Poker Hand Rankings: The Definitive Guide to All 10 Hands
Master every poker hand from high card to royal flush — with kicker rules, set vs trips, and common comparison scenarios explained.
The 10 Poker Hand Rankings (Strongest to Weakest)
Every Texas Hold'em hand is ranked by a universal hierarchy. Memorizing these is the absolute first step to playing poker.
| Rank | Hand | Example | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ | 0.000154% |
| 2 | Straight Flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 0.00139% |
| 3 | Four of a Kind | K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 7♠ | 0.0240% |
| 4 | Full House | A♠ A♥ A♦ 9♣ 9♠ | 0.1441% |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 3♦ | 0.1965% |
| 6 | Straight | T♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠ | 0.3925% |
| 7 | Three of a Kind | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 4♠ | 2.1128% |
| 8 | Two Pair | J♠ J♥ 5♦ 5♣ A♠ | 4.7539% |
| 9 | One Pair | T♠ T♥ A♦ 9♣ 4♠ | 42.256% |
| 10 | High Card | A♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 2♠ | 50.117% |
Understanding Each Hand
Royal Flush — The Unbeatable Hand
A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ — the absolute nuts. All five cards are the same suit, forming A-K-Q-J-T. There's no hand that beats it. You will see a royal flush approximately once every 650,000 hands.
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Example: 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥. When two straight flushes collide, the higher top card wins.
Four of a Kind (Quads)
Four cards of the same rank plus one kicker. When both players have quads (extremely rare), the higher set of four wins. If both have the same quads (using the board), the fifth card (kicker) decides.
Full House (Boat)
Three of a kind plus a pair. The three-of-a-kind portion determines the winner first. Example: A♠ A♥ A♦ 3♣ 3♠ beats K♠ K♥ K♦ Q♣ Q♠ because Aces beat Kings.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Compared by highest card first, then second-highest, and so on. A♦ K♦ 7♦ 4♦ 2♦ beats A♣... wait — you can't compare across suits; there's only one flush suit winner per hand.
Straight
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (A-2-3-4-5, called the "wheel"). Important: K-A-2-3-4 is NOT a valid straight.
Three of a Kind — Set vs Trips
This distinction is critical:
- Set: You hold a pocket pair (e.g., 7♠ 7♥) and one 7 appears on the board. Sets are well-disguised and very profitable.
- Trips: You hold one card matching a pair on the board (e.g., you have A♠ 7♥, board shows 7♦ 7♣ K♠). Trips are more obvious and harder to extract value with.
Two Pair
Two different pairs plus a kicker. The higher pair is compared first. J♠ J♥ 5♦ 5♣ beats T♠ T♥ 9♦ 9♣ because Jacks > Tens.
One Pair
One pair plus three kickers. When both players have the same pair, kickers determine the winner — that's why A-K is a significantly better hand than A-2.
High Card
No made hand. The highest card determines the winner, then the second highest, and so on.
The Kicker Rule Explained
The kicker is the most misunderstood concept for beginners. When two players have the same hand type, the kicker breaks the tie.
Example: Player A has A♠ K♥, Player B has A♦ Q♣. Board: A♣ 8♠ 5♦ 3♣ 2♥.
- Both have a pair of Aces
- Player A's best five: A♠ A♣ K♥ 8♠ 5♦ (King kicker)
- Player B's best five: A♦ A♣ Q♣ 8♠ 5♦ (Queen kicker)
- Player A wins with the King kicker
💡 Tip: Always consider your kicker when playing one-pair hands. AK vs AQ is a massive favorite, not a close contest.
Start Building Your Skills
Now that you know the hand rankings cold, start drilling your preflop decisions with DEEPFOLD's GTO Training — knowing which hands to play from each position is the next step.
🎯 Practice now → Start GTO Training
📖 Next steps: Learn every betting action explained, understand pot odds and equity math, or bookmark our Poker Glossary for quick reference.