Every poker hand, ranked.

The ten standard poker hand rankings, probabilities for random seven-card deals, worked comparisons and the rules for kickers and split pots.

The whole picture

Ten hands. One ladder.

In standard high-hand poker, every five-card hand belongs to one of these ten categories. Higher categories beat lower ones. Within the same category, compare the relevant ranks and then any kickers; equal hands split the pot.

Total ranks
10from royal flush to high card
Total 5-card hands
2,598,960combos in a 52-card deck
Royal flush odds
1 in 30,940best five of seven random cards
Most common in Hold'em
One Pair~44% of random seven-card deals
Hold'em rule
Best 5 of 7two hole cards + five board cards
The cheatsheet

The whole ladder, at a glance.

The odds describe the best five-card hand from seven randomly dealt cards in a standard 52-card deck. The bars use a logarithmic scale to compare rarity; actual showdown frequencies depend on which hands players choose to play.

01
Royal Flush
A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
1 in 30,940
02
Straight Flush
9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥
1 in 3,591
03
Four of a Kind
K♠K♥K♦K♣A♠
1 in 595
04
Full House
A♠A♥A♦K♠K♥
1 in 38.5
05
Flush
A♦J♦9♦6♦3♦
1 in 33.0
06
Straight
10♠9♥8♦7♣6♠
1 in 21.6
07
Three of a Kind
Q♠Q♥Q♦A♠7♣
1 in 20.7
08
Two Pair
A♠A♥8♦8♣K♠
1 in 4.25
09
One Pair
J♠J♥A♦7♣3♠
1 in 2.28
10
High Card
A♠J♥8♦6♣2♠
1 in 5.74
Top Royal flush — 1 in 30,940 random seven-card deals. Most common One pair — ~44% of random seven-card deals.
The list · click any row to expand

Each rank, explained.

Same ten hands, with reasoning. Click any row for odds, combos, why it sits where it does on the ladder, and the rule for breaking ties.

No.01

Royal Flush

The unbeatable peak — A K Q J 10, all one suit.

1 in 30,940 0.0032% of hands
A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
Odds in Hold’em
1 in 30,940
Possible 5-card combos
4
% of Hold’em hands
0.0032%
Why it sits here
A straight flush, but specifically the highest one. Same suit, ten through ace.
Beats
Every lower hand. Another royal flush ties.
Hand comparisons

So… who wins?

Six comparisons of completed five-card hands, each with the reasoning attached. These show ranking rules; they are not deals from one shared Hold'em board.

Six five-card hand comparisons. These illustrate hand strength independently of any shared board. Each one includes the reasoning.

  1. 1. Royal vs Quad Aces

    Winner
    A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠

    Royal Flush

    vs.
    Loses
    A♥A♦A♣A♠K♥

    Four Aces

    Why
    A royal flush is just the highest straight flush — and a straight flush sits one whole rung above quads. Class wins, no comparison of cards needed.

  2. 2. Flush vs Straight

    Winner
    K♦J♦8♦5♦2♦

    K-high Flush

    vs.
    Loses
    10♠9♥8♦7♣6♠

    Straight

    Why
    A flush is rarer than a straight (suits are scarcer than runs of rank) — so the ladder always puts flush above. The K-high doesn't matter; class wins.

  3. 3. Set vs Two Pair

    Winner
    8♠8♥8♦A♣K♠

    Three Eights

    vs.
    Loses
    A♠A♥K♦K♣7♠

    Aces & Kings

    Why
    Three of a kind beats two pair — even when the two pair are aces and kings. People misremember this one constantly because aces 'look bigger'. They aren't.

  4. 4. Pair of Aces vs Pair of Queens

    Winner
    A♠A♥K♦7♣3♠

    Pair of Aces

    vs.
    Loses
    Q♠Q♥A♣8♦4♠

    Queens Pair

    Why
    Both hands have one pair. Compare the pair first: aces beat queens. Compare the three kickers in descending order only when the pairs match.

  5. 5. Straight vs Straight

    Winner
    A♠K♥Q♦J♣10♠

    Broadway Straight

    vs.
    Loses
    5♠4♥3♦2♣A♥

    Wheel Straight

    Why
    Two straights — same class. Compare the highest card in each run: A-K-Q-J-T is ace-high and beats A-2-3-4-5, which is five-high. In the wheel the ace plays as a 1.

  6. 6. Two Pair vs Two Pair

    Winner
    A♠A♥2♦2♣7♠

    Aces & Twos

    vs.
    Loses
    K♠K♥Q♦Q♣8♠

    Kings & Queens

    Why
    Two pair tiebreak goes top pair → bottom pair → kicker. Aces beat kings as the top pair, so 'aces & twos' beats 'kings & queens' before the lower pair even gets compared.
The fine print

The kicker rules.

In Hold'em you make the best five-card hand from your two hole cards and five community cards. Compare the made combination first. For matching pairs, two pair, trips or quads, compare the kickers within those five cards. Cards outside the best five never break a tie.

Kickers can decide a showdown when the main combinations match. Four Hold’em examples show the exact five-card hand each player plays.

  1. 1. Pair on the board, your hole cards decide

    The board
    7♠7♥K♦4♣2♠
    You · Winner
    Hole cards
    A♠Q♥
    Plays Pair of 7s, A-K-Q kickers
    Them · Loses
    Hole cards
    J♦10♣
    Plays Pair of 7s, K-J-T kickers
    Why
    Both players play the board's pair of 7s, then fill out the 5-card hand with their three highest unused cards. You play 77-A-K-Q; they play 77-K-J-T. Compared top-down, your Ace beats their King.

  2. 2. Trip kickers on a paired board

    The board
    A♠A♥K♦8♣3♠
    You · Winner
    Hole cards
    A♦Q♣
    Plays Trip Aces, K-Q kickers
    Them · Loses
    Hole cards
    A♣J♥
    Plays Trip Aces, K-J kickers
    Why
    Both have trip aces using the board pair. The 5-card hand is AAA + the two highest unused cards. You play AAAKQ, they play AAAKJ. Your Queen kicker wins.

  3. 3. When the board wins (chop)

    The board
    A♠K♥Q♦J♣10♠
    You · Chop
    Hole cards
    7♠2♥
    Plays Broadway straight (board)
    Them · Chop
    Hole cards
    6♦3♣
    Plays Broadway straight (board)
    Why
    Neither player's hole cards beat any of the five board cards. Both play AKQJT — the board itself. Pot is split.

  4. 4. Two pair: higher pair, lower pair, then one kicker

    The board
    K♠8♥3♦3♣2♠
    You · Winner
    Hole cards
    K♥Q♦
    Plays Two pair, Kings & 3s, Q kicker
    Them · Loses
    Hole cards
    K♦J♣
    Plays Two pair, Kings & 3s, J kicker
    Why
    Compare the higher pair, then the lower pair, then one kicker. Both players have Kings & 3s, so compare KK33Q with KK33J. Your Queen kicker beats their Jack; the board's 8 is outside both best five-card hands.
Test yourself

Eight spots. How many can you nail?

No calculator, no peeking. The eight hand-rankings spots that trip up most players.

The eight hand-rankings spots that trip up most players.

  1. 1. Which hand is stronger?

    Answer Full House, 3s full of 2s

    Full house beats flush — always, regardless of the cards inside. Even the smallest full house (2s full of 3s) beats an ace-high flush.

  2. 2. Both players have a flush. Who wins?

    Answer A♥ 9♥ 7♥ 4♥ 2♥

    Suit doesn't matter in poker — only the cards. Compare highest to lowest: A beats K, so the ace-high flush wins. The other hand isn't a straight flush because the 8 breaks the run.

  3. 3. What's the lowest possible straight?

    Answer A-2-3-4-5 (the 'wheel')

    The Ace plays as a 1 in the wheel (A-2-3-4-5), making it the lowest possible straight. The Ace can also be high (T-J-Q-K-A, 'Broadway') — but it can't wrap around (Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight).

  4. 4. Both players hold the pair on the board. Who wins?

    Answer You: A♠ 4♣ on board 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 9♠ 2♥

    Both play the board's pair of 7s. Your best five cards are 77AK9; theirs are 77KJT. Compare the first kicker: your Ace beats their King.

  5. 5. Quad fives vs. quad fives — possible?

    Answer Yes — with four fives on the board, compare the fifth card

    In Hold'em the community cards are shared. On a board of 5♠ 5♥ 5♦ 5♣ 2♠, both players have quad fives. A player with an Ace beats one with a King because the fifth card is the kicker. If both best five-card hands have the same kicker, they split the pot.

  6. 6. Three of a kind vs. two pair — which wins?

    Answer Trip 4s

    Three of a kind always beats two pair, even the smallest trips beat the biggest two pair. People mix this up because aces & kings 'feel' bigger — but the rankings ladder doesn't care about ranks across classes.

  7. 7. Two pair vs. two pair — your kicker plays?

    Answer Aces & Twos, King kicker

    Same two pair? Compare ONE kicker — the highest unused card. Your King kicker beats their Queen. Only one card past the two pairs ever plays in a 5-card hand.

  8. 8. Straight flush vs. four of a kind — which wins?

    Answer Straight Flush, 9-high

    Straight flush sits one rung above four of a kind on the ladder. Even a tiny 5-high straight flush beats quad aces. It's why straight-flush-vs-quads is one of the most dramatic hands you'll ever see.

Three rules to remember

Three rules. That’s it.

Internalize these three lines and the rest of the page is just decoration.

01

Higher class wins

Flush always beats straight. Full house always beats flush. The ten classes form a strict ladder.

02

Same class? Compare the combination.

Compare pairs, trips or quads by their rank. With two pair, compare the higher pair, then the lower pair. With full houses, compare trips, then the pair. Compare straights by their top card, and flushes or high-card hands from highest to lowest.

03

Still tied? Kickers.

When the made combinations match, compare any kickers within the best five cards, highest first. If all five ranks match, split the pot. Suits never break a tie.