button in SafariPoker Hands in Order (Highest to Lowest): Hand Rankings Explained
Poker is ultimately a game of decision-making, but at showdown everything comes down to one thing: who has the strongest hand. Understanding poker hand rankings is the foundation of the game, helping you instantly recognise which card combinations win and why.
On this page, you’ll find a complete breakdown of every poker hand, ranked from strongest to weakest, along with clear explanations of how they work in real game play. Whether you’re learning the basics or refining your edge, this guide is your starting point.
Let's get straight into it, with the poker hand rankings from best to worst....
Poker Hand Rankings Chart - FREE Printable PDF Download
The poker hand rankings chart is an essential resource for any new or beginner-level poker player. It will help you to quickly learn the basics of Texas Hold'em poker so you can evolve your game and start improving your strategy. The hand rankings cheat sheet shows you every hand in Hold'em, their order of value, a visual example of each hand, and also a short description.
But knowing the hand rankings is just the beginning.
To truly improve, you’ll also need to understand how hands are formed, how they compare in different situations, and how they play across formats.
That’s why this hub connects you to deeper guides, including hand-by-hand breakdowns (e.g. Royal Flush, Full House, Straight) , what beats what, probabilities and odds of hitting each hand, and the best starting hands.
While poker hand rankings are largely universal, some variations like Pot-Limit Omaha and Short Deck change the relative strength of hands, making it essential to understand the differences between formats. On this page we're focusing on Texas Hold'em.
The ten poker hands, from highest to lowest, in Texas Hold'em are:
| Rank | Hand Name | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1. | Royal Flush | An ace, king, queen, jack, ten - all the same suit. | A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠ |
| #2. | Straight Flush | Five cards in consecutive rank - all the same suit. | 6♦7♦8♦9♦10♦ |
| #3. | Four-of-a-Kind | Four cards of the same value. | 9♠9♦9♣9♥A♣ |
| #4. | Full House | Three cards of the same value, with two other cards the same value. | A♦A♠A♣7♣7♥ |
| #5. | Flush | Five cards all the same suit. | Q♦8♦6♦K♦10♦ |
| #6. | Straight | Five cards in consecutive rank. | 7♠8♦9♣10♥J♠ |
| #7. | Three-of-a-Kind | Three cards of the same value. | 10♠10♦10♣6♥A♠ |
| #8. | Two Pair | Two different pairs of cards with the same value. | 6♠6♦Q♠Q♥K♠ |
| #9. | One Pair | Two cards with the same value. | J♦J♠7♣9♥K♠ |
| #10 | High Card | Five unconnected cards that don't make another hand combination. | K♥7♦8♣J♠10♥ |
Now let's delve deeper into each hand in poker in order and explain the full hand rankings in detail....
Poker Hand Rankings Explained
In this section, we'll talk you through each poker hand, telling you what it is, what it beats and what it loses to. Read on to develop your poker knowledge and get a better understanding of the fundamentals of the game of poker.
Royal Flush
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 4 | 1 in 31,250 | Beats all other hands |
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 A♦K♦Q♦J♦10♦, 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 popularized for its glamor and its prestige is justified.
A Royal Flush cannot be beaten 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 - Royal Flushes are more common in formats like Short Deck).
Straight Flush
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 36 | 1 in 3,571 | Beats all hands apart from a Royal Flush |
A Straight Flush involves five of the same-suited cards in consecutive rank order.
Not quite as prestigious and nowhere near as rare as a Royal Flush, a Straight Flush is the next best hand in poker. However, they are still very 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).
Four-of-a-Kind
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 624 | 1 in 588 | Beats all hands apart from a Straight Flush and a Royal Flush |
Four-of-a-kind is a hand where four cards all have the same value.
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), but is a lot more common.
Full House
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3,744 | 1 in 38.26 | Beats all hands apart from Four-of-a-Kind, a Straight Flush and a Royal Flush |
A Full House is a strong hand in poker, and consists of Three-of-a-kind and a Pair.
Full Houses beat other strong hands like Flushes and Straights, and only lose to Four-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) - both are Full Houses. However, if two players both have a Full House, the one with the highest Three-of-a-kind wins. For example, A♥A♦A♠K♥K♦ is a stronger Full House than A♣A♠K♠K♣K♥ because the Three-of-a-kind is higher. If both Three-of-a-kinds within the Full House are equal, the winning hand will be the highest Pair in the hand.
Flush
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5,108 | 1 in 33 | Beats all hands apart from a Full House, Four-of-a-Kind, a Straight |
A Flush in poker is a hand that has five cards, all of 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, Four-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 it is based on its highest card, followed by its second highest and so on. When two or more players have a Flush, this is the tie-breaker used to determine the winner of the hand.
Straight
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 10,200 | 1 in 21.65 | Beats Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and High Card |
A Straight in poker is five cards that have consecutive numeric values
An example of a Straight is 2♣3♠4♥5♠6♦. 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 of value. If there are two Straights in a hand, then the one with the highest cards wins. A Straight is generally considered to be a strong hand, though shouldn't be overplayed on certain boards - with some being susceptible to losing to higher Straights or other stronger hands.
Three-of-a-Kind
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 54,912 | 1 in 20.7 | Beats Two Pair, One Pair and High Card |
Three-of-a-Kind is a decent hand in poker, where you have three cards that have the same value.
For instance, A♥A♦A♠3♠4♥ would be Three-of-a-kind because there are three aces and two other non-connected cards. Three-of-a-kind is a decent hand in poker, but is still beaten by a lot of other hands. If two or more players have this hand, the Three-of-a-kind with the higher rank wins.
Two Pair
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 123,552 | 1 in 4.26 | Beats One Pair and High Card |
Two Pair in poker is two different numeric pairs and one other unpaired card.
If two or more players have Two Pair, the winner is determined by the higher single 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). Two Pair can be a strong hand if the board is not well connected, but is ultimately beaten by most other hands. One main advantage of Two Pair, though, is that it’s often better disguised than stronger hands like Straights or Flushes. These typically rely on multiple community cards, making them more visible to opponents, whereas Two Pair can be harder to spot.
One Pair
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1,098,240 | 1 in 2.28 | Beats High Card |
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. One Pair is not a great hand and folding should be strongly considered on connected boards, in multi-way pots or when facing a large bet. Every other hand beats it apart from weaker pairs and high cards.
High Card
| Cards Required | Total Combinations | Probability of Hitting Hand | Hand Beats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,302,540 | 1 in 5.75 | Beats Lower High Cards |
High Card is where none of the five cards in a hand connect with one another to make another combination.
Having only High Cards is the worst possible poker hand. 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 a very weak hand and unlikely to win in a showdown. The worst possible five-card hand in poker is 2-3-4-5-7 (any suit). This hand is just seven high with the lowest possible kickers that don't make a better hand.
How Poker Hand Rankings Work
As discussed above, poker hands are ranked from Royal Flush (highest) to High Card (lowest). In Texas Hold'em, players make the best possible five-card hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards.
If two players have the same type of hand, the higher-ranked version wins. For example, an ace-high Straight beats a king-high Straight, while a pair of aces beats a pair of kings.
When two or more players have the exact same five-card hand, the pot is split equally between them.
There's a bit more to it than that, though. Poker is all about the equity involved in each hand, and how best to capitalize on your holding's value by the river.
So understanding the numbers, odds and probabilities behind the most popular hands in the game is crucial if you want to be a successful player.
Outs is another important concept, and you should know how to calculate the number of outs your hand has, and the chances of making different hands on the early streets.
Want to learn more? Explore our guides on Tied Poker Hands, Poker Kickers, Poker Odds & Probability, and Best Starting Hands in Poker.
Learn More About Poker Hands
- Probabilities in Poker
- Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em
- What are Kickers in Poker?
- Tied Poker Hands
- Short Deck Hand Rankings
- What Beats What in Poker?
- Poker Odds Calculator
- How to Play Texas Hold’em
- Beginner Poker Strategy Guide
Common Poker Hand Ranking Questions
Still have some questions about hand rankings in poker? No problem. Below are some of the most common queries players have about poker hands, so we'll give you a clear, definitive answer for each.
What is the Best Poker Hand?
The highest (or best) Texas Hold'em poker hand is a Royal Flush. These are extremely rare in poker, and many players have played for years without ever making one. There are four possible combinations of a Royal Flush, which consist of an ace, king, queen, jack and ten all of the same suit.
Does a Flush Beat a Straight?
In Texas Hold'em poker, a Flush beats a Straight, as it's higher in the hand rankings. This is determined by math and the probability of making each hand - so a Flush is less common and more difficult to make than a Straight, and is therefore higher in the rankings.
Does a Full House Beat a Flush?
A Full House beats a Flush in Texas Hold'em poker. Like the previous example, Full Houses are less common than Flushes, so if Player A has a Full House and Player B has a Flush at showdown, Player A will win the pot.
Can Two Players Have the Same Poker Hand?
Yes, players can have the same poker hand. This is actually way more common than people think, as hands like Straight vs Straight or Two Pair vs Two Pair are seen frequently in Texas Hold'em. Having the exact same hand, such as the same valued Straight also happens from time to time. If, for instance, the five community cards make up each player's best five-card hand, then all remaining players at showdown will have identical hands and the pot will be split.
Practice What You’ve Learned
Understanding poker theory is one thing, but the fastest way to improve is by playing hands yourself. Once you know how rankings, probabilities, and starting hands work, practicing in real games helps turn that knowledge into instinct.
Practice With Free Poker Tools
Before jumping into real games, try testing your knowledge using free poker tools. These let you experiment with different hands, calculate odds, and explore scenarios without risking money.
Play Low-Stakes or Free Poker Games
Once you’re comfortable with the basics, the best way to improve is by playing real hands. Many poker sites offer freerolls, free play tables, and low-stakes games that are perfect for beginners.
Now that you understand which poker hands beat which, try playing a few hands and see how often strong combinations like flushes or full houses actually appear. Try playing a few hands at the best online poker sites.
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Poker Hands FAQs
What are the poker hands ranked in order?
The poker hand rankings in order from highest to lowest are: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.
What is the best poker hand?
A Royal Flush is the highest-ranking poker hand. It consists of A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit and cannot be beaten by any other hand.
What is the lowest poker hand?
High Card is the lowest-ranked poker hand. It occurs when a player does not make any pair, straight, flush, or other poker combination.
Is there a poker hands chart I can use?
Yes, PokerNews provides a free poker hands chart, which shows all poker hand rankings in order, making it easier for beginners to learn which hands are strongest in Texas Hold'em. You can download our poker hands chart here.
Can I download a poker hand rankings PDF?
Many beginner players use a poker hand rankings PDF or printable poker hands chart as a quick reference while learning Texas Hold'em hand rankings. You can download our poker hands chart here.