Poker Hand Rankings: The Complete Order, Odds, and How Ties Are Broken

Poker has been around for a very long time, going from saloons in the Old West to filling entire buildings in the WSOP Main Event. In both places, the game of Poker starts with one thing: knowing how to play. And an important part of that is knowing which hands beat which hands. If you don’t understand that, expect your stack of chips to disappear. 

Come along with us as we break down the poker hand rankings, from a royal flush down to just having the high card. We’ll cover the real probabilities behind each hand, how a kicker breaks a tie, and how different poker games are played. And the best part, you can memorize everything in just an evening.

What Are Poker Hand Rankings?

What beats what in poker? Poker hand rankings are fixed in an order that decides the rank. In other words, which hands beat which hands. There’s a simplicity to the rankings: the rarer the hand, the higher it ranks. The most difficult hand to get, the royal flush, sits at the top of the ranking. At the bottom, the high card. If there are no other hands, this ranking always decides who wins. 

A poker rule that exists with every hand dealt is that every poker hand is exactly five cards, even if you are playing a game that uses 7 cards. Another rule is that suits have no rank. So, spades don’t beat hearts or any other suit. And the ranking of hands never changes. Other casino games may have different rules. However, you can bet that these poker rules will always remain in place.

All Poker Hand Rankings from Best to Worst

Below are the poker hand rankings listed in order from strongest to weakest. You’ll find an example of each one and its probabilities. One important thing to note is that the probabilities are connected to a single 5-card hand dealt from a 52-card deck. These are also Texas Holdem hands, just not the probabilities.

Royal Flush — the Best Poker Hand

By far the best poker hand. The royal flush consists of an ace, king, queen, jack, and ten. To be considered a royal flush, every card must be the same suit, for example, A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠. The probability of getting a royal flush is about 1 in every 649,740 hands. That’s why not a single hand beats it. The only way to not win is if another player has a royal flush as well. If this happens, the pot is split. 

Straight Flush

A straight flush, also called a steel wheel or the wheel, is second best. The only difference between this and a royal flush is the numbers that make up the straight, which can be anything from an ace to a 10, for example, 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ 4♥. It only loses to a royal flush or a higher straight flush, meaning the highest number in the straight is higher than the highest number in the second straight flush. The probability of getting a straight flush is 1 in 72,193 hands. 

Four of a Kind (Quads)

A four of a kind, or quads, is when you have 4 cards of the same number, for example, 4, 4, 4, 4. The higher the number, the stronger the hand. If it’s a game that has community cards, and two players have the same number quads, the player with the 5th highest card wins. The probability of quads is 1 in 4,165 hands.

Full House

A full house, or boat, is a three of a kind and a pair in the same hand, for example, K♥ K♦ K♠ 4♣ 4♠. If there’s more than one full house in a single hand, the highest numbered three of a kind in the boat wins. The probability is 1 in 694.

Flush

A flush is where all five cards have the same suit, for example, A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦. The number on the cards only matter if there are multiple straights; suits never break a tie. If the highest card matches, you go to the second highest. If all 5 numbers are the same, the pot is split. The probability is 1 in 508.

Straight

Five consecutive number in a row, regardless of suit, is called a straight, for example, 9♣ 8♦ 7♥ 6♠ 5♣. The highest top card wins if there’s more than one straight. A straight can consist of an ace, but in this case the ace is a 1 or is used after the king to complete the straight. Straights that use an ace can never “wrap around”. So, Q♦ K♣ A♣ 2♦ 3♣ is not a straight. The probability is 1 in 255. A quick note: A flush that ends with an ace is known as broadway.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind, or a set, is when you have 3 matching numbers of any suit, for example, 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 4♠. The highest number of the set wins if there are multiple sets. If the sets consist of the same number, the next highest card determines the winner. If there are community cards, a player must hold a pair to make a set using the board. The probability is 1 in 47.

Two Pair

When two cards of one number and two cards of another number have the same number, it’s called two pair, for example, J♥ J♦ 6♣ 6♠ A♦. The highest pair wins. If they are the same, the next highest pair wins. The probability is 1 in 21.

One Pair

One pair is when you have two cards that are the same number, for example, 10♣ 10♦ K♠ 7♥ 3♣. Ties are broken by the next highest card and go through each card if the next highest is the same. A pair is the most common hand to win with. The probability is 1 in 2.4.

High Card — the Weakest Poker Hand

If no one has any of the poker hand rankings listed above, the hand uses the high card to determine who wins, for example, K♠ 9♦ 7♣ 4♥ 2♠. If the highest cards are the same, the second highest card wins. The probability of there being nothing better than a high card is just 1 in 2.

Poker Hand Rankings Chart and Probabilities

We’ve combined all hands into an easy-to-remember poker hand chart. Memorize it and go check out some online poker games.

Rank	Hand	Example	Combinations	Probability (1 in X)
1	Royal flush	A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠	4	649,740
2	Straight flush	8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ 4♥	36	72,193
3	Four of a kind	Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 5♦	624	4,165
4	Full house	K♥ K♦ K♠ 4♣ 4♠	3,744	694
5	Flush	A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦	5,108	508
6	Straight	9♣ 8♦ 7♥ 6♠ 5♣	10,200	255
7	Three of a kind	7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 4♠	54,912	47
8	Two pair	J♥ J♦ 6♣ 6♠ A♦	123,552	21
9	One pair	10♣ 10♦ K♠ 7♥ 3♣	1,098,240	2.4
10	High card	K♠ 9♦ 7♣ 4♥ 2♠	1,302,540	2

Remember, the hands are ranked based on rarity. This may make poker hands easier to understand and memorize. This information may also be useful while playing. 

How Ties Are Broken: Kickers and Split Pots

Ties often happen in poker. Breaking a tie is something beginners often get wrong. There’s an easy way to break a poker hand rankings tie. However, from time to time, a tie cannot be broken. Here’s what happens in both cases. An interesting thing to note, kickers and split pots don’t exist in video poker games.

What a Poker Kicker Is

A poker kicker card is a card, or cards, that are used outside of the poker hand you have, for example, the cards that are not part of a set. If two players have a set of 3s, the highest number of the set wins. If the highest number is also the same, you go to the next highest number.

When the Pot Is Split

In some rare cases, a tie cannot be broken, for example, if two players both have a straight consisting of the same numbers. Remember, suits are never used to break a tie. If two players both have a straight consisting of the same numbers, there’s no way to break the tie, and the players share the money in the pot.

Poker Hand Rankings in Texas Hold’em vs Other Variants

The one thing that never changes in Poker is the hand rankings. However, certain game types have different rules on how you make the best poker hands. Here are some of the most popular versions of poker. You’ll want to be sure to learn how to play them in free poker games.

Texas Hold’em Hands

In Texas Hold’em, players get two cards dealt to them face down and share 5 community cards. The goal is to use your two cards and 3 of the 5 community cards to make the best 5-card poker hand. You can use 1, both, or none of your cards to make a hand. If the 5 community cards create a stronger hand than any of the players, the pot is split among those still playing. 

Omaha

Omaha is similar to Texas Hold’em except for the fact that each player is dealt 4 cards to use with the 5-card community cards. Also, it’s a bit different as you must use exactly two of your cards and three of the community cards to make a hand. This is one thing that always trips up Texas Hold’em players. To learn how to play another interesting poker version, check out this Pai Gow Poker Guide.

Where the Rankings Change

Lowball and hi-lo games tweak the rankings a bit, as the rules of the game are a bit different. The goal is to have the lowest hand, not the highest. In short-deck poker, also called six-plus Texas Hold’em, every card lower than a six is removed. In this game, a flush beats a full house because it’s more difficult to make. A general rule is to fully understand the rules of any given game you play. And it’s always best to practice on free video poker games.

Common Poker Hand Ranking Mistakes

Even though the hand rankings are easy to remember, beginners still make common mistakes. Here are a few:

• Thinking suits matter – suits don’t affect rankings or break ties
• Wrap-around straights – It can only start or finish a straight
• Misreading poker hands – thinking that you have something other than you do
• Forgetting about the kicker in the poker hands order – forgetting that the kicker is a tie breaker in some cases

Once you graduate past these simple mistakes, you’ll probably start asking, What is a 3 Bet in Poker or wondering about the Pot Odds in Poker. 

How to Memorize Poker Hand Rankings

Memorizing poker hand rankings becomes a bit easier when you start thinking about their rarity: the rarer the hand, the stronger it is. It also helps to group them into categories like a flush group, a straight group, and a pair group. 

You’ll also want to start playing low-stakes or free games at an online casino.

To Sum Up

Poker remains one of the most popular casino games. Just remember a few things: the royal flush is the best hand, with a high card being the worst. The hand rankings are simply based on rarity. You’ll want to avoid the common mistakes as you gain more poker experience. To learn more about poker and other casino games, be sure to read our blog.

Frequently Asked Questions