Poker hand rankings: every hand from royal flush to high card
By EggVerse · · 5 min read
From best to worst, the poker hands are: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. A hand is always exactly five cards. In Texas Hold’em you build it from any five of the seven cards available to you: your two private cards plus the five shared on the table.
This order is the same in Hold’em, Omaha, five card draw and seven card stud. Only unusual variants such as lowball or short deck change it.
The ten hands, ranked
| Rank | Hand | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | Ace, king, queen, jack, ten, all one suit | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ |
| 2 | Straight flush | Five in a row, all one suit | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank | 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ 7♠ K♦ |
| 4 | Full house | Three of one rank plus a pair of another | Q♠ Q♦ Q♣ 4♥ 4♠ |
| 5 | Flush | Any five of one suit, not in a row | K♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦ |
| 6 | Straight | Five in a row, mixed suits | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ |
| 7 | Three of a kind | Three cards of the same rank | 5♥ 5♣ 5♦ A♠ 9♣ |
| 8 | Two pair | Two different pairs | J♣ J♥ 3♠ 3♦ A♥ |
| 9 | One pair | Two cards of the same rank | 10♥ 10♠ K♣ 6♦ 2♥ |
| 10 | High card | None of the above; your highest card plays | A♦ J♠ 8♣ 6♥ 3♦ |
A royal flush is simply the highest possible straight flush, which is why some lists show nine hands instead of ten. An easy way to remember the middle of the order: a flush beats a straight, and a full house beats a flush.
When two players have the same kind of hand
Most arguments at a home game are not about the order above. They are about two players who both have, say, a pair. These are the standard tie rules.
Compare the main cards first, then kickers. A pair of kings beats a pair of queens. If both players hold a pair of kings, compare the remaining three cards one at a time, highest first. Those leftover cards are called kickers. K♠ K♥ A♦ 7♣ 4♠ beats K♦ K♣ Q♥ J♠ 9♦ because the ace outranks the queen.
Two pair: top pair, then bottom pair, then kicker. Jacks and threes beats tens and nines, because the jacks are higher than the tens. Your lower pair only matters if the top pairs match.
Full house: the three of a kind decides. Queens full of fours beats jacks full of aces. Compare the trio first; the pair only counts if the trios are equal, which can happen in Hold’em when the trio is on the board.
Flushes and high card hands compare card by card. Check the highest card in each hand, then the next, and so on until one is higher. A king high flush beats a queen high flush no matter what the lower cards are.
Suits never break a tie. Spades are not higher than hearts in standard poker. If two hands are identical in rank all the way through, the pot is split evenly.
Tricky spots that come up in Hold’em
- The ace can be low in a straight: A 2 3 4 5, called the wheel, is the lowest straight. It cannot wrap around, so Q K A 2 3 is not a straight.
- Your hand is only five cards. If you hold a pair and the board shows a different pair, you have two pair, not four of a kind.
- You can use both, one or none of your private cards. If the best five are all on the board, you are playing the board. If nobody still in the hand can beat it, they all split the pot.
- Three pairs is not a hand. With three pairs available you play the best two, and your fifth card becomes the highest remaining card.
- A sixth or seventh card never counts as a kicker. Once you have five, any other cards are ignored.
Try reading hands at a free table
Rankings stick faster once you watch them decide real pots. On EggVerse you can play Texas Hold’em in your browser with free table chips. There is no real money, nothing to buy in with, and the chips are separate from your EggVerse wallet. Everyone starts with 500.
The table uses the same order and tie rules described above. It finds the best five of your seven cards for you, counts A 2 3 4 5 as a straight, ignores suits when comparing, and splits the pot when hands are equal. At showdown it names the winning hand and lights up the shared cards that made it, so you can see exactly why a hand won. The game’s how to play guide also has a Hand rankings button that opens the full chart.
Play solo against three bots to practise, or invite friends to a table of two to eight players. If you want help with the buttons and the flow of a hand rather than the rankings, our Hold’em guide below walks through that.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush ranks above a straight, and a full house ranks above both.
Is a royal flush just a straight flush?
Yes. It is the highest straight flush, ace down to ten in one suit. It is listed separately because it cannot be beaten.
Which suit is highest in poker?
None. In standard poker all four suits are equal, and identical hands split the pot.
What beats four of a kind?
Only a straight flush, including the royal flush.
Is ace high or low in poker?
Usually high, but it can also play low in the straight A 2 3 4 5.
Next steps: learn the table itself in how to play Texas Hold’em online with friends, or browse the other card games.