Poker Hand Rankings: Poker Hands Ranked In Order

Ben Weiss
SEO Specialist
29 min read
Poker Hand Rankings
Poker Hand Rankings

One of the first steps towards learning how to play poker is to learn the poker hand rankings. If you want to know what beats what in poker, you can use our OFFICIAL poker hands rankings chart and see all poker hands ranked from best to worst!

While this may seem obvious, it's easy to get your flushes mixed up with your straights, and not remember that a straight flush beats four-of-a-kind. In particular, poker hand rankings is not something that new players to the game are going to know instantly. However, it's such an important aspect of the game and is vital to learn.

In this article we'll tell you everything you need to know about the poker hand rankings and what beats what, but before we do let's just jump right in and give you the poker hand rankings in order from best to worst.

The ten poker hands, from highest to lowest, are:

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four-of-a-Kind
4. Full House
5. Flush
6. Straight
7. Three-of-a-Kind
8. Two Pair
9. One Pair
10. High Card

A Royal Flush is the highest possible hand, consisting of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten, all of the same suit, while High Card is the lowest hand and is used when no other hand combinations are possible.

Poker Hand Rankings - Download our FREE printable PDF guide

Download our FREE printable Poker Hand Rankings Guide as a PDF. We've collated all the information above in an easy-to-read poker cheat sheet of hand rankings, so you can quickly get to terms with what hands beat what in poker.

Poker Hand Rankings

This is an essential resource for any new or beginner-level poker player. It will help you to quickly learn the basics of poker so you can evolve your game and start improving your strategy.

Download our free Poker Hands PDF now

Test Your Knowledge

Think you know already know what beats what in poker? Let's see if you can you spot the winning hand when the chips are down with our interactive quiz aimed at beginners. Or read on to learn more.


Understanding the Deck

How Many Cards Are in a Standard Deck?

A standard deck of playing cards contains 52 cards. These 52 cards are divided equally among four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit consists of 13 cards, including numbers 2 through 10, and the face cards (Jack, Queen, King), plus the Ace.

These are all used in a game of poker and, in contrast to games like Blackjack where multiple decks are used, just one deck of cards is used in poker.

Are Jokers Included in a Standard Deck?

No, jokers are not part of a standard poker deck. While many decks include two jokers, they are typically not used in poker games.

Card Values and Their Importance in Poker

Are All Suits Equal in Poker?
Yes, in poker, all suits are equal. Unlike some card games, suits do not have a ranking order. However, suits play an important role in forming specific hands, such as flushes or straight flushes.

Aces are unique in poker because they can be both high and low. As the highest-value card, an Ace can top a straight like 10-J-Q-K-A. Alternatively, it can act as the lowest card in a "wheel" straight (A-2-3-4-5).

Poker Hands Ranked in Order Best To Worst

Royal Flush

Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is the best hand in poker and is made up of an ace, king, queen, jack and ten of all the same suit. An example of a Royal Flush is AKQJ10, but it can be any suit, as long as all five cards are the same suit and the hand is made up of these value cards. Most people have heard of the pinnacle of poker hands - a Royal Flush. In movies, it's been popularised for its glamour and its prestige is justified. You CANNOT beat a Royal Flush in poker, it is the best hand. As such, it's extremely rare and most recreational players only ever get a handful of Royal Flushes in their lifetime (playing Texas Hold'em).

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
54Beats all other hands

Straight Flush

Straight Flush

Not quite as prestigious and nowhere near as rare as a Royal, a Straight Flush is the next best hand in poker. A Straight Flush involves five of the same-suited cards but they don't have to be the ace, king, queen, jack and ten. For this reason, they are far more common than Royals, but are still rare. A Straight Flush is the second best hand in poker and can only be beaten by a Royal Flush (or a higher Straight Flush).

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
536Beats all hands apart from a Royal Flush

4-of-a-Kind

4-of-a-Kind

Four-of-a-kind, also known as 'Quads' is the third best hand in poker. It consists of four of the same value card, for instance four aces. It is a very strong hand and can only be beaten by Royal or Straight Flushes (or a higher four-of-a-kind).

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
4624Beats all hands apart from a Straight Flush and a Royal Flush

Full House

Full House

A Full House is a strong hand in poker, and consists of three-of-a-kind and a pair. It beats other strong hands like Flushes and Straights, and only loses to 4-of-a-kind, Straight Flushes and Royal Flushes.

It doesn't matter which way round it is (E.g. you could have two aces and three kings or three aces and two kings), either is a Full House. However, if two players both have a Full House, the one with the highest 3-of-a-kind wins. For example, AAAKK is a stronger Full House than AAKKK because the 3-of-a-kind is higher. If both 3-of-a-kinds within the Full House are equal, the winning hand will then be decided by the pair in the hand.

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
53,744Beats all hands apart from 4-of-a-Kind, a Straight Flush and a Royal Flush

Flush

Flush

A Flush in poker is five cards that all have the same suit. Flushes are typically considered to be strong hands. They beat Straights, three-of-a-kind, two pair and one pair, but lose to Full Houses, 4-of-a-kind, Straight Flushes and Royal Flushes.

The suit of the flush doesn't matter as all suits are equal, but as long as you have five cards that are all the same suit, for instance five diamonds, then you have a Flush. The strength of the Flush is determined by its highest card, followed by its second highest and so on. This comes into play if two or more players have a Flush.

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
55,108Beats all hands apart from a Full House, 4-of-a-Kind, a Straight Flush and a Royal Flush

Straight

Straight

A Straight in poker is five cards that have consecutive numeric values - for instance 23456. Suit is irrelevant (unless all five cards are the same suit, in which case the hand becomes a Straight Flush), as long as five cards are in consecutive order. If the are two Straights in a hand, then the one with the highest cards wins.

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
510,200Beats 3-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and High Card

3-of-a-Kind

3-of-a-Kind

In poker, 3-of-a-kind is three cards of the same value with two other random cards, for instance three kings, a two and a five. Three-of-a-kind is a decent poker hand in poker. If two hands have 3-of-a-kind, the highest numeric value of the 3-of-a-kind wins.

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
354,912Beats Two Pair, One Pair and High Card

Two Pair

2 Pair

Two Pair in poker is two different numeric pairs and one other unpaired card. If two hands have Two Pair, then the winner is determined by the higher pair. If those are equal, it goes to the highest value of the second pair. If those are also equal, the tiebreaker is the kicker (the fifth, unpaired card).

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
4123,552Beats One Pair and High Card

One Pair

1 Pair

One Pair in poker is two cards of equal value combined with three unrelated cards. In matchups involving One Pair hands, the highest pair wins. If pairs match, the highest unpaired cards, or kickers, are compared.

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
21,098,240Beats High Card

High Card

High Card

When none of the above hands are formed, the hand is valued at its highest single card, making an Ace-high the strongest High Card hand. This is the most common hand and often the least likely to win in a showdown. The worst possible five-card hand in poker is 2345x7 (any suit). This hand is just seven high with the lowest possible kickers that don't make a better hand.

Cards RequiredTotal CombinationsHand Beats
11,302,540Beats Lower High Cards

Best No-Limit (Texas) Hold'em Starting Hands

So you now know what the best possible made hands are in poker, but what about at the beginning of a hand? What are the two best possible cards you can start a poker hand with and what are all the best No-Limit Hold'em starting hands?

Top 10 No-Limit Hold'em Poker Starting Hands

RankingHandExampleExpected Value (+)Odds of Being Dealt
1AcesAA0.78 - 2.321 in 221
2KingsKK0.78 - 2.321 in 221
3QueensQQ0.78 - 2.321 in 221
4Ace King SuitedAK0.78 - 2.321 in 332
5Ace King Non-SuitedAK0.38 - 0.591 in 111
6JacksJJ0.38 - 0.591 in 221
7Ace Queen SuitedAQ0.38 - 0.591 in 332
8Ace Queen Non-SuitedAQ0.38 - 0.591 in 111
9Tens10100.38 - 0.591 in 221
10Ace Jack SuitedAJ0.38 - 0.591 in 332

Best Starting Hand in Poker - Aces

Aces is the best possible starting hand. You can be as much as a 93% favorite with pocket aces preflop (against other hands with an ace in them) and in the worst case scenario you'll still be a 78% favorite. You should never fold aces preflop, unless severe ICM implications are in play - and even then it's debatable.

Aces hand in poker
Aces hand in poker

Second Best Starting Hand in Poker - Kings

Kings is the second best possible starting hand in poker. While not quite as strong as aces, pocket kings is an extremely good preflop hand. You'll be a massive favorite against any other hand without an ace, and are only in bad shape against aces - though you could still have a 19% chance of beating aces depending on the suits.

Third Best Starting Hand in Poker - Queens

Queens is the third best hand in poker. Ace king, kings and aces are all in good shape against pocket queens, but overall it's still a monster hand. Although many see QxQx vs AxKx as a 'classic flip' scenario (where both hands are of equal strength and have a 50% chance to win), this is not the case. Queens is actually a slight favorite (56-57% depending on suits) over ace king (non-suited), and 54% favorite against ace king suited.

Best Starting Hands in Poker - Ace King

Ace king is another monster poker holding preflop. While queens has greater equity, ace king does decently postflop against any other hand apart from aces as you'll always have an overcard. Even ace king vs kings wins around a third of the time, despite kings being the second best starting hand in poker.

Best Starting Hands in Poker - Jacks

Jacks is notoriously a tricky hand to play preflop, though would still be considered a very strong starting poker hand. It's the fourth best pocket pair, but we start delving into the territory of opponents likely having at least one overcard to your pair. This means you'll often be flipping with jacks, or worse if you're dominated by higher pocket pairs. However, jacks is still strong preflop and considered a premium hand.

Best Starting Hands in Poker - Ace Queen

Ace queen is a strong starting hand in poker, though many consider it not to be a premium hand. Heavy preflop action from opponents might make it more likely that ace queen is dominated, and if multiple players are in the pot it's more likely that they hold some of the cards that you're trying to hit (E.g. an ace or a queen). That said, ace queen is still strong and will typically have around 45% equity preflop vs lower pocket pairs, while still having an overcard against stronger hands like kings.

Ace queen hand in poker
Ace queen hand in poker

Best Starting Hands in Poker - Tens

Tens is a strong preflop hand in poker, but you should be cautious not to overplay their strength. Pocket tens can be in very bad shape against higher pairs, and opponents are very likely to have at least one, if not two, overcards.

Best Starting Hands in Poker - Ace Jack Suited

Ace jack suited is another good starting hand, but is not premium. This hand is all about potential, so it's advised to play more cautiously preflop compared to some other hands on this list. However, the equity in ace jack suited comes on the streets, where you could be in very good shape if you hit an ace, a jack or a couple of the same suited cards fall - giving you flush potential.

Poker Hands Probability - Odds Table

If you are into numbers (most poker players are), you might be wondering about the probability of poker hands.

We said that some players might go their entire life without ever getting the highest hand in poker but, looking at the numbers, what are the odds of a Royal Flush?

In this section of our complete analysis of the poker hand ranking and what beats what in poker, you get a clear overview of the probability of poker hands.

How to calculate the probability of poker hands?

When you know that there are 52 cards in play and 2,598,960 possible combinations, the calculation is easy.

You just need to divide the number of possibilities to build a specific poker hand by the number of total poker hands.

Poker Hands Odds Table

There are 2,598,960 possible combinations to make in poker. Below are the odds of making a poker hand in a game of five-card draw.

Poker HandNo. WaysProbabilityOdds
Royal Flush40.000154%649,739 to 1
Straight Flush400.00139%72,192 to 1
Four-of-a-Kind6240.02401%4,165 to 1
Full House3,7440.1441%694 to 1
Flush5,1080.1965%509 to 1
Straight10,2000.3925%255 to 1
Three-of-a-Kind54,9122.1128%46 to 1
Two Pair123,5524.7539%20 to 1
One Pair1,098,24042.2569%1.37 to 1
No pair / High card1,302,54050.1177%roughly 1 to 1

Understanding Winning Poker Hands

Players new to the game of Texas hold'em often struggle, at least at first, with what the best poker hands are.

Once they have read this easy-to-digest guide that will no longer be the case.

The aim of Texas hold'em is to make the best five-card poker hand at showdown.

You can win without having to show your cards if you force someone to fold before the river. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this article, we'll pretend that we've gone to showdown and need to know what beats what in poker.

What Beats What in Poker?

Many consider poker less of a gambling game than other casino games. For that to be true, players need to improve their understanding of game play and the strategy required to be a winning player.

The first step toward learning how to play poker is to learn the poker hand rankings.

Most poker players have these rankings memorized, which allows them to think about other things at the table when deciding the best way to play their hands.

The good news is these hand rankings tend to be the same among a wide variety of poker variants, whether it is Texas Hold'em, Omaha, seven-card stud, or other games.

All of those games use the same traditional poker hand rankings that were first developed way back in the 19th century when five-card draw first started to be played.

On this page, you find a complete list of poker hand rankings going from the highest possible hand (the Royal Flush), down to the lowest hand in which there is no pair among the five cards.

Hand rankings in poker correspond to the likelihood of making such hands.

A royal flush, consisting of the cards ranked ace through ten all being the same suit, is extremely rare — in fact, some players go their entire lives without making a royal flush.

A regular straight flush with any five consecutive cards of the same suit is a little less rare, four of a kind occurs slightly more frequently, and so on.

Notice that a full house is ranked higher than a flush.

That's because a full house comes just a little less frequently than a flush, thereby making it the higher-ranked hand of the two.

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Royal Flush vs. Straight Flush – Which Poker Hand is Better?

A Royal Flush is the best hand possible in poker, therefore it beats any Straight Flush and is a better poker hand.

Full House or Flush - Which Poker Hand is Better?

A Full House beats a Flush in poker and is a better hand. While Flushes tend to look attractive and in themselves are strong hands, the rarity of making a Full House makes it the better hand of the two.

Four of a Kind v Four of a Kind – Who Wins?

Four-of-a-kind is rare in poker, but regular poker players will see this hand come up a few times in a week depending on how many times they play. It's even more rare to see two four-of-a-kinds in the same hand, but again, it does happen. In this instance, when four-of-a-kind is up against another four-of-a-kind, the highest value four-of-a-kind wins. If both are equal, it goes down to the unrelated fifth card (the kicker), with the hand with the highest-value kicker winning.

Straight v Straight – Which Hand Wins in Poker?

Straights are far more common than four-of-a-kinds. We therefore see Straights versus Straights a lot more frequently, but which hand wins in this instance? The Straight with the highest-value card will win. So, for instance, if one player has AKQJ10, this is the highest possible Straight (also called 'Broadway'). If this Straight is up against KQJ109, then the Ace-high Straight beats the King-high Straight.

Is One Suit Ranked Higher in Poker?

In most poker variants, all suits are equal. The game's outcome depends more on the card values and combinations rather than the suits themselves. However, suits can play a role in hands like a Flush, where the cards must be of the same suit. Badugi poker is a unique poker variant. Here, suits are still all equal but you must make the lowest four-carded hand possible with one card from each suit. While all suits in Badugi are still equal, this is one unique example where suits play a slightly different role than they do in conventional poker.

Poker Hand Absolute Value vs. Relative Value of Poker Hands

It should be noted also that while poker hand rankings never change, sometimes circumstances can make a good hand less valuable and a poor hand more valuable.

In other words, when it comes to poker hands there's a difference between absolute value (reflected in the list of poker hands above) and relative value.

For instance, in a game of Texas hold'em, if you have two pair that might seem like a good hand.

But if your opponent keeps betting into you and it's possible he could have a straight or flush, your two pair is no longer looking so good.

Meanwhile, if you have just one pair but your opponent keeps checking to give you a free play at the pot, you might well have the strongest hand and should bet your hand.

The "absolute" value of your hand may not be great, but in that case the "relative" value very well could be. Many players like to study these spots using free tools like GTO Wizard, which can help to practice these important decisions.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that in some games like razz, deuce-to-seven triple draw, Badugi, and others you might encounter when playing online poker, the hand rankings listed below do not apply.

These hand rankings are for regular or "high-card" games, not "lowball" games with alternate hand rankings.

Looking to improve your poker game? Make sure you check out GTO Wizard.

Poker Variants - Hand Rankings for all Poker Games

No-Limit Texas Hold'em has been well and truly covered, so we hope by now you know the full hand rankings and values in the most popular form of poker. BUT there are so many different variants of poker, all with different rules and rankings. In this section, we will go through all the popular poker variants and give you the definitive list of hand rankings in each.

Short Deck/6+ Poker Hand Rankings

Short Deck (also known as 6+ Hold'em) is a revolutionary alternative to classic Texas Hold'em Poker that has taken the poker world by storm in recent years. Particularly popular in Asia, Short Deck ups the action by removing all cards in the deck lower than a 6. While the rest of the rules follow that of NLH, the removal of cards has a significant impact on hand rankings. Full Houses statistically become more likely than Flushes, meaning the latter ranks higher in the hand rankings. Here's a full list of Short Deck's poker hand rankings.

RankingHandExample
1Royal FlushAKQJ10
2Straight Flush678910
3Four-of-a-KindQQQQ10
4FlushKJ1087
5Full HouseKK101010
6Straight8910JQ
7Three-of-a-Kind1010107K
8Two PairAAJJA
9One PairQQ10A7
10High CardAQJ107

Please note that while these are the typical Short Deck rankings, these can change based on the game and even version of Short Deck that's being played. For instance, Three-of-a-kind is statistically more difficult to make than a Straight, yet the latter ranks higher. This might not always be the case depending on the 6+ game you're playing. What's more, some Short Deck and 6+ games also choose to fully adopt typical Hold'em rankings.

Here's more on Short Deck/6+ Hold'em, including the rules and a more detailed look at hand rankings.

PLO Poker Hand Rankings

PLO (Pot-Limit Omaha) is the second most popular poker variant. It's largely the same as No-Limit Hold'em, apart from two key differences. The first is you get dealt four cards instead of two. The second is you can only use three community cards and two hole cards from your hand to make the best possible five-card hand. Here's a list of PLO hand rankings - which you'll notice are identical to No-Limit Hold'em.

RankingHandExample
1Royal FlushAKQJ10
2Straight Flush678910
3Four-of-a-KindQQQQ10
4FlushKJ1087
5Full HouseKK101010
6Straight8910JQ
7Three-of-a-Kind1010107K
8Two PairAAJJA
9One PairQQ10A7
10High CardAQJ107

PLO variants like PLO8 (Hi-Lo) use these rankings for the high pot, but the total pot is split into two - high pot and low pot. For the low pot, identical rankings to Razz (see below) are used to determine the winner of that half of the total pot.

Other formats such as Stud, 5-Card Draw and Caribbean Poker all adopt the same poker hand rankings as this and No-Limit Hold'em.

Check out the full PLO rules with our guide, including the hand rankings.

Razz Poker Hand Rankings

Razz Poker is a fun poker variant that, unlike Hold'em poker, requires you to make the lowest possible hand. This fun twist is a complete u-turn on the conventional goal in poker of making the strongest highest hand possible. So, understanding Razz hand rankings is important and potentially more tricky to get your head around. Here's the list of Razz hand rankings from best to worst.

RankingHandExample
1WheelAx2x3x4x5x
26-4 LowAx2x3x4x6x
36-5 LowAx2x3x5x6x
46-5-4 LowAx2x4x5x6x
56-5-4-3 LowAx3x4x5x6x

For more on Razz poker rules and hand rankings, check out our Razz rules page.

Badugi Poker Hand Rankings

Badugi Poker, like Razz, is another lowball game that is very fun to play but comes with a unique twist that isn't seen in many other variants. Suit matters - and not in terms of a Flush. The rules of Badugi require players to make the lowest possible four-card hand where each card is a different suit. Any hand where this is the case is known as a Badugi, regardless of the cards' values. Here are the best possible Badugi poker hands.

RankingHandExample
1WheelAx2x3x4x - All different suit
25-3 LowAx2x3x5x - All different suit
35-4 LowAx2x4x5x - All different suit
35-4-3 LowAx3x4x5x - All different suit
56-5-4-3 LowAx2x3x6x - All different suit

The important thing with Badugi hand rankings is the different suits for each card. Ax2x3x is a really strong three-card holding, but if your fourth card has the same suit as any of those first three cards, it doesn't count towards your hand. A four-card Badugi hand, even if it's high in card value like KQ108 always beats a lower-valued three-card Badugi hand where the fourth card has the same suit as another - A234.

For more on Badugi poker rules and hand rankings, check out our Badugi rules page.

Poker Hands - What Beats What in Poker?

As discussed, it's really important to learn what beats what in poker, so here we outline some of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to poker hand rankings.

How many cards are in a deck?

A standard deck of playing cards contains 52 cards. It's divided into four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Each suit has 13 ranks: the numbers 2 through 10, and the face cards – Jack, Queen, King – along with an Ace. In addition to these, some card games also use one or two Jokers, but they are not considered part of the standard 52-card deck.

What is the order of poker hands?

As shown in the poker hand rankings chart, the order of poker rankings (from the highest to the lowest) is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.

What is the best hand in poker?

The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker. To have a Royal Flush, you need an Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10. All the cards that compose the hand need to be of the same suit.
What beats what in poker?

What beats what in poker?

As you can see in our poker hand rankings chart, the hands in poker follow a clear hierarchy.

In a game of poker, the hand rankings work as follows: a pair beats a high card; a two pair beats a one pair; a three-of-a-kind beats a two pair; a straight beats a three-of-a-kind; a flush beats a straight; a full house beats a flush; a four-of-a-kind beats a full house; a straight flush beats a four-of-a-kind; a Royal Flush beats a straight flush.

The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker, so no one other hands beat this one.

What is a straight in poker?

You have a straight when all the five cards that compose your poker hand are consecutive ones. E.g. 5-6-7-8-9.

If the cards are of the same suit, you have a straight flush, which is a considerably stronger hand compare d to the simple straight.

What beats a straight in poker?

The list of hands that beat a flush includes: a full house; a four-of-a-kind; a straight flush; a Royal Flush.

What beats a flush in poker?

The list of hands that beat a flush includes: a full house; a four-of-a-kind; a straight flush; a Royal Flush.

What beats a full house in poker?

The list of hands that beat a full house includes: four-of-a-kind; a straight flush; a Royal Flush.

Full House vs Flush - Does a Full House beat a Flush?

Yes, a Full House (a combination of three of a kind and a pair in the same hand) does beat a Flush (five cards of the same suit, in any order). This is because the odds of having a full house are slightly less than a flush, thereby making it the higher-ranked hand of the two.

What is the highest suit in poker?

All the suits in poker have the same value. In some games, different suits can be assigned different values.

When that happens, the value is as follows (from the lowest to the highest): clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. In that case, spades is the highest suit.

How many poker hands are there?

The total number of poker hands in a game of poker is 2,598,960. Since a game of poker uses a 52-card deck of French cards, there are 2,598,960 different possible combinations (aka. poker hands).

What hands should I play in poker??

The type of hands to play in a poker game depends on the game you play and other factors like your position in the hand, your stack, and the action at the table. In a famous poker strategy article, professional player Jonathan Little shared which hands to play in poker and how to play marginal hands.

Can you make three pairs in poker?

Although it is possible to hold a pair in your hand and then have another two pair appear among the five community cards, you can only use a total of five cards to make your poker hand, so you don't win anything for three pairs.

Which is better, a set or trips?

They are both essentially the same hand because they are both three of a kind. The terminology "set" is used when you have a pair as your hole cards and then catch another one of those cards on the board. "Trips" is when there is a pair on the board and you have another of those cards as one of your hole cards. Sets are easier to disguise than trips so many consider them to be a better hand, although they both rank the same.

What is a chopped or split pot?

If you and an opponent have the same five-card poker hand, then the pot is divided equally between you. Say you have AJ and your opponent has AJ, and the board comes A82310. You both would be playing the same five-card hands in terms of their value (A-J-T-8-3), and so would split the pot.

If there is four of a kind on the board, who wins?

Because the aim is to make a five-card poker hand, whoever has the highest fifth card in this case wins. If the board reads 77773 and you have AQ in your hand and your opponent has KQ, then you win because you hand is 7-7-7-7-A and your opponent's is 7-7-7-7-K. You would also win even if your opponent holding was KK in this example.

Why did my 4-4-4-T-T lose to my opponent's 7-7-7-8-8?

It is the three-of-a-kind element of a full house that dictates the winner. If you're new to the game and want a reference of all of Texas hold'em hands, you can keep this page open or you could always download and print our poker hands ranking chart that you can find higher up this page and keep it next to you while you're playing poker.

How are ties broken in poker?

Ties in poker are settled by the 'kicker.' A kicker is any remaining card that is not part of a made hand. For instance, if a player has 4-of-a-kind with four kings and an ace, then the ace is the kicker. If they had 3-of-a-kind with three kings, and ace and a jack, then the kickers are both the ace and the jack. In the event of a tie in poker, the highest kicker wins. If all kickers are equal, the pot is split equally.

What does "having the nuts" mean?

Having the nuts in poker means a player has the best possible holding in that specific hand of poker. A Royal Flush will always be the nuts, as it cannot be beaten. However, you don't have to have a Royal Flush to have the nuts. Simply put, if the hand you hold cannot be beaten by any other hand, you have the nuts at that point.

What is a kicker in poker?

A kicker in poker is a card that is not used to make a hand. For example, if you have Two Pair, four out of the five cards you can use to make a hand are being used. The fifth is going to be your kicker. Kickers come into play when two or more players have the same hand.

Can a Straight wrap around (e.g., K-A-2-3-4)?

No, a Straight cannot wrap around. An Ace can be used as a one or an Ace, meaning you could use your Ace to form either a A2345 Straight or a AKQJ10 Straight, but you cannot 'wrap' your Straight around.

How many cards are in a standard deck?

A standard deck of playing cards contains 52 cards.

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Poker Hands From Best To Worst

1. Royal Flush 10 J Q K A The best possible hand in Texas hold'em is the combination of ten, jack, queen, king, ace, all of the same suit
2. Straight Flush 5 6 7 8 9 Five cards of the same suit in sequential order
3. Four of a kind 3 3 3 3 4 Any four numerically matching cards
4. Full house J J J K K Combination of three of a kind and a pair in the same hand
5. Flush 2 4 5 9 K Five cards of the same suit, in any order
6. Straight A 2 3 4 5 Five cards of any suit, in sequential order
7. Three of a kind 7 7 7 4 5 Any three numerically matching cards
8. Two pair 9 9 K K 4 Two different pairs in the same hand
9. One pair 10 10 3 Q K Any two numerically matching cards
10. High card K 2 4 8 Q The highest ranked card in your hand with an ace being the highest and two being the lowest
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