Poker hands are ranked by how rare they are. The harder a hand is to make, the higher it sits in the rankings. Every made hand uses exactly five cards, and when two players hold the same category, the higher cards within that category win. The chart below lists all ten hands from strongest to weakest, and the rest of this guide explains the details you need to avoid costly mistakes at the table.
The Complete Hand Rankings Chart
| Rank | Hand | Example | Description & Rough Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A-K-Q-J-10, all hearts | The best possible hand: a ten-to-ace straight, all one suit. Odds of roughly 1 in 649,740 on a five-card deal. |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 9-8-7-6-5, all clubs | Five cards in sequence, all the same suit. About 1 in 72,193. |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | Q-Q-Q-Q-3 | All four cards of one rank, plus a kicker. About 1 in 4,165. |
| 4 | Full House | K-K-K-7-7 | Three of a kind plus a pair. About 1 in 694. |
| 5 | Flush | A-J-8-5-2, all spades | Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. About 1 in 508. |
| 6 | Straight | 7-6-5-4-3, mixed suits | Five cards in sequence of mixed suits. About 1 in 255. |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | 8-8-8-K-4 | Three cards of one rank, plus two unrelated cards. About 1 in 47. |
| 8 | Two Pair | J-J-6-6-A | Two different pairs, plus a kicker. About 1 in 21. |
| 9 | One Pair | 10-10-K-7-4 | Two cards of the same rank. About 1 in 2.4. |
| 10 | High Card | A-J-9-6-3, mixed | No pair or better; the highest card plays. Roughly half of all five-card hands. |
The odds above are for being dealt each hand in a straight five-card deal. In Texas Hold'em your effective odds improve because you see seven cards and choose the best five, but the ranking order never changes. Memorizing this list is worth the effort, because you will reference it on every single hand you play. A good way to lock it in is to notice that the rarest hands sit at the top: there are only four possible royal flushes in a deck, while more than half of all five-card hands do not even make a pair.
Why the Order Is What It Is
The ranking is not arbitrary. Each hand outranks the one below it precisely because it is harder to make. A flush beats a straight because there are fewer ways to collect five cards of one suit than five cards in sequence. A full house beats a flush for the same reason. When you understand that rarity drives the order, you never have to memorize by rote; you can reason your way to the answer at the table.
How Ties Are Broken
When two players make the same category of hand, the winner is decided by the ranks of the cards involved. This is where kickers matter.
Kickers
A kicker is a side card that breaks ties. If you hold ace-king and your opponent holds ace-queen, and the board pairs your aces, you both have a pair of aces, but your king outranks their queen, so you win. New players lose countless pots because they forget that a strong pair with a weak kicker is vulnerable.
Comparing Straights and Flushes
Between two straights, the one with the higher top card wins. Between two flushes, you compare the highest card, then the next, and so on until one is higher. A full house is ranked first by its three of a kind, so kings full of twos beats queens full of aces.
The Special Case of the Ace
The ace is unique because it can play as both the highest and the lowest card in a straight. It anchors the top straight, ten through ace, and it also completes the lowest straight, ace through five, often called the "wheel." In the wheel, the ace counts as a one, so the five is the top card and it loses to any higher straight.
Putting the Rankings to Work
Knowing the chart is only the beginning. Strong players think about how their hand ranks against the range of hands an opponent could hold, not just against a single hand. On a board showing three cards of the same suit, your top pair may still be an underdog to a possible flush. Reading the board texture in light of these rankings is a skill that grows with every session.
If you are still learning how a hand is built across the streets, review our Texas Hold'em rules guide to see how the community cards combine with your hole cards. From there, our broader poker section covers strategy for cash games and tournaments alike.
A Note for New York Players
The hand rankings are identical no matter where or how you play, but where you play still matters. New York does not offer regulated online poker in 2026, so New Yorkers typically use offshore rooms such as TigerGaming and BetOnline on the Chico Network. These sites accept New York players and are known for soft, recreational traffic, which makes them a common landing spot for beginners, though they operate outside state regulation. Learn the chart cold before you sit down, and you will already be ahead of many opponents.