Poker hands are ranked from royal flush (strongest) down to high card (weakest). A royal flush beats a straight flush, which beats four of a kind, then full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card. Suits do not outrank each other. If two players make the same category, kickers and the highest cards in the five-card hand decide the pot.
This page is the ranking chart for US, UK, Australian and New Zealand searchers. It is not a poker-odds calculator and not a how-to-deal guide. Use it as a cheat sheet, then compare real-money rooms on Rehanak’s casino comparison and best casinos table. Casino poker (casino hold’em, three card) uses the same five-card categories when those games make a five-card hand.
10
standard hand ranks
5
cards in the ranked hand
A–5
lowest straight (the wheel)
A-high
Broadway straight
Poker hands ranking chart
Standard high-hand poker (Texas Hold’em, Omaha, seven-card stud) uses this order. Read it from the top.
| Rank | Hand | Example | What beats it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | Nothing |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Royal flush |
| 3 | Four of a kind | K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 2♠ | Straight flush or better |
| 4 | Full house | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 7♣ 7♠ | Quads or better |
| 5 | Flush | K♦ J♦ 8♦ 4♦ 3♦ | Full house or better |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♠ 6♣ | Flush or better |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 2♠ | Straight or better |
| 8 | Two pair | A♠ A♥ 5♦ 5♣ 9♠ | Trips or better |
| 9 | One pair | J♠ J♥ A♦ 8♣ 3♠ | Two pair or better |
| 10 | High card | A♠ K♦ 9♥ 6♣ 2♠ | Any pair or better |
Each poker hand, with a short example
Royal flush. Ace-high straight in one suit. There are four of these (one per suit). They tie each other; the pot is split. Example: A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣.
Straight flush. Five consecutive ranks, same suit, not ace-high. Higher top card wins. 9-high beats 8-high. Example: 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥.
Four of a kind (quads). Four cards of one rank plus a kicker. Higher quads win; if the four-of-a-kind rank ties (possible in Hold’em when the board is four of a kind), the kicker wins. Example: K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 2♠.
Full house. Three of one rank plus a pair of another. Compare the trips first, then the pair. Queens full of sevens beats jacks full of aces. Example: Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 7♣ 7♠.
Flush. Five cards of one suit, not in sequence. Compare the highest card, then the next, down to the fifth. A king-high flush beats a queen-high flush even if the queen-high has a better second card. Example: K♦ J♦ 8♦ 4♦ 3♦.
Straight. Five consecutive ranks, mixed suits. See the section below — this is the hand people misread most often. Example: 10♣ 9♦ 8♥ 7♠ 6♣.
Three of a kind (trips or a set). Three of one rank plus two kickers. Higher trips win; then the higher kicker, then the second kicker. In Hold’em, a set is pocket pair plus one on the board; trips is one hole card plus a pair on the board. The ranking is the same. Example: 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ 2♠.
Two pair. Two different pairs plus a kicker. Highest pair first, then the other pair, then the kicker. Example: A♠ A♥ 5♦ 5♣ 9♠.
One pair. One pair plus three kickers. Pair rank first, then kickers in order. Example: J♠ J♥ A♦ 8♣ 3♠.
High card. No pair, no flush, no straight. Compare the highest card, then the next, through all five. Ace-king-nine beats ace-queen-king only after the ace ties and king beats queen. Example: A♠ K♦ 9♥ 6♣ 2♠.
Tie-breaks (kickers)
Poker does not use suit war for high-hand ties. If two royal flushes appear, they chop. If two players have the same pair of aces, the side cards (kickers) are compared from highest to lowest until one is higher. If all five ranked cards match, the pot is split.
In Texas Hold’em you must use exactly five cards. Extra hole cards that are not in that five-card hand do not play. If the board is A-A-K-K-Q and both players hold 7-2, they chop — the 7 does not beat the 2 because neither seven nor two is in the five-card hand (the board already is two pair, aces and kings, queen kicker).
Always name the five-card hand
Say “ace-king high flush,” not “I have two hearts.” The ranking only cares about the best five cards you can make from your hole cards plus the board.
What is a straight in poker?
A straight is five cards of consecutive rank, in more than one suit. If they are all one suit, the hand is a straight flush (or a royal flush if it is A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit).
Rank order for straights: A-K-Q-J-10 (Broadway) is the highest. Then K-Q-J-10-9 down to 6-5-4-3-2. A-2-3-4-5 is a straight — the wheel, the lowest one. Ace plays low in that hand only.
Not a straight: Q-K-A-2-3. The sequence cannot “wrap” around the ace. 7-8-9-J-Q is not a straight (the 10 is missing). Four to a straight is a draw, not a made hand.
If two players have a straight, the higher top card wins. A ten-high straight beats a nine-high straight. If both have the same five ranks (common when the board is a straight in Hold’em), they split.
| Cards | Is it a straight? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 10-9-8-7-6 mixed suits | Yes | Five consecutive ranks |
| A-2-3-4-5 mixed suits | Yes | Wheel; ace plays low |
| A-K-Q-J-10 mixed suits | Yes | Broadway; highest straight |
| Q-K-A-2-3 | No | Ace does not wrap |
| 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | No — better | Straight flush, not a plain straight |
Texas Hold’em examples
Hold’em deals two hole cards. The board has five community cards. You make the best five-card poker hand from any seven.
- Hole cards A♠ K♠. Board Q♠ J♠ 10♦ 4♣ 2♥. You have an ace-high straight (Broadway), not a flush — only four spades.
- Hole cards 8♣ 8♦. Board 8♠ K♥ 2♣ 2♦ 9♠. You have a full house, eights full of twos.
- Hole cards A♥ 7♥. Board K♥ 9♥ 4♥ 2♣ 2♦. You have a flush, ace-king high. The pair of twos on the board is ignored because the flush is stronger.
- Hole cards J♠ 10♠. Board A♦ K♣ Q♥ 4♠ 2♠. You have a Broadway straight, not a flush (only three spades).
Same ranking applies in Omaha, except you must use exactly two hole cards and three board cards. That changes which straights and flushes you can actually make; it does not change the order of hands.
Beginner mistakes on the ranking chart
- Treating a four-card flush or four-card straight as a made hand. It is a draw.
- Ranking a flush below a straight. A flush beats a straight.
- Ranking two pair above three of a kind. Trips beat two pair.
- Using six or seven cards to “improve” a hand. Only five count.
- Assuming spades beat hearts. In standard high poker they do not.
- Calling any ace-high rundown a straight, including A-K-Q-2-3.
Flush vs straight
Five hearts with gaps is a flush. Ten to six in mixed suits is a straight. The flush wins. New players reverse this because straights look more ‘connected’.
Full house vs flush
Three of a kind plus a pair beats any flush that is not a straight flush. Board pairing does not ‘cancel’ your flush — you still lose to a full house.
Cheat sheet
From strongest to weakest: royal flush → straight flush → four of a kind → full house → flush → straight → three of a kind → two pair → one pair → high card. Ace can be high or low in a straight, never both in the same hand. Kickers break ties inside a category. Suits do not.
German-language ranking copy (Reihenfolge der Pokerblätter, including Straight) lives at Poker-Hand-Ranking. That is a separate article, not a translation of this page.
For rooms and table games, start at games, compare casinos, and the US hub if you are reading this from the States. Hand-versus-hand equity: poker odds calculator. How the deal and rake work: how to play poker.
House games still have an edge
Casino hold’em and similar poker-based table games use this ranking and still charge a commission or a banker edge. Knowing that a flush beats a straight does not make the casino table a skill game with a player advantage. Set a limit before you sit — responsible gambling and the bankroll tracker.
Short questions
Q: What is the order of poker hands from highest to lowest?
A: Royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. That is the complete poker hands ranking used in Texas Hold’em.
Q: What is a straight in poker?
A: Five cards of consecutive rank in mixed suits. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight; A-K-Q-J-10 is the highest. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight. Same-suit consecutive cards are a straight flush.
Q: Does a flush beat a straight?
A: Yes. A flush is ranked above a straight and below a full house.
Q: Do suits matter in a poker hand ranking?
A: Not for winning the pot in standard high-hand poker. Suits only matter for making a flush or straight flush. Two equally ranked hands of different suits split the pot.
18+ only. Gambling can be addictive. This guide is educational ranking, not a prediction tool and not a recommendation to play for real money.