Poker Hand Rankings Chart: Every Hand From Best to Worst

Poker gets much easier once you stop hesitating over one basic question: what actually beats what?

The standard hand order is the same across Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi, Seven Card Stud and most traditional high-poker games. A flush beats a straight. A full house beats a flush. Four of a kind beats a full house. And at the very top sits the royal flush.

The chart below is the bit worth memorising. Everything after it explains how ties, kickers and awkward board situations actually work.

Poker hand rankings chart

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A royal flush is technically the highest possible straight flush, but it is normally shown separately on poker charts because it is the strongest hand you can make.

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1. Royal flush

A royal flush is 10, J, Q, K and A, all in the same suit.

There is no higher hand in standard poker. If the five community cards themselves form a royal flush in Texas Hold'em, every remaining player has the same hand and the pot is split.

Suits do not break the tie. A royal flush in spades is not stronger than one in hearts.

2. Straight flush

A straight flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit.

For example:

5♣ 6♣ 7♣ 8♣ 9♣

If two straight flushes are compared, the one with the higher top card wins.

The ace can also be used low in A-2-3-4-5, making a five-high straight flush. It cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.

3. Four of a kind

Four of a kind, sometimes called quads, is four cards of the same rank.

For example:

A♦ A♣ A♥ A♠ 8♣

Higher quads beat lower quads. If both players are using the same four cards from the board, the fifth card, known as the kicker, decides the winner.

4. Full house

A full house combines three of a kind with a pair.

For example:

K♣ K♥ K♠ 10♣ 10♠

When two full houses meet, compare the three-card part first. Kings full of tens beats queens full of aces because the kings are the higher three of a kind.

Only if the trips are identical do you move on to the pair.

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5. Flush

A flush is five cards of the same suit that do not form a straight.

For example:

A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦

If two players have a flush, compare the highest card. If that ties, compare the second-highest card, then the third, and so on until the tie is broken.

Again, suits are equal. Clubs never beat diamonds simply because of the suit.

Some short-deck poker formats rank a flush above a full house, so check the rules if you are not playing standard Hold'em, Omaha or Stud.

6. Straight

A straight is five cards in consecutive rank order, with suits irrelevant.

For example:

9♠ 8♦ 7♣ 6♥ 5♣

The highest card determines the strength of the straight.

Aces work at either end:

• 10-J-Q-K-A is ace-high, the strongest straight.
• A-2-3-4-5 is five-high, the weakest straight.

An ace cannot sit in the middle or wrap around.

7. Three of a kind

Three cards of the same rank make three of a kind.

For example:

Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 3♠

If two players have trips of different ranks, the higher trips win. If the three matching cards are on the board and shared, kickers can decide the pot.

You may also hear players distinguish between a set and trips. Both are three of a kind. A set usually means you started with a pocket pair and hit the third matching card on the board, while trips usually means one hole card paired with two matching board cards.

8. Two pair

Two pair is exactly what it sounds like: two different pairs plus a fifth card.

For example:

J♠ J♦ 4♣ 4♥ A♣

Compare the highest pair first. Jacks and fours beat tens and nines.

If the highest pair ties, compare the lower pair. If both pairs are the same, the kicker decides it.

9. One pair

One pair means two cards of the same rank, plus three unmatched cards.

For example:

10♠ 10♣ A♦ 7♥ 3♣

Higher pairs beat lower pairs. When the pair is identical, compare kickers from highest to lowest.

This is where beginners often misread a board. In Texas Hold'em, your final hand is always the best five-card combination available to you, not simply your two hole cards plus whatever is on the table.

10. High card

If you cannot make a pair or anything stronger, the highest cards decide the hand.

For example:

A♣ J♦ 8♠ 5♥ 2♣

That is ace-high.

If two players both have ace-high, compare the second card. Keep moving down until one hand is higher or all five cards match.

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How do poker ties work?

Poker does not use suit rankings to settle ties.

Instead, you compare the relevant ranks and then the kickers:

If the best five cards are identical, the pot is split.

Your best five cards are what matter

In Texas Hold'em, you have seven cards available by the river: two private hole cards and five community cards.

You use whichever five create the strongest hand.

That means you might use:

• both hole cards
• one hole card
• no hole cards at all

If the board is A-K-Q-J-10 and nobody can improve it, everyone still in the hand has the same straight.

Omaha works differently. You must use exactly two hole cards and exactly three community cards, which is why a hand that looks obvious in Hold'em can be completely different in Omaha.

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Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes.

This is probably the ranking people forget most often. In standard poker:

Full house > flush > straight > three of a kind.

Once you remember those four in order, the middle of the chart becomes much easier.

Are poker hand rankings the same at online casinos?

Usually, yes for standard high-poker variants.

But the game itself matters. Casino poker games, video poker and short-deck variants can have different paytables or ranking quirks even when the familiar five-card hands appear.

For example, BitStarz includes poker among a much broader casino library, while our casino comparison tool is useful if you want to compare game selection alongside payments, bonuses and withdrawal speed.

Always check the rules displayed inside the exact game before staking money.

One final thing to remember

A hand ranking chart tells you which hand wins at showdown. It does not tell you whether a hand is worth calling, raising or folding.

A pair can be an excellent hand in one situation and an obvious fold in another. Position, stack size, betting action and the board still matter.

Learn the rankings first. Strategy comes after.

If poker or any other casino game stops feeling like entertainment, our responsible gambling guide covers practical limits and global support options.

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