Poker Hand Rankings: Complete Chart & Guide 2026

Every poker variant uses the same core ranking system. Whether you play NLHE cash games, PLO, tournaments, or Spins, knowing which hands beat which is the single most basic requirement before you put money on the table. This guide covers all 10 hand rankings from Royal Flush down to High Card with exact probabilities, kicker rules, and the key differences for Short Deck and Omaha.

If you are completely new to the game, start here and then move to our Texas Hold’em rules guide for a full walkthrough of how a hand plays out from blinds to showdown. For players who already know the rankings and want to move into strategy, the poker strategy hub organizes every guide on the site by topic and skill level.

Poker Hands Ranked: Quick Reference Chart

The table below lists every standard poker hand from strongest to weakest. These rankings apply to Texas Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Stud, and most other popular variants. Short Deck (6+ Hold’em) uses a modified hierarchy covered further down the page.

The probabilities above are based on a standard 52 card deck and represent the odds of being dealt each hand in exactly five cards. In Texas Hold’em you build the best five card hand from seven available cards (two hole cards plus five community cards), which makes strong hands more common than the raw numbers suggest.

For example, the probability of flopping a Flush draw and completing it by the river is far higher than the 0.19% figure in the chart. Those game specific odds connect directly to pot odds and implied odds, which are covered in separate guides.

Every Poker Hand Explained

The chart above gives you the quick answer. This section breaks down each hand in detail: what it looks like, how rare it is, what beats it, and the mistakes players commonly make when they hold it.

1. Royal Flush

The Royal Flush is the best possible hand in poker: A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ (or any suit). It is simply the highest possible Straight Flush, consisting of A, K, Q, J, 10 all in the same suit.

Most players go their entire career without being dealt a Royal Flush. In Texas Hold’em with seven cards available, the odds improve to roughly 1 in 30,940, but it is still the rarest hand you will ever see at a real table.

2. Straight Flush

Five consecutive cards of the same suit that are not A-K-Q-J-10. Example: 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ J♥. The highest card determines which Straight Flush wins when two players both have one.

The lowest possible Straight Flush is A-2-3-4-5 suited (called a “steel wheel”), where the Ace plays as low. A common mistake is forgetting that suits have no ranking in poker: a Straight Flush in hearts and one in spades of the same rank split the pot.

3. Four of a Kind (Quads)

Four cards of the same rank plus one unrelated card. Example: Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 5♠. When two players both have Quads, the higher set of four wins. If the Quads are on the board (community cards), the kicker decides.

In Hold’em, the board sometimes shows three of a kind (trips on board). If that happens, multiple players can have Quads by holding the case card. The fifth card (kicker) only matters when the Quads themselves are identical, which requires all four to be community cards.

4. Full House (Boat)

Three of a kind plus a pair in the same hand. Example: K♠ K♥ K♦ 8♣ 8♠ (called “Kings full of Eights”). The three of a kind portion determines the winner first. If that is tied, the pair breaks the tie.

Full Houses are where beginners lose the most money in big pots. A player holding 8♠ 8♥ on a board of K♦ K♣ 8♦ 4♠ 2♥ has Eights full of Kings, but loses to anyone holding a single King (who has Kings full). Always identify whether your trips or your pair is the higher component.

5. Flush

Five cards of the same suit in any order. Example: A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦. The highest card in the Flush determines the winner. If the top card is tied, the second highest card is compared, and so on.

In Hold’em, if three or four cards of the same suit are on the board, multiple players can make a Flush. The one with the highest suited hole card wins. Holding the Ace of the Flush suit (the “nut Flush draw”) is a strong position; holding a low Flush on a board with four suited cards is often a trap that costs players big pots.

6. Straight

Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Example: 4♠ 5♦ 6♣ 7♥ 8♠. The highest card in the sequence determines the winner. Ace can play high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (A-2-3-4-5, called “the wheel”), but it cannot wrap around (Q-K-A-2-3 is not a Straight).

The most common Straight mistake is playing the “idiot end” (bottom end of the Straight). If the board shows 7♥ 8♦ 9♠ and you hold 5♣ 6♣, any player with 10♣ and any other card has a higher Straight. At low stakes, getting stacked with the bottom end of a Straight is one of the most expensive recurring leaks.

7. Three of a Kind (Trips or a Set)

Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated cards. Example: 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ K♣ 4♠. There is an important distinction between a “Set” and “Trips” in Hold’em.

A Set means you hold a pocket pair and one matching card is on the board (e.g., you hold 9♠ 9♥ and the board has 9♦ K♣ 4♠). Trips means the board has a pair and you hold one matching card (e.g., you hold 9♠ J♥ on a 9♦ 9♣ 4♠ board).

Sets are much stronger than Trips because they are harder for opponents to read and less likely to be counterfeited. A Set also has Full House redraw potential. This distinction matters more as you progress into intermediate strategy through guides like ranges and value betting.

8. Two Pair

Two different pairs plus one kicker card. Example: J♠ J♦ 5♥ 5♣ A♠. The highest pair is compared first. If that ties, the second pair is compared. If both pairs tie, the kicker decides.

Two Pair is the hand that causes the most confusion among beginners at showdown. If you hold A♠ J♦ on a board of J♥ 5♦ 5♣ 8♠ 2♥, your hand is Jacks and Fives with an Ace kicker. If your opponent holds K♦ J♣, they also have Jacks and Fives, but your Ace kicker beats their King kicker.

Note that in Hold’em you can only use five cards. A player cannot “use” three pairs; the best two pairs plus the best kicker form the final hand.

9. One Pair

Two cards of the same rank plus three unrelated cards. Example: 10♠ 10♥ A♦ 7♣ 3♠. The rank of the pair matters first, then the kickers are compared in order from highest to lowest.

One Pair is the most common made hand you will play in Hold’em. Roughly 42% of all five card combinations contain exactly one pair, and in a full seven card Hold’em hand, you will flop at least a pair about one third of the time when holding two unpaired hole cards.

Kickers matter constantly with One Pair hands. Holding A♠ K♦ on a board of K♥ 9♣ 5♦ 3♠ 2♥ beats K♣ Q♥ because your Ace kicker outranks their Queen. This is why starting hand selection matters so much at the beginner level.

10. High Card

When no player has any pair or better, the highest card wins. Example: A♠ J♦ 8♣ 5♥ 2♠ (“Ace high”). If the top card ties, the second card is compared, then the third, and so on.

High Card is the default outcome when nobody connects with the board. Over half of all five card combinations are just High Card, which is why bluffing exists: most hands miss, and the player who bets with confidence often wins regardless of their actual cards. Understanding this is your first step toward concepts like fold equity and bluffing.

Kickers, Ties & Tiebreakers

One of the most misunderstood areas in poker is how ties are broken when two players hold the same type of hand. The rules are simple once you know them, but getting them wrong at showdown costs real money.

A kicker is the highest unpaired card in your hand that is used to break ties. Kickers only matter when two players have the same pair, two pair, three of a kind, or when the board plays. They never matter for Straights, Flushes, Full Houses, or Quads (unless the Quads are entirely on the board).

When Kickers Decide the Winner

When Kickers Do NOT Matter

Kicker Example: Why AK Beats AQ

This is the most common kicker situation at any real money table.

Both players have a pair of Aces. Player A’s King kicker outranks Player B’s Queen. This is not a split pot, even though many beginners assume “we both have Aces, so we chop.”

When the Board Plays (Chopped Pots)

If the five community cards form a hand that is better than anything either player can make using their hole cards, the pot is split. For example:

Board: A♠ K♥ Q♦ J♣ 10♠

Player A holds 7♦ 4♣. Player B holds 8♥ 3♠. Neither player can improve on the board’s Ace high Straight. The pot is chopped.

This also happens with board Flushes and board Full Houses. In these spots, your hole cards are irrelevant unless they can improve the five card hand already showing.

Split pots are more common than beginners expect. Understanding when the board plays saves you from making hero calls in spots where the best possible outcome is getting your money back.

Hand Rankings in Short Deck (6+ Hold’em)

Short Deck (also called 6+ Hold’em) removes all cards below 6 from the deck, leaving 36 cards instead of 52. This changes the math behind every hand, and as a result, two rankings are swapped compared to standard poker.

The two key swaps to remember: Flush beats Full House, and Three of a Kind beats Straight in Short Deck. If you play both formats, confusing these rankings in the wrong game is an expensive mistake.

Short Deck has become a staple in Asian high stakes games and is now spread at most major online poker rooms. For a full breakdown of starting hands, position adjustments, and postflop strategy in 6+, see our Short Deck poker guide.

Hand Rankings in Pot-Limit Omaha

PLO uses the exact same hand ranking hierarchy as Texas Hold’em. Royal Flush is still the best hand, High Card is still the worst. Nothing changes in the order.

What changes drastically is how strong each hand actually is at the table. Because every player holds four hole cards instead of two, the average winning hand in PLO is much stronger than in Hold’em. Hands that feel powerful in NLHE are often mediocre or worse in Omaha.

How Hand Values Shift in PLO

The practical takeaway for anyone coming from Hold’em: if your hand does not include the nuts or a strong draw to the nuts, proceed with caution in PLO. Two Pair and low Straights are the hands that cost transitioning players the most money.

For a full guide on PLO starting hands (including the top 30 hands to play), positional adjustments, and postflop concepts specific to four card poker, see our Pot-Limit Omaha strategy guide.

Hand Strength vs. Hand Rankings: Why Context Matters

Hand rankings tell you what beats what. Hand strength tells you whether your hand is actually good in the specific situation you are playing. These are two different things, and confusing them is one of the biggest leaks at the beginner level.

A pair of Aces is the highest ranking one pair hand. But on a board of 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ 2♦, that pair of Aces loses to anyone holding a single heart. The ranking has not changed. The strength has collapsed.

What Determines Real Hand Strength

This is the bridge between knowing the rankings and actually playing winning poker. Once you can look at a board and think “my hand ranks as Two Pair, but given the texture and my opponent’s range, it is effectively a bluff catcher,” you are thinking at an intermediate level.

Frequently Asked Questions