Poker hand rankings
Ten hands, ranked here from best to worst. A royal flush beats everything; high card beats nothing. When two players make the same hand, the higher cards inside it win, and every showdown hand is exactly five cards. That is the whole system. The table below is the reference; the links after it go deeper on each hand.
The rankings, best to worst
| Rank | Hand | What it is | Example | Beats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A, K, Q, J, 10, all one suit | A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥ | Everything |
| 2 | Straight flush | Five in a row, all one suit | 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ 5♠ | Everything below it |
| 3 | Four of a kind | All four cards of one rank | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♠ | Full house and below |
| 4 | Full house | Three of one rank plus a pair | J♠ J♥ J♦ 4♣ 4♠ | Flush and below |
| 5 | Flush | Any five cards of one suit | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | Straight and below |
| 6 | Straight | Five in a row, mixed suits | 8♠ 7♥ 6♦ 5♣ 4♠ | Three of a kind and below |
| 7 | Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank | 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ K♣ 6♠ | Two pair and below |
| 8 | Two pair | Two different pairs | A♠ A♥ 7♦ 7♣ Q♠ | One pair and high card |
| 9 | Pair | Two cards of one rank | 10♠ 10♥ A♦ 8♣ 3♠ | High card only |
| 10 | High card | Nothing made; your best card plays | A♠ Q♥ 9♦ 5♣ 2♠ | A lower high card |
How ties break
Same hand, two players? The higher version wins: a king-high flush beats a queen-high flush, and jacks full beats nines full. When the made part of the hand is identical, the kicker decides it. And because every hand uses exactly five cards under the best five rule, a sixth card never plays. If all five cards match in rank, the pot splits; split pots have their own page because they confuse everyone at least once.
Go deeper on each hand
Each hand above links to its glossary page with odds and worked examples. A few deserve extra attention because they get misread at real tables:
- Quads is the table name for four of a kind; same hand, different word.
- A full house is called a boat, and which full house wins trips up new players; the three-card rank decides.
- Three of a kind splits into sets and trips, and the difference changes how you get paid.
- The best-five-card rule, worked through settles most "who wins here?" arguments in one read.
Printable helpers
Want this in your pocket? The poker cheat sheet is built for printing, and the rankings chart walks through each hand with more examples.
Make the rankings automatic
Reading the table once is not the same as knowing it under pressure. Poker Skill drills real hand-reading decisions in short daily reps, free to start, no wagering.
Practice hand rankings in the app