Hand-ranking categories. Five of a kind, aces. Five of a kind is a hand that contains five cards of one rank, such as 3♥ 3♦ 3♣ 3♠ 3 ('five of a kind, threes'). A jack-high flush. A flush is a hand that contains five cards all of. Poker Hands Ranking. When evaluating poker hands there are a number of basic rules which are useful to know. Hands are ranked in order of their relative probabilities, the less probability there is to get a certain hand the more valuable it is considered to be. A poker hand always consists of 5 cards.
Every poker player knows that the Royal Flush is the strongest poker hand, but where do all of the other poker winning hands rank? Here is a comprehensive list of poker hands in order from highest to lowest ranking. If you are new to the game of poker, learning the different poker hands is a great first step in learning how to beat your opponents with the cards you are dealt.
The strongest poker hand is the royal flush. It consists of Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of the same suit, e.g. diamonds, spades, hearts, or clubs.
The second strongest hand in poker is the straight flush. It is composed of five consecutive cards of the same suit. If two players have a straight flush, the player with the highest cards wins.
A four-of-a-kind is four cards of the same rank, e.g. four Aces. If two players have four-of-a-kind, then the one with the highest four-of-a-kind wins. If they have the same (if four-of-a-kind is on the board), then the player with the highest fifth card wins, since a poker hand is always composed of five cards.
A full house is a combination of a three-of-a-kind and a pair. If two players have a full house, then the one with the highest three-of-a-kind wins. If they have the same one, then the pair counts.
Five cards of the same suit make a flush. If two players have a flush, then the one with the highest cards wins.
Five consecutive cards are called a straight. If two players have a straight, the one with the highest cards wins.
A three-of-a-kind is composed of three cards of the same rank. If two players have the same three-of-a-kind, then the other cards, or both cards, determine the winner, since a poker hand is a always composed of five cards.
Two-pair hands are, of course, composed of two pairs. If two players have two-pair, the rank of the higher pair determines the winner. If they have the same higher pair, then the lower one counts. If that is also the same, then the fifth card counts.
A pair is composed of two cards of the same rank. Since a poker hand is always composed of five cards, the other three cards are so-called “kickers”. In case two players have the same pair, then the one with the highest kicker wins.
If you don’t even have a pair, then you look at the strength of your cards. If there are two players at showdown who don’t have a pair or better, then the one with the highest cards wins.
Any of the PalaPoker.com games use the standard rank of hands to determine the high hand.
However, at PalaPoker.com we also play “split pot” games, like Omaha Hi-Lo8 and Stud Hi-Lo8, in which the highest hand splits the pot with a qualifying (“8 or better”) low hand; therefore, we must also be familiar with:
This method of ranking low hands is used in traditional Hi/Lo games, like Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo, as well as in Razz, the ‘low only’ Stud game.
Note that suits are irrelevant for Ace to Five low. A flush or straight does not ‘break’ an Ace to Five low poker hand. Aces are always a ‘low’ card when considering a low hand.
Please also note that the value of a five-card low hand starts with the top card, and goes down from there.
In the event of a tie: All Five-high hands split the pot.
In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. Thus 6,4,3,2,A defeats 6,5,4,2,A. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.
In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third- highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.
In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. An Eight Low is the weakest hand that qualifies for low in Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo.
Check back here as you are learning the game of poker for a list that details the poker hands order. Sign up today to start winning real money!
Looking for an easy-to-understand and printable list of poker hands to know what-beats-what in Texas hold'em? You've come to the right place.
Learning the poker hand rankings and what are the best hands in poker is the number one thing you need to do before you sit down and play cards at the best UK online poker sites.
You want to know the strength of all poker hands and find out what is the best hand in poker before you begin to play with other players.
To help you learn everything about all the Texas hold'em hands and know what beats what in poker, we prepared a key page for all beginners: the official poker hands rankings.
In this page, you'll find:
In other words, if you are looking for a list of all poker hands ranked in order of strength and importance - you'll love this page.
About to play your first poker hands? Let's see what beats what in Texas hold'em poker. This list of poker hands is essential to become a successful player and to know how to read the board in poker.
This is the best hand in poker. The Royal Flush is a very difficult poker hand to get - but when you do, you have the hame in your hands.
A Royal Flush consists of five consecutive cards (10 through ace) of the same suit.
Example of a Royal Flush:
The second-best hand in the list of all poker hands. Holding a straight flush is almost always sign that you will win the hand.
You don't have mathematical certitude, but it's really hard to be beaten when you have Straight Flush to support you. Why?
Because it beats all other poker hands except for the Royal Flush and a Straight Flush higher in value.
A Straight Flush consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit that are not 10 through ace.
Example of a Straight Flush:
Another premium poker hand that will help you win a lot of pots.
A four-of-a-kind is a four-card poker hand consisting of the same card in all the four suits in the game.
Example of a four-of-a-kind:
This strong poker hand is the combination of two different hands: the three-of-a-kind and the pair.
A full-house poker hand is composed of three same cards in different suits and a pair of cards of the same ranks but (again) of different suits.
Example of a full house:
This is also a strong poker hand - even if it's not the best hand in poker and a large number of players tend to overestimate its strength.
The flush is a five-card poker hand composed by cards of the same suit. The cards' ranks are irrelevant.
Example of a flush:
A straight is a five-card poker hand composed by consecutive cards in different suits.
Remember: the flush beat the straight in poker. And the straight beat the three-of-a-kind.
While the Ace can be counted both as 1 or a K, you can't have a straight with two Aces.
Example of a straight:
The three-of-a-kind is a poker hand composed of three cards of the same rank but different suits.
Example of a three-of-a-kind:
A four-card poker hand made by two separate pairs, cards of the same rank but different suits.
Example of a two pair:
One of the most basic and weakest poker hands.
The pair is a two-card poker hand composed by two cards of the same rank but different suits.
Example of a pair:
The weakest hand in poker and the last one in our list of poker hands. In this case, your 'poker hand' is nothing but the highest-denomination card in your hand.
Example of a high card:
In the example above, the 'high card' is the King of hearts.
Getting ready for a game? Print the free poker hands cheat sheet and bring it with you the next time you play poker!
Click on the image below to download the poker hands ranking in PDF and use it when you play poker. To help you hide your doubts about poker hands from your opponents, we grouped all poker hands in one cheat-sheet…they will never know what you are looking at!
Did you go through the poker hands rankings but you are still not sure about what beats what in poker?
The table below is the answer to all your questions.
Poker Hand | Beats | Doesn't beat |
---|---|---|
Royal Flush | All poker hands | N/A |
Straight Flush | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four-of-a-Kind | Royal Flush |
Four-of-a-Kind | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House | Royal Flush, Straight Flush |
Full House | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind |
Flush | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House |
Straight | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush |
Three-of-a-Kind | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight |
Two Pairs | High Card, Pair | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind |
Pair | High Card | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pairs |
The best hand in poker is the Royal Flush, a five-card poker hand made of consecutive cards (10 through Ace) of the same suit.
Most pros agree that beginners should only play premium hands, even if this means that most of the game will be spent folding preflop.
When two players have a four-of-a-kind each in the same hand, the winner is the player with the highest-ranking four cards.
When two players have the same four-of-a-kind each in the same hand, the winner is the player with the highest 'kicker' — the fifth card in their hand.