Poker Hands by Rank – Texas Holdem Poker Hand Rankings
When learning how to play poker, you’ll want to know the poker hand rankings, simply what beats what.
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Poker Hand Rankings Cheat Sheet
Download or print this handy reference card and never forget the hand rankings at the table.
Click on a hand name above for an article specifically about that hand rank. Otherwise, let’s dive into the article
Table of Contents
Poker hands are won when your opponents all fold or you have the best hand at the end (showdown). The best hand is determined by the rank which starts with the very best hand a Royal Flush and goes down to the lowest rank, a high card hand. This ranking order is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.
One you know what hands beat which other hands at the end, you can start learning the specifics of what hands you should play at the start. We’ll focus on the most popular game, Texas Hold’em.
Below you will find a list of No Limit Hold’em poker hands in order from highest to lowest to help you get started. There’s also a quick quiz that will help you remember the hands next time you play poker and some digital flash cards for each hand ranking so you can make sure you’ve learned everything from this article. Make sure to check out our hold’em guide and Preflop Prodigy chart app, for information on what hands to play beyond this list of the top 20.
The Best Texas Hold’em Hands
I wanted to include something a bit more exciting in this article, so here’s the top 20 No Limit Hold’em starting hands in terms of how likely they would be to win versus a random hand.
Although the order of the best poker hands to start with is sometimes contested, this list will give you a rough idea of which hands are stronger than others:
Note: Small pocket pairs and suited connectors are often worth playing, but because of their more speculative nature, they do not crack the top 20 best starting hands in No Limit Texas Hold’em.
Which Texas Hold’em Hands Should You Play?
Preflop Made Easy
Know Exactly What to Play Preflop
If you want to know which hands to play before the flop in No Limit Hold’em, our Preflop Prodigy app will show you what to call, raise, or fold preflop.
Tie-breakers and Kickers
When multiple players have the same poker hands, the extra cards come in to play. These extra cards are called ‘kickers’. The player with the higher kicker will take the pot when this happens.
Texas Hold’em Example:
- Player A has K♥ 9♥
- Player B has A♠K♦
The flop, turn and river are: K♠T♣ T♦ 4♠2♣
This means the players’ final five card poker hands are:
- Player A: K♥ K♠T♣ T♦ 9♥ for Two Pair, Kings and Tens with a Nine kicker
- Player B: K♦ K♠T♣ T♦ A♠for Two Pair, Kings and Tens with an Ace kicker
Both players have a pair of kings, but the winner of the pot is Player B because he has Player A ‘out-kicked’.
In a high card or one pair hand tie-breaker, both players can sometimes have the same kicker. In this case the second kicker is used, and then the third, and so on. If both players’ best five card poker hands are identical, then they share the pot equally.
Quizzes
Put your knowledge of poker hands to the test with the quiz below. Good luck!
(The quiz will open in a new tab.)
Poker Hands Quiz
Note: Want some strategic tips to help you win at poker? Check out these 10 Quick Poker Tips!
Poker Hand Digital Flashcards
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the poker hand rankings, you’re ready to hit the tables. Remember: a royal flush is the best possible hand, and it only goes down from there. If you want to learn more, we have some common questions and related articles below, good luck!
Learn More
- How to Play Poker: Basic Poker Rules for New Players
- Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em Poker (The Ultimate Guide)
- The 5 Best Types of Poker for Beginners
- 10 Quick Poker Strategy Tips That Will Help Your Game
- 7 Poker Tournament Tips for Running Deep More Often
- How to Read Poker Hands in No Limit Hold’em (The Professional Way)
Related Questions
How many poker hands are there?
There are 10 possible 5 card poker hands: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
There are 1,326 possible 2 card starting hands in Texas Hold’em. The best starting hand is pocket aces, while the worst is seven-two offsuit.
Is three pair a poker hand?
No, three pair is not a poker hand. Poker hands consist of 5 cards, not 6.
For example, if you have 7-6 and the board runs out 7-6-A-A-2, you do not have three pair. You have two pair, aces and sevens with a six kicker.
What’s the best hand in poker?
Poker’s best hand is a royal flush, which consists of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of the same suit. Royal flushes are unbeatable and extremely rare.
What are the odds of getting a royal flush?
The odds of flopping a royal flush in any given hand is 1 in 649,740 (before cards are dealt). That’s less than a 0.000002% chance!
If you have a suited hand with two high cards (like Qâ™ Jâ™ ), you have a 1 in 19,600 chance of hitting a royal flush on the flop.
What is a straight flush?
A straight flush is five cards in a row of the same suit. For example, 9â™ 8â™ 7â™ 6â™ 5â™ is a straight flush.
What are the odds of getting a straight flush?
The odds of flopping a straight flush in any given hand is 1 in 72,193 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 0.000013%.
Suited connectors with no gaps like 54s and JTs have a 1 in 4,900 chance of hitting a straight flush on the flop. Suited connectors with gaps (like 84s) have just a 1 in 19,600 chance.
What are the odds of getting four-of-a-kind?
The odds of flopping four-of-a-kind in any given hand is 1 in 4,165 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 0.02401%.
Pocket pairs like A♠A♣ have a 1 in 407 chance of hitting four-of-a-kind on the flop.
What are the odds of getting a full house?
The odds of flopping a full house in any given hand is 1 in 694.1 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 0.1441%.
What are the odds of getting a flush?
The odds of flopping a flush in any given hand is 1 in 508.8 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 0.1965%.
Suited cards like Aâ™ Kâ™ have a 1 in 118 chance of hitting a flush on the flop.
What are the odds of getting a straight?
The odds of flopping a straight in any given hand is 1 in 254.8 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 0.3925%.
Connected cards like 9♠8♣ have a 1 in 77.5 chance of hitting a straight on the flop.
What are the odds of getting three-of-a-kind?
The odds of flopping three-of-a-kind in any given hand is 1 in 47.3 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 2.1128%.
Pocket pairs like K♣ K♠have a 1 in 7.5 chance of hitting three-of-a-kind on the flop.
What are the odds of getting two-pair?
The odds of flopping two pair in any given hand is 1 in 21 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 4.7539%.
What are the odds of getting one-pair?
The odds of flopping a pair in any given hand is 1 in 2.37 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 42.27%.
With an unpaired hand like J9, you have a 32.43% chance of hitting a one-pair hand on the flop.
What are the odds of getting no pair / high card?
The odds of flopping a no pair / high card in any given hand is 1 in 1.995 (before cards are dealt). That comes out to 50.1177%.
What beats what in poker?
One pair beats no pair. Two pair beats one pair. Three of a kind beats two pair. A straight beats three of a kind. A flush beats a straight. A full house beats a flush. Four of a kind beats a full house. A straight flush beats four of a kind. A royal flush beats a straight flush.
What suit is the highest in poker?
No suit is “higher” or better than any other suit in most poker games, including Texas Hold’em.
That said, some other poker games do rank suits. The most common ranking of suits goes (from best to worst): spades ♠, hearts ♥, diamonds ♦, clubs ♣.
What is a straight / flush / full house in poker?
A straight is five cards in a row. For example, 9♠8♥ 7♣ 6♦ 5♠is a straight.
A flush is five cards of the same suit. For example, Kâ™ Jâ™ 8â™ 6â™ 4â™ is a flush.
A full house is when you hold both three-of-a-kind and a pair. For example, A♠A♣ A♥ 7♦ 7♣ is a full house.
When it’s a flush vs straight, who wins?
A flush wins versus a straight.
Why does a flush beat a straight? Because you have a lower probability of hitting a flush than a straight.
When it’s 3 of a kind vs a straight, who wins?
A straight wins versus 3 of a kind.
3 of a kind only beats two pair, one pair, and high card hands.
What if two people have two pair?
When multiple players have two pair, the player with the better high pair wins the pot. For example, aces and twos would beat kings and queens.
If multiple players have the same highest pair, the player with the better low pair wins. For example, aces and sevens would beat aces and twos.
If multiple players have the exact same two pair, the player with the better kicker wins the pot.
