same in Omaha?

Yes, but in Omaha you must make your hand with exactly two of your four cards and three from the board. In Short Deck (no twos through fives), a flush beats a full house.

To see how these hands are used in a real hand, continue with the basic rules of poker and the types of poker. If you want to practise for real money, compare the online poker rooms and their rakeback.

Responsible gambling. 18+ only. Play with a closed budget.