Poker hand rankings
Ten combinations from the strongest to the weakest, shown with the cards from our tables, with odds calculated by our poker engine.
In Texas Hold’em you make the best possible five-card hand out of seven cards: your two hole cards and the five community cards on the board. You can use both of your cards, one of them or none at all.
Here is how the hands rank, from the royal flush down to the humble high card. The percentages show how often each hand turns up among seven-card deals.
From strongest to weakest
- 1
Royal flush
Ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit. The rarest and strongest hand in poker.
0.003% · about 1 in 31,000
- 2
Straight flush
Five cards in a row of the same suit. Of two straight flushes, the one with the higher top card wins.
0.028% · about 1 in 3,600
- 3
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card, the kicker.
0.17% · about 1 in 595
- 4
Full house
Three of a kind and a pair. Compare the three of a kind first, then the pair.
2.6% · about 1 in 38
- 5
Flush
Any five cards of the same suit. The highest card decides, then the next one, and so on.
3.0% · about 1 in 33
- 6
Straight
Five cards in a row of mixed suits. The ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A).
4.6% · about 1 in 22
- 7
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank and two unrelated cards.
4.8% · about 1 in 21
- 8
Two pair
Two different pairs. Compare the higher pair, then the lower one, then the kicker.
23.5% · about 1 in 4
- 9
One pair
Two cards of the same rank. Between equal pairs, the kickers decide.
43.8% · almost every other deal
- 10
High card
No combination at all: the hand is ranked by its highest card, then the next.
17.4% · about 1 in 6
The odds come from our own poker engine: three million random seven-card deals. They match the exact mathematical values to within a few hundredths of a percent.
When hands look the same
- Only five cards count. The sixth and seventh cards never break a tie.
- Suits never rank. A flush in hearts is no better than a flush in spades — compare the cards from the top down.
- Kickers. With the same pair, the highest unpaired card decides: A♠ A♦ K♥ beats A♣ A♥ Q♠.
- The wheel. In 5-4-3-2-A the ace plays low, so it is the lowest possible straight.
- Playing the board. If the five community cards are everyone’s best hand, the pot is split.
- Split pots. When the best five cards are identical, the pot is divided equally.
Questions about hands
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush (3.0% of deals) is rarer than a straight (4.6%), so it ranks higher.
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes. A full house ranks above a flush.
Which suit is the highest?
None. In Texas Hold’em suits never rank; if the best five cards are equal, the pot is split.
Can the ace be low?
Only in the straight 5-4-3-2-A (and in the straight flush made of the same cards).
What is the best starting hand?
A pair of aces. Against one random hand it wins about 85% of the time — try it in our odds calculator.
Now try it at the table
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