When two or more players have full houses, we look first at the strength of the three of a kind to determine the winner. For example, Aces full of deuces (AAA22) beats Kings full of Jacks (KKKJJ). If there are three of a kind on the table (community cards) in a Texas Holdem game that are used by two or more players to make a full house, then we would look at the strength of the pair to determine a winner. Texas Hold’em Poker is one of the most popular card games, especially among betting games. While poker is played in. Full House: Three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of a different rank. Two cards of the same rank.

Table Of Contents

Do you want to know what beats what in poker? Use the official poker hands rankings chart and seem them from best to worst!

Whether you play live at your local casino or card room, you have your home game going, or you prefer the online action at websites like PokerStars, 888Poker, or partypoker, you need to learn the order of poker hands from best to worse.

Use the list of poker hands below to know beats what in poker.

Commit this poker hands ranking list to memory today and print it if you need it (there's a button for it at the bottom). Knowing the correct poker hands rank is key to start making winning poker hands.

Poker Hands From Best To Worst

Poker Hands From Best To Worst

1. Royal Flush	10JQKA	The best possible hand in Texas hold'em is the combination of ten, jack, queen, king, ace, all of the same suit
2. Straight Flush	56789	Five cards of the same suit in sequential order
3. Four-Of-A-Kind	3333K	Any four numerically matching cards
4. Full House	JJJKK	Combination of three of a kind and a pair in the same hand
5. Flush	2459K	Five cards of the same suit, in any order
6. Straight	A2345	Five cards of any suit, in sequential order
7. Three-Of-A-Kind	77745	Any three numerically matching cards
8. Two Pair	99KK4	Two different pairs in the same hand
9. One Pair	10103QK	Any two numerically matching cards
10. High Card	K248Q	The highest ranked card in your hand with an ace being the highest and two being the lowest

Download as PDF / ImageImage

Not Sure What Beats What in Poker?

Many consider poker less of a gambling game than other casino games. For that to be true, players need to improve their understanding of game play and the strategy required to be a winning player.

The first step toward learning how to play poker is to learn the poker hand rankings.

Most poker players have these rankings memorized, which allows them to think about other things at the table when deciding the best way to play their hands.

The good news is these hand rankings tend to be the same among a wide variety of poker variants, whether it is Texas Hold'em, Omaha, seven-card stud, or other games.

All of those games use the same traditional poker hand rankings that were first developed way back in the 19th century when five-card draw first started to be played.

On this page, you find a complete list of poker hand rankings going from the highest possible hand (the Royal Flush), down to the lowest hand in which there is no pair among the five cards.

Hand rankings in poker correspond to the likelihood of making such hands.

A royal flush, consisting of the cards ranked ace through ten all being the same suit, is extremely rare — in fact, some players go their entire lives without making a royal flush.

A regular straight flush with any five consecutive cards of the same suit is a little less rare, four of a kind occurs slightly more frequently, and so on.

Notice that a full house is ranked higher than a flush.

That's because a full house comes just a little less frequently than a flush, thereby making it the higher-ranked hand of the two.

Additional readings for beginners:

• Poker Tips: A collection of tips 'to bring your game from 'meh' to amazing' created to help beginners become better players.
• Texas Hold'em Strategy: a complete manual to read as soon as you start to remember what beats what in poker.
• Poker starting hands chart: the only article you need to read to learn how to use your cards to the fullest.

Understanding Winning Poker Hands

Players new to the game of Texas hold'em often struggle, at least at first, with what the best poker hands are.

Once they have read this easy-to-digest guide that will no longer be the case.

The aim of Texas hold'em is to make the best five-card poker hand at showdown.

You can win without having to show your cards if you force someone to fold before the river. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this article, we'll pretend that we've gone to showdown and need to know what beats what in poker.

Winning Poker Hands: What Are The Best Hands In Poker?

First up is the weakest possible holding you can make in poker, a hand that can still win you the pot, although the likelihood of that happening decreases in a pot involving multiple players.

We are of course talking about high card.

As the name suggests, you don't even hold a pair here and instead are using the highest card among the five you are playing.

Example:

You have and the board has come .

Your best five-card hand would be where you would hold queen-high.

Next up is one pair, one of the more common Texas hold'em hands and one that will win you plenty of pots.

Example:

You have and the board comes .

Your five-card hand is — you have a pair of aces. Nice poker hand!

One place higher up on the poker hands chart is two pair.

Example:

You have and the five community cards are .

Your best five-card hand at showdown is or two pair, tens and nines.

One note of warning on this specific poker hand: if you are verbally declaring your hand, try to announce the higher pair first as to help avoid confusion.

Good Poker Hands

Now we're getting into the realm of the best poker hands because once you make three-of-a-kind (sometimes called a set or trips), you are much more likely to win the pot than with any of the previously mentioned hands.

Example:

Your five-card poker hand is — you have three-of-a-kind kings, often a very powerful hand in hold'em.

To beat three-of-a-kind you're going to need at least a straight.

A straight is five consecutive cards where at least one of them is a different suit from the others.

Example:
Should your hand read you would hold a six-high straight.

If someone held a seven-high straight, then that player would win the hand.

There are two straights that have nicknames that are worth remembering.

A wheel is a straight that runs from ace-to-five, and a Broadway straight — the strongest straight — runs from ten-to-ace.

A flush is one of the most powerful Texas hold'em hands because it is only beaten by a handful of others.

Any hand that that has five cards of the same suit is a flush.

Aces are always high when it comes to flushes, which means a hand such as beats .

There are few hands that can beat a flush — one that does is a full house. Also called a 'boat,' a full house is when your five-card hand is made up of three of a kind plus a pair.

Example:

With you have kings full of deuces, while is fives full of queens.

When it comes to full houses, the higher three of a kind determines which hand wins, so in this case 'kings full' would beat 'fives full.'

The Stronger Hands in Poker

The next three holdings are so rare that if you hold them, you can almost guarantee that they are winning poker hands.

Four of a kind is the minimum holding you'll need to beat someone with a full house.

Again, as the name suggests, four of a kind means having four cards of the same rank.

Example:

is four-of-a-kind tens and an extremely powerful holding.

Your only way to beat four of a kind, or 'quads' as they are often called, is to hold either a straight flush or a Royal Flush.

The former is five consecutive cards all of the same suit, so would be an eight-high straight flush and practically unbeatable.

If you manage to make (or the same holding in any of the other three suits), you have a Royal Flush and the only way to lose the hand would be to fold by accident!

Poker Hands Probability

If you are into numbers (most poker players are), you might be wondering about the probability of poker hands.

We said that she platers might go entire lives without ever getting the highest hand in poker but, looking at the numbers, what are the odds of a Royal Flush?

In this section of our complete analysis of the poker hand ranking and what beats what in poker, you get a clear overview of the probability of poker hands.

How to calculate the probability of poker hands?

When you know that there are 52 cards in play and 2,598,960 possible combinations, the calculation is easy.

You just need to divide the number of possibilities to build a specific poker hand by the number of total poker hands.

Let's run a few examples:

What are the odds of a Royal Flush? 0.000,001,539
(4/2,598,960)

What are the odds of a Straight Flush? 0.000,015,39
(40/2,598,960)

Use the table below to calculate the probabilities of all poker hands.

Poker Hand	No. Ways	Probability
Royal Flush	4	0.000,001,539
Straight Flush	40	0.000,015,39
Four-of-a-Kind	624	0.000,240,1
Full House	3,744	0.001,440,58
Flush	5,108	0.001,965,4
Straight	10,200	0.003,924,65
Three-of-a-Kind	54,912	0.021,128,45
Two Pairs	123,552	0,047,539,02
One Pair	1,098,240	0,422.569.03

Absolute Value vs. Relative Value of Poker Hands

It should be noted also that while poker hand rankings never change, sometimes circumstances can make a good hand less valuable and a poor hand more valuable.

In other words, when it comes to poker hands there's a difference between absolute value (reflected in the list of poker hands above) and relative value.

For instance, in a game of Texas hold'em, if you have two pair that might seem like a good hand.

But if your opponent keeps betting into you and it's possible he could have a straight or flush, your two pair is no longer looking so good.

Meanwhile, if you have just one pair but your opponent keeps checking to give you a free play at the pot, you might well have the strongest hand and should bet your hand.

The 'absolute' value of your hand may not be great, but in that case the 'relative' value very well could be.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that in some games like razz, deuce-to-seven triple draw, Badugi, and others you might encounter when playing online poker, the hand rankings listed below do not apply.

These hand rankings are for regular or 'high-card' games, not 'lowball' games with alternate hand rankings.

Poker Hand Rankings F.A.Q.

What is the order of poker hands?

As shown in the poker hand rankings chart, the order of poker rankings (from the highest to the lowest) is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.

What is the best hand in poker?

The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker. To have a Royal Flush, you need an Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10. All the cards that compose the hand need to be of the same suit.

What beats what in poker?

As you can see in our poker hand rankings chart, the hands in poker follow a clear hierarchy.

In a game of poker, the hand rankings work as follows:

• a pair beats a high card;
• a two pair beats a one pair;
• a three-of-a-kind beats a two pair;
• a straight beats a three-of-a-kind;
• a flush beats a straight;
• a full house beats a flush;
• a four-of-a-kind beats a full house;
• a straight flush beats a four-of-a-kind;
• a Royal Flush beats a straight flush.

The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker, so no one other hands beat this one.

What is a straight in poker?

You have a straight when all the five cards that compose your poker hand are consecutive ones. E.g. 5-6-7-8-9.

If the cards are of the same suit, you have a straight flush, which is a considerably stronger hand compare d to the simple straight.

What beats a straight in poker?

Although many see the straight as a stronger hand, there are many other poker hands that beat it.

The list of hands that beat a straight includes:

• a flush;
• a full house;
• a four-of-a-kind;
• a straight flush;
• a Royal Flush.

What beats a flush in poker?

The list of hands that beat a flush includes:

• a full house;
• a four-of-a-kind;
• a straight flush;
• a Royal Flush.

What beats a full house in poker?

The list of hands that beat a full house includes:

• a four-of-a-kind;
• a straight flush;
• a Royal Flush.

What is the highest suit in poker?

All the suits in poker have the same value. In some games, different suits can be assigned different values.

When that happens, the value is as follow (from the lowest to the highest): clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. In that case, spades is the highest suit.

How many poker hands are there?

The total number of poker hands in a game of poker is 2,598,960. Since a game of poker uses a 52-card deck of French cards, there are 2,598,960 different possible combinations (aka. poker hands).

What hands to play in poker?

The type of hands to play in a poker game depends on the game you play and other factors like your position in the hand, your stack, and the action at the table.

In a famous poker strategy article, professional player Jonathan Little shared which hands to play in poker and how to play marginal hands.

Can you make three pairs?

Although it is possible to hold a pair in your hand and then have another two pair appear among the five community cards, you can only use a total of five cards to make your poker hand, so you don't win anything for three pairs.

Which is better, a set or trips?

They are both essentially the same hand because they are both three of a kind.

The terminology 'set' is used when you have a pair as your hole cards and then catch another one of those cards on the board.

'Trips' is when there is a pair on the board and you have another of those cards as one of your hole cards.

Sets are easier to disguise than trips so many consider them to be a better hand, although they both rank the same.

What is a chopped or split pot?

If you and an opponent have the same five-card poker hand, then the pot is divided equally between you.

Say you have and your opponent has , and the board comes .

You both would be playing the same five-card hands in terms of their value (A-J-T-8-3), and so would split the pot.

If there is four of a kind on the board, who wins?

Because the aim is to make a five-card poker hand, whoever has the highest fifth card in this case wins.

If the board reads and you have in your hand and your opponent has , then you win because you hand is 7-7-7-7-A and your opponent's is 7-7-7-7-K.

Texas Holdem Full House Probability

You would also win even if your opponent holding was in this example.

Are the suits ranked in Texas hold'em?

No, they are not. Some poker variants have different ranks for suits, but hold'em is not one of them.

Why did my 4-4-4-T-T lose to my opponent's 7-7-7-8-8?

As mentioned earlier, it is the three-of-a-kind element of a full house that dictates the winner.

If you're new to the game and want a reference of all of Texas hold'em hands, you can keep this page open or you could always download and print our poker hands ranking chart and keep it next to you while you're playing poker.

Useful Poker Tools

• Poker Odds Calculator: Add your cards to the calculator to discover your chances to win the hand.
• How to use PokerStars Tools to Your Advantage: As a beginner, this article can save your life! Let us show you how you can use all the tools available on the PokerStars client to become an outstanding poker player!

• Poker Guide
  • Learn to Play Poker: Getting Started
  • Poker Game Variations
• Texas Hold ‘em Guide
  • Learn to Play Texas Hold ‘em
  • Hold ‘em Gameplay
  • Texas Hold ‘em Strategy
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• Blackjack Guide
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Texas Hold ‘em is one of the most popular forms of poker, and over the years it has developed a language all it’s own. While you’ll definitely want to be familiar with the most basic poker terms before trying out variations of the game, when you’re ready to tackle Texas Hold ‘em, consult this comprehensive glossary.

Poker Terms:

• Anchor: The player seated in the last position before the dealer.
• Ante: The minimum amount players must put in the pot before betting begins. This occurs prior to cards being dealt. Antes are separate from blinds. In Texas Hold ‘em tournaments, they typically appear in later stages of play.
• Baby: A card with a low rank.
• Blank: A community card that does not affect the players’ hands.
• Bluff: Pretending that you have a better hand than you do.
• Board: Card that are on the table and are thus “on the board.”
• Burning a Card: Discarding the top card of the deck. This is done before the community cards are dealt at the beginning of each round of betting.
• Buy-In: The minimum amount you must bring to the poker game. Also, the cost of participating in a poker tournament. In Fixed-Limit Texas Hold ‘em, it is the equivalent of 10 times the small blind.
• Catch: When a player makes the hand for which they were drawing.

Community cards are the cards that are dealt face-up and shared by all players.

• Community Cards: The cards that are dealt face-up and shared by all players.
• Dealer Button: The disc that identifies the dealer’s position on the table.
• Drawing to a Hand: When a player remains in a round hoping to make his or her hand when more cards are dealt.
• Flop: The first three community cards dealt face-up on the table.
• Free Card: A community card on the turn or river in which there was no betting in the previous round (everyone checked).
• Hand: A player’s best five cards, always including the two initial cards dealt to the individual.
• Hole Cards: Also known as Pocket Cards, these are the two cards dealt face-down to each player at the beginning of every round.
• House: The host of a game. Generally, a casino or poker website.
• Kicker: The remaining undeclared card in a five-card poker hand (the top high card after matched hands).
• Limit Game: A version of Texas Hold ‘em in which a player can only bet or raise the equivalent of the big blind.
• Live Blind: When the player who posted the big blind still has the option of raising when it is his or her turn.
• Muck: When a player discards his or her hand without showing it to the table.
• No-Limit Game: A version of Texas Hold ‘em in which players may bet any amount of chips they choose.
• Nuts: The best possible hand based on the cards that were dealt.
• Outs: The cards that may allow a player to win the hand.
• Off Suit: Two cards of different suits.

The first two “down” cards dealt to a player are called Pocket cards or Hole cards.

• Pocket Cards: The first two “down” cards dealt to a player, often called Hole Cards by stud players.
• Post a Blind: When a player puts in money for a forced blind.
• Pot: The amount of chips/money that accumulates as players place bets. In a game of Texas Hold ‘em, all winnings are paid from the pot.
• Pot Limit: A version of Texas Hold ‘em in which players may only bet up to the amount of money in the pot.
• Rags: Bad cards.
• Rake: The percentage of the pot that is taken by the house.
• River Card: The final community card that is dealt.
• Semi-Bluff: Bluffing when a hand still has drawing potential.
• Showdown: When remaining players reveal their hands to determine a winner after the last betting round.
• Slow Playing: When a player does not play aggressively with a powerful hand. Also known as “Sandbagging.”

• Stack: A player’s chips.
• Straddle: An optional third blind posted by the player three seats left of the dealer. It is equal to twice the amount of the big blind and announced before the cards are dealt.

Poker Hand Terms:

• Ace-High: A hand composed of five cards that contains one ace but no hand combinations (e.g. a straight or a pair).
• Bad Beat: When a player that has a strong hand is beaten by an even stronger hand.
• Big Pair: A pair of cards with a value of 10 or more.
• Big Slick: An ace and king. This is one of the best starting hands in Texas hold ‘em.
• Big Chick: An ace and queen.

Broadway is a straight composed of 10, J, Q, K, A.

• Broadway: A straight composed of 10, J, Q, K, A.
• Boat: Same as a “Full House”.
• Bottom Pair: A pair of cards that includes the smallest ranked card in the flop, the turn or the river.
• Bullets: A pair of Aces. Also known as “Pocket Rockets”.
• Dead Man’s Hand: A two-pair hand of aces and 8’s. Legend has it that Wild Bill Hickock was shot and killed while holding this hand.
• Deuces: A pair of 2’s.
• Doyle Brunson: A 10-two hand of any suit. Named for the player who won the World Series of Poker with this hand two years in a row.
• Flush: A hand in which all five cards have the same suit.
• Flush Draw: A hand where four cards are the same suit, and only one more card is needed to form a flush.

Texas Holdem Full House Regeln

A 4 of a kind has four different cards of the same rank or value.

• Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same ranking.
• Full House: A hand made of a pair and three-of-a-kind (also known as a boat).
• Gutshot: When the two cards in a player’s hand and two community cards form the high and low ends of a straight, leaving him or her one card from making the hand. Also known as an inside straight draw.
• Hooks: When hole cards (a.k.a. pocket cards) are a pair of jacks.
• Made Hand: When a player makes a pair or better.
• Monster: An extremely strong hand.
• Nut Flush: The highest-ranking flush being played during a round.
• Over Pair: A pair that is higher than the rank of any of the community cards.
• Pair: Two cards of the same rank and different suits.
• Pocket Rockets: When a player’s receives a pair of aces as hole cards.
• Quads: Four of a kind.
• Rags: Cards that are useless and do not improve a player’s hand.

A top pair is created with the highest card on the board.

• Rockets: See entry for “bullets.”
• Royal Flush: A flush consisting of 10 J Q K A of any one suit.
• Runner-Runner: A hand created by catching the needed cards on the turn and the river.
• Seven Deuce: The weakest starting hand.
• Straight: Five cards of any suit that are in sequential order.
• Straight Flush: Five cards of the same suit that are in sequential order.
• Suited Cards: Cards that are the same suit.
• Top Pair: A pair that is made with the highest card on the board.

A 3 of a kind is 3 cards of the same rank but different suits.

Texas Holdem Full House Rules

• Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank but different suits. Also known as a set.
• Two Pair: A hand that has two pairs.

Poker Betting Terms:

• All-In: When a player bets all of his or her chips on a hand.
• Bet the Pot: Making a bet that is equal to the size of the pot.
• Big Blind: A forced bet posted by the player two seats to the left of the dealer. This is the equivalent of the minimum bet in the game.
• Call: When a player places a bet equal to the bet of the previous player.
• Cap: In a Fixed-Limit Texas Hold ‘em game, a cap is the last raise in a round made before the predetermined maximum number of raises is reached. For the rest of the round, players can only call or fold.
• Check: When a player wants to stay in the game but not place a bet. This is only allowed if no other bets have been placed in that round.
• Check Raise: The act of checking, then raising if the betting gets back to you. This can only be done post-flop.

The fifth and final card dealt in a round is known as the River.

• Fifth Street: The third round of betting, so called because all remaining players have five cards. Also the fifth community card that is dealt. May be known as the “River”.
• Fold: When a player discards his or her cards and gives up a chance at the pot.
• Fourth Street: The second betting round, so called because all remaining players have four cards. Also the fourth community card that is dealt. May be known as the “Turn”.
• Limping In: When a player calls the big blind instead of raising.
• Live Blinds: Blind bets that are currently in play.
• Over the Top: To bet after a previous raise or raises. Also known as a “Re-Raise”.
• Raise: When a player increases the bet made by the previous player. This action increases the stakes for the remaining players.
• Re-Raise: An increase after previous raises. Also see “Over the Top.”
• River: The fifth and final card dealt in a round. Also known as “Fifth Street.”
• Small Blind: A forced bet posted by the player to the direct left of the dealer. It is equal to half the amount of the big blind.
• Turn: Dealt card that signals the second round of betting. Also known as “Fourth Street.”

Best Texas Holdem Free Online

Poker Player Terms:

Texas Hold'em Full House Split Pot

• Dog: The player who is the underdog in the hand.
• Go on Tilt: When a player plays irrationally or recklessly.
• Heads Up: When there are only two players left in the game.
• Maniac: A loose and aggressive player.
• Rock: A player who will only play the best hands.
• Rounder: A skilled player.
• Under the Gun: The player that must act first during a betting round.