Poker hands – how do they rank?

Are you unsure how poker hands rank? Here is a list of every poker hand ranked from best to worst. The list applies to the most common games, such as Texas Hold'em and Omaha. There are alternative ways to rank poker hands in other types of poker, such as the Finnish game Sökö.

A poker hand in the most popular poker games Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Draw Poker (Five Card Draw) always consists of five cards. Please check our basic poker rules page before you start playing.

Royal Flush

Five cards in sequence from Ace to Ten with all five cards in the same suit (for example, diamonds). In poker, all suits have the same value.

Straight Flush

Five cards in sequence all in the same suit (which is not a Royal Flush).

Four of a Kind

Four cards of the same value. If two players have the same four cards (which is possible in Texas if all four are common cards, but not possible in Omaha or Draw Poker), then the fifth cards (called the kickers) are compared to determine the winner.

The kicker (or kickers) is the poker term for the cards that determine the result of a showdown if players have the same hand.

Full House

A full house consists of three of a kind (three cards of the same value) and a pair (two cards of the same value). If two players both have a full house, the one who has the highest three of a kind wins. If these cards are the same for both players, the pair determines the outcome. For example, 88833 is a better hand than 88822, which in turn is better than 777KK.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit (spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs), that do not also form a straight (see Straight Flush/Royal Flush). The highest card in the suit determines the winner when two players have a flush, then card two, then card three etc. So, for instance, a A6432 flush beats a KQJT5 flush.

Straight

Five cards in sequence, for example 87654, but not in the same suit. An ace can count as both high and low. So the highest possible straights are AKQJT and the lowest are 5432A.

Three Of A Kind

Three cards of the same value, the other two cards can be anything. If two players have the same three of a kind, the value of the extra cards (the kickers) decide the outcome. Starting with the highest kicker, then the second. So TTTA2 beats TTTKQ.

Two Pairs

A poker hand consisting of two pairs, the fifth card can be anything. If two players have the same pairs, the winner is decided by the value of the fifth card (the kicker). For example, KK226 beats QQJJA, which in turn beats QQJJ8.

Pair

A poker hand consisting of one pair (two cards of the same value). If two players have the same pair, the winner is decided by the value of the three extra cards (the kickers) taken in sequence. So KK753 beats 88AKQ, which in turn beats 88AK3.

High Card

This term is for any poker hand not included in the above list. If two players don’t have any of the above hands, the winning hand is the one with the highest card. Then the next highest, and so on. So AKQJ9 beats KQJ98 which, in turn, beats KJ987. The worst possible poker hand is 75432.

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