Rule book · Poker hands

Poker hand rankings.

Every Texas Hold’em showdown comes down to who has the best five-card hand. The list below ranks every possible poker hand from strongest (royal flush) to weakest (high card), with examples you can use as a quick reference at the table.

Royal flush

A, K, Q, J, 10, all the same suit.

Straight flush

Five cards in sequence, all the same suit.

Four of a kind

Four cards with the same rank.

Full house

Three of one rank plus a pair.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.

Straight

Five cards in sequence, mixed suits are fine.

Three of a kind

Three cards with the same rank.

Two pair

Two different pairs, plus one kicker.

One pair

Two cards with the same rank.

High card

No made hand. Highest card breaks the tie.

What beats what — quick reference

Royal flushbeatseverything else

Straight flushbeatsfour of a kind and below

Four of a kindbeatsfull house and below

Full housebeatsflush and below

Flushbeatsstraight and below

Straightbeatsthree of a kind and below

Three of a kindbeatstwo pair and below

Two pairbeatsone pair and below

One pairbeatshigh card

Common points of confusion

Flush beats a straight. Many new players mix these up. Five cards of the same suit (flush) outranks five cards in sequence (straight), even if the straight contains high cards.

Suit rank doesn’t exist in Texas Hold’em. Hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds are all equal. If two players make the same type of hand, the winner is determined by the rank of the cards, not the suit.

You must use the best five cards. In Texas Hold’em you can use any combination of your two hole cards and the five community cards to make your best five-card hand. You don’t have to use both hole cards — or either of them.

A wheel straight (A-2-3-4-5) is valid. The Ace can play low in a 5-high straight (the “wheel”), which is the lowest possible straight. The same Ace can play high in a Broadway straight (A-K-Q-J-10).

Tie-breaking

When two players make the same kind of hand, the higher version wins (e.g. a pair of Kings beats a pair of Jacks). If the made hands are identical, the next highest unrelated card — the kicker — breaks the tie. If everything ties, the players split the pot evenly.

Suits never break ties in standard Texas Hold’em. Hearts and spades are equal.

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