HAND RANKINGS

Poker hand rankings

All ten hands, strongest first. Anything higher on the list beats anything below it.

In Texas Hold'em you make the best five cards out of seven: your two hole cards and the five on the board. When two players hold the same hand, the card ranks and the kicker decide.

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Poker hands — strongest first

Royal flushBEST POSSIBLE A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit.
Straight flushFIVE IN A ROW, ONE SUIT Five cards in sequence, all the same suit.
Four of a kindQUADS Four cards of the same rank.
Full houseTHREE + TWO Three of a kind plus a pair.
FlushONE SUIT Five cards of one suit. Compared by rank only.
StraightFIVE IN A ROW Five cards in sequence, any suits.
Three of a kindTRIPS / A SET Three cards of the same rank.
Two pairPAIR + PAIR Two different pairs.
One pairA PAIR Two cards of the same rank.
High cardNOTHING None of the above. Your highest card plays.

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Same hand — who wins?

First compare the cards that make the hand, then the cards left over (the kickers). Only the best five cards count. If all five are equal in rank, the pot is split.

1. One pair: the pair first, then the kickers

BoardK♠ 9♥ 4♣ 2♦ 7♠

Player AK♦ Q♣

Player BK♣ J♥

A wins. Both have a pair of kings. The three cards left over are Q, 9, 7 for A and J, 9, 7 for B, so the first difference — Q against J — decides it. Kickers are compared from the highest down.

2. Two pair: the higher pair first, then the lower

BoardK♠ 8♥ 4♣ 2♦ 9♠

Player AK♦ 8♣

Player BK♣ 4♥

A wins. The higher pair is kings for both, but the lower pair is eights for A and fours for B, so the eights win. Only when both pairs match does the fifth card decide.

3. When the board is the best hand, it is a split pot

BoardA♠ K♦ Q♥ J♣ 10♠

Player A2♥ 3♦

Player B4♥ 5♦

Split pot. For both players the best five cards are the board's A, K, Q, J, 10. The hole cards are different but a sixth card never counts, so the two hands are equal and the pot is shared.

4. Suits never decide a flush

This one compares two finished five-card hands. Both could not appear in the same Hold'em hand; it is here to show the rule.

Hand AA♠ J♠ 9♠ 6♠ 3♠

Hand BA♥ J♥ 9♥ 6♥ 3♥

These two are equal. A, J, 9, 6, 3 on both sides, so spades against hearts settles nothing. A flush is compared one card at a time from the top, and the first card that differs decides.

Easy to get wrong

The ace plays high or low. A♠ K♥ Q♣ J♦ 10♠ is the highest straight (Broadway) and 5♠ 4♥ 3♣ 2♦ A♠ is the lowest (the wheel).
A straight does not wrap around. K, A, 2, 3, 4 is not a straight.
Two sets of three of a kind make a full house: the higher three plus two from the lower.

How often they come

One pair and two pair show up all the time; a full house or better is rare. Waiting for a flush before you play a hand means the blinds eat your stack while you wait. The first thing you learn at the table is how often a single pair is the hand you go to war with.

Know the hands? Here is how to get your friends seated.

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