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Quick answer: The best hand in poker is a royal flush: A, K, Q, J and 10, all of the same suit. From best to worst, the poker hand rankings are: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. The rarer the hand, the higher it ranks. These rankings apply to Texas Hold’em, Omaha, five-card draw and most other standard poker games.
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What beats what in poker? Hand rankings chart with odds
| Rank | Hand | Example | Odds in 5 cards | Chance with 7 cards (Hold’em) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | 1 in 649,740 | 0.0032% |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 1 in 72,193 | 0.0279% |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 7♦ | 1 in 4,165 | 0.168% |
| 4 | Full house | K♠ K♥ K♦ 4♣ 4♥ | 1 in 694 | 2.60% |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | 1 in 509 | 3.03% |
| 6 | Straight | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | 1 in 255 | 4.62% |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 3♠ | 1 in 47 | 4.83% |
| 8 | Two pair | J♥ J♣ 5♠ 5♦ A♥ | 1 in 21 | 23.5% |
| 9 | One pair | 10♠ 10♥ K♦ 6♣ 3♥ | 1 in 2.4 | 43.8% |
| 10 | High card | A♣ Q♦ 9♠ 6♥ 3♣ | 1 in 2 | 17.4% |
There are 2,598,960 possible five-card hands in a 52-card deck, and the five-card odds are for being dealt each hand straight away. The last column is the chance of making that hand as your best five cards from seven, as in Texas Hold’em. With seven cards, strong hands are more common, which is why one pair or two pair often wins at the table.
Free printable cheat sheet (PDF)
All ten hands with examples, 5-card and 7-card odds, starting-hand odds and the tie-break rules on one A4 page. Free to print and share.
Download the PDF (47 KB)
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Every poker hand explained
1. Royal flush
The top five cards, A-K-Q-J-10, all in one suit. It can’t be beaten. If two players somehow share a royal flush using the community cards, they split the pot, because suits are all equal in standard poker.
2. Straight flush
Five cards in a row, all in the same suit, such as 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts. A higher top card wins, so a king-high straight flush beats a nine-high one. The lowest is 5-4-3-2-A, often called a steel wheel. The most famous one on screen is James Bond’s in Casino Royale; we work out its odds in our gambling movies guide.
3. Four of a kind (quads)
Four cards of the same rank plus one other card. Higher quads beat lower quads; if players share the same four (on the board), the fifth card, called the kicker, decides it.
4. Full house
Three of a kind plus a pair, such as three kings and two fours (“kings full of fours”). The three of a kind decides who wins first; only if that’s tied does the pair count.
5. Flush
Any five cards of the same suit that aren’t in sequence. Compare the highest card first, then the next, and so on. An ace-high flush beats a king-high flush.
6. Straight
Five cards in a row of mixed suits. The ace can play high (A-K-Q-J-10, the best straight) or low (5-4-3-2-A, the lowest straight, called the wheel), but straights can’t wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
7. Three of a kind (trips or a set)
Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated cards. In Hold’em, a “set” means a pocket pair plus one on the board, and “trips” means one card in your hand plus a pair on the board.
8. Two pair
Two different pairs plus a kicker. Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker. Jacks and fives beats tens and nines.
9. One pair
Two cards of the same rank. If two players have the same pair, the highest side cards (kickers) decide the winner, one by one.
10. High card
No pair or better. The hand is named after its highest card, such as “ace high”. Ties are broken by the next highest cards.
How are ties broken in poker?
- Only five cards count. Your hand is always the best five cards available, even when you can see seven.
- Kickers break ties between hands of the same type, starting from the highest unused card.
- Suits never rank in standard poker. Identical five-card hands split the pot.
- Playing the board: in Hold’em, if the five community cards are your best hand, everyone still in the hand can share the pot.
Common mistakes with poker hand rankings
- Thinking a straight beats a flush. It doesn’t: a flush is rarer, so it ranks higher.
- Forgetting that a full house beats a flush.
- Counting six or seven cards. Only your best five count, so a sixth card in a straight adds nothing.
- Making a “wrap-around” straight like Q-K-A-2-3. It isn’t valid.
- Ignoring the kicker. Many pots are won by the side card, especially with one pair.
Best starting hands in Texas Hold’em
Before the flop you only have two cards. The strongest starting hands are big pairs and high cards of the same suit:
| Rank | Hand | Why it’s strong |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A-A (pocket aces) | Best starting hand; wins about 85% of the time against one random hand |
| 2 | K-K (pocket kings) | Only pocket aces is stronger |
| 3 | Q-Q (pocket queens) | Strong, but vulnerable to an ace or king on the board |
| 4 | A-K suited | The best non-pair hand; often called “big slick” |
| 5 | J-J (pocket jacks) | Strong, but needs care when overcards appear |
Even pocket aces lose often, especially against several opponents, so how you play the hand matters more than the cards alone. For more, see our guide on how to win at poker.
How often are you dealt the best starting hands?
There are 1,326 possible two-card starting hands in Hold’em. We counted the combinations for the hands players ask about most:
| Starting hand | Combinations (of 1,326) | Chance | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket aces | 6 | 0.45% | 221 hands |
| Any pocket pair | 78 | 5.9% | 17 hands |
| A-K suited | 4 | 0.30% | 332 hands |
| A-K, any suits | 16 | 1.2% | 83 hands |
Two more numbers worth knowing. A pocket pair flops three of a kind or better about 11.8% of the time, roughly 1 in 8.5, because only two cards of your rank are left. And if you flop four cards to a flush, you have 9 outs, which complete the flush by the river about 35% of the time. So a flush draw is only worth calling when the pot pays enough to cover the 65% of times you miss. Our pot odds calculator works out whether a call pays.
Hand rankings in other poker games
| Game | How rankings differ |
|---|---|
| Texas Hold’em | Standard rankings. Best five cards from your two plus five community cards. See our Texas Hold’em rules. |
| Omaha | Standard rankings, but you must use exactly two of your four hole cards and three from the board. |
| Short deck (6+) Hold’em | Cards 2 to 5 are removed. A flush beats a full house, and many rooms rank three of a kind above a straight. |
| Three Card Poker | With only three cards, a straight beats a flush, and three of a kind beats a straight. |
| Pai gow poker | Standard five-card rankings, but in most casinos A-2-3-4-5 is the second-highest straight, and a joker is used. |
| Lowball games (such as Razz) | The lowest hand wins, so the rankings are turned upside down. |
Quick poker hand rankings cheat sheet
- Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10, same suit
- Straight flush: five in a row, same suit
- Four of a kind: four of one rank
- Full house: three of a kind plus a pair
- Flush: five of one suit
- Straight: five in a row, any suits
- Three of a kind: three of one rank
- Two pair: two different pairs
- One pair: two of one rank
- High card: none of the above
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How we checked this
- Five-card odds and the 2,598,960 total: Wikipedia, Poker probability and Wizard of Odds.
- Seven-card (Hold’em) chances: the seven-card frequency table on Wikipedia’s Poker probability page, cross-checked with Wizard of Odds.
- Starting-hand and flop odds: our own maths, counting card combinations (1,326 two-card hands; 19,600 possible flops from the 50 cards left).
- Hand order and tie rules: standard rankings used by every major poker room; short deck and Three Card Poker differences as listed in the table above.
Last checked: 24 October 2026, when we counted all 2,598,960 five-card hands ourselves and every five-card figure above matched. On 12 October 2026 we worked out the starting-hand and flop odds ourselves from card combinations. The seven-card chances were last checked against their sources on 9 October 2026.
What changed on this page
- 24 Oct 2026: Counted all 2,598,960 five-card hands ourselves (every figure matched) and added a free printable cheat sheet (PDF).
- 12 Oct 2026: Added the odds of being dealt the big starting hands and of hitting on the flop.
- 11 Oct 2026: Linked our new royal flush odds guide.
- 9 Oct 2026: Added the “What beats what in poker?” chart with 5-card and 7-card odds, and the “How we checked this” box.
We list real changes to this guide here, newest first.
Poker hand rankings FAQs
What is the best hand in poker?
A royal flush: A, K, Q, J and 10 of the same suit. It can’t be beaten in standard poker.
What is the second-best hand in poker?
A straight flush, such as 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts. Technically a royal flush is simply the highest possible straight flush.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush ranks above a straight because it is harder to make.
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes. A full house ranks above a flush.
Is four aces the best hand in poker?
No. Four aces is the best four of a kind, but a straight flush and a royal flush both beat it.
What beats what in poker?
From best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
Do suits matter in poker?
Not in standard poker hand rankings. Two identical hands in different suits tie and split the pot.
What is the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em?
Pocket aces (A-A). It wins about 85% of the time against a single random hand, but it can still lose.
What are the odds of being dealt pocket aces?
About 1 in 221 hands (0.45%). There are 6 ways to be dealt two aces out of 1,326 possible starting hands.
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