Poker Hand Rankings in Order

We bring you a full rundown of poker hands, including how they are formed. This page features poker hands ranked from best to worst. This knowledge should be a starting point for absolute beginners before learning the other stuff. Plus, we reveal exceptions to the traditional ranking and cover combinations in non-standard variants for those looking to broaden their gaming horizons.

Poker Hands Ranked and Explained

The following section covers information on all hands and their descending order. You’ll get how strong each of them is and which cards build each, plus the odds and probabilities of hitting. This knowledge is fundamental for newcomers.

Standard poker hands in order from strongest to weakest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.

Understanding the difference between combos is the basis of your success. When you know what loses to what, your decisions will be more confident wherever you play – on a site or at home with friends. Read on to discover the full lineup, with details and examples.

Royal Flush

The most powerful among poker hands, the one that punters hardly build, is a Royal Flush. It’s made of the highest value cards, e.g., T♠-J♠-Q♠-K♠-A♠. Suits don’t participate in ranking: spades do not beat hearts, clubs do not lose to diamonds, and so on. All 4 possible combinations are equal.

In simpler terms, we'd call a royal flush the highest-ranking straight flush or the best of all suited straights.

Straight Flush

A combination of 5 consecutive cards, all of the exact suit, – a straight flush. Alternatively, you may hear someone call it a "suited straight", and here’s an example: 5♦-6♦-7♦-8♦-9♦. It only loses to the royal flush and trumps other layouts in the ranking.

For this poker hand and any other straight, an Ace carries two values. It can be either regarded as the highest (the one following the king) or the lowest card (the one preceding the deuce). E.g., Ace is the lowest element in A♠-2♠-3♠-4♠-5♠ straight, and now it acts as the highest unit in 10♣-J♣-Q♣-K♣-A♣.

Four of a Kind (Quads)

Four of a kind ranks third in the traditional chain of the best poker hands. This monster combo features four cards wrapped up in the same rank, plus a random extra element (kicker). E.g., four Kings in the K♥-K♠-K♣-K♦-J♣ sample. Two people bumped into quads? The one whose string includes higher value cards wins. When it fully appears on the board, the pot goes to the punter with a superior kicker.

Full House

Full House is the poker hand that gobbles up two lower-valued combos: triplet + pair. You want to read its name like "jacks full of queens" (J♦-J♣-J♠-Q♦-Q♥) or "eights full of deuces" (8♠-8♦-8♥-2♣-2♥). The triplet decides who takes the pot if multiple people have a full house. Equal triplets? The arbiter’s power moves to the pair – its value nails the winner.

Flush

The next combination in the poker hand rankings is a Flush. Learning its composition is simple: 5 cards matching in a suit, arranged out of order. The highest unit in the string dictates its weight, e.g., a king-high flush would look as follows: 6♣-8♣-T♣-J♣-K♣. Should two participants share the same superior card (the one on the board), the second-highest unit resolves their seniority, and so forth.

Straight

A poker hand made up of five offsuit cards arranged sequentially is known as a Straight. E.g., 8♦-9♣-10♦-J♠-Q♥, which is pronounced as an "eight-to-queen" straight. The highest combo in this category, from ten to ace, is Broadway, while the lowest one, from ace to 5 – Wheel. Superior piece in the sequence nails the champ when multiple punters complete a straight.

Three of a Kind (Set/Trips)

Three of a kind, sometimes referred to as a triplet, occurs when the player holds three cards equal in rank. You can form the combo in two ways. A pair in the hole and the third matching element on the board create a Set. When a pair is on the table, and you hold the third one, that’s Trips. The higher-valued triplet always comes out ahead. E.g., a "set of kings" K♦-K♦-K♦ beats a "set of sixes" 6♥-6♥-6♥.

Two Pair

This poker hand features two separate pairs with unmatched ranks, plus a random unit. E.g., a pair of tens (10♠-10♦) and a pair of fives (5♥-5♦). Being 7th out of 10th combinations, it’s not super strong, but not super weak either. First, compare the higher-ranked pair to crown the victor; if they match, look at the lower-ranked pair. Both equivalent? The kicker comes into play then.

One Pair

Two cards ranked equally form a pair. You can have it in the hole, on the board, or in the mix. The highest pair in the poker hand rankings is A♥-A♠ (aces), while the lowest one is 2♣-2♦ (deuces). When two or three participants have the same pair, compare the remaining units to name the pot winner and the losers.

High Card

The lowest value among all types of poker hands is the high card. We use it when nobody at the table builds anything, and the board is just a mix. The one who holds the highest-valued card in the hole wins.

Unable to hold the poker hand rankings in memory? No worries, as you can download and print our PDF chart in high quality when needed – it’s attached at the top of this page. Having a visual reference for all combinations is really helpful at the start. However, we recommend memorising them by heart eventually. That’s the starting point for every novice player.

Why Poker Hands Rank This Way

The main principle behind the order of poker hands is the probability of each combo being dealt from a 52-card deck. The rarer the string is, the stronger its value. E.g., the chance the punter builds royal flush is just 0.003%, whereas they will play with one pair in 43.8% cases.

Suits do not affect the poker hand rankings. Hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds are on the same level of power.

Made vs Draw Combinations

A complete hand that players aim to build features 5 cards. However, there is another crucial concept known as a draw. It occurs when you are one or two pieces away from completing a combo, either a monster or a weak one. Rookies frequently confuse them with full-fledged poker hands and play them too aggressively, and nearly always end up losing the game.

The most common types of draws are listed as follows:

• straight draw
• flush draw

It's worth noting that draws become impossible once you reach the river. No more cards will be laid out on the board, meaning you have no further chance of improvement.

How to Determine a Winning Combo

Poker combinations, in particular their strength, define the champ in each game. However, novices sometimes struggle with analysing their holdings. Here are three factors that play a pivotal role in determining the winner.

If Player 2 had a King, not a Jack, then both would hold Two Pair with no usable tiebreakers. This is the case where the pot is split, as the holdings are fully identical.

Tied Poker Hands – How To Resolve?

It sometimes, not really often, occurs that several people at the table build equal combos. In this case, the tiebreaker rule goes as follows: the higher value usually wins. 

To illustrate, A♠ K♦ 7♥ 5♣ 2♠ beats A♥ Q♠ 7♦ 5♥ 3♣ , where Aces are tie, and King beats Queen. When strings match from top to bottom, the kicker helps to resolve the outcome. 

Only card ranks, not suits, define the winning poker hand. When 2+ participants have the exact arrangement at showdown and no usable Kickers, a split pot occurs. 

What if the most powerful combo is on the board? Then, punters are “chopping the pot” – each receives an equal part.

Poker Hand Rankings Chart Deviations

Still, games that use the standard ranking system do not follow it at some points. See the exceptions that reverse the strength of hands (either lift it or lower) and affect the classic order:

• Short Deck. As the deck is trimmed down and lacks 2-5 ranks, its compact size changes probabilities. You have fewer suited pieces in turnover, which elevates flush over full house in the poker hand rankings. Straights become more frequent, too, and sometimes rank above sets/trips. Pocket Aces have double life – you’ll score them 2x times. These and other altered frequencies reflect the deck cut.
• Omaha Hi-Lo. Here, both high and low hands win, or a lucky one scoops (takes the whole pot). The “high” part remains unchanged, and you approach combos as usual. On the flip side, the “low” part is distinct – it follows specific rules, e.g., the lo qualification where ranks up to 8 count only.
• Three Card Poker. This game has only 6 poker hands, but only High Card and Pair obey the traditional hierarchy. Straight wins Flush as the latter is less of a hassle to get, not tougher. Three of a kind (otherwise called Prial) is significantly harder to hit, so it beats both of the just-mentioned.

Since some of the given exceptions do not apply in all cases, it’s always good to check the rules of the house/site where you’re going to play.

Reverse Poker Hand Rankings

Lowball games use traditional ranking with one noticeable exception: they turn it upside down. You want to chase the worst lineups, not the highest. What you’re used to calling premium combos and making should be avoided. The biggest weight goes to the bottom cards, 2, 3, 4, 5-7. This creates the major challenge and leads to the most common mistakes among transitioning players.

See how poker hand rankings work in 2-7 Triple Draw and Razz:

Non-Standard Poker Hand Rankings

Some games make it unfeasible to use the standard poker hands chart. The main reason is that combinations consist of fewer than 5 cards, plus have unique names. 

In Badugi, for example, punters only have four cards at their disposal and no shared board. Thus, classic straights and other 5-card combos simply cannot be built. It’s also impossible to duplicate ranks and suits, which eliminates sets and pairs. As a result, we get a completely distinct ranking to study. Key guidelines:

• A-2-3-4 beats everything else.
• Ace always counts low.
• If you have a pair, only 1 piece qualifies.

As you can see, twists here and in other novel variations set the stage for funky combos that you’ll never see in a regular setup.

Great Poker Rooms for Practising Combinations

All Poker Hands Summary

In traditional poker, the hierarchy of combinations is usually fixed. We know that the high card holds the lowest weight, and the Royal Flush sits at the pinnacle. When the deck is reduced, it can be inflexible but generally retains its order.

Lowball and non-standard game variations have different poker hand rankings.

Thus, it’s important to take a closer look at how hands are formed and study the exceptions before you join the table. Memorising the combos may be a bit challenging, but practice always takes its toll. Practising in poker rooms, you will soon gain confidence and never confuse a flush with a straight again. Be sure to pick those that hold a UKGC licence and play responsibly.