Poker Hand Rankings
The table below has poker hands ranked in order from the best hand class, royal flush, to the worst, high card.
| Rank | Poker hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ T♦ |
| 2 | Straight flush | T♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ |
| 3 | Four of a kind | J♦ J♣ J♠J♥ K♦ |
| 4 | Full house | A♥ A♣ A♦ 9♠9♣ |
| 5 | Flush | Aâ™ Jâ™ 8â™ 4â™ 3â™ |
| 6 | Straight | 9♥ 8♠7♣ 6♦ 5♣ |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 7♠7♦ 7♣ K♦ Q♣ |
| 8 | Two pair | 9♣ 9♦ 6♣ 6♠Q♥ |
| 9 | One pair | A♦ A♥ K♠9♦ 4♥ |
| 10 | High card | A♠J♦ 8♣ 6♠2♥ |
Free download
Poker hand rankings cheat sheet
Download or print this handy reference card and never forget the hand rankings at the table.
Poker hands are won when your opponents all fold or when you have the best hand at the end of the hand (the showdown). The best hand is determined by rank, which starts with the very best hand, a royal flush, and goes down to the lowest rank, high card. The 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.
Once you know which hands beat which at showdown, you can start learning which hands to 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 starting hands in order from highest to lowest to help you get started. There’s also a quick quiz to help you remember the hand rankings next time you play, plus digital flashcards for each hand rank so you can make sure you’ve learned everything in this article. Make sure to check out our hold’em guide and the Preflop Prodigy chart app for information on which hands to play beyond this list of the top 20.
The Best Texas Hold’em Hands
We wanted to include something a bit more exciting in this article, so here are the top 20 No-Limit Hold’em starting hands, ranked by how likely they are to win against a random hand.
Although the order of the best starting hands is sometimes contested, this list will give you a rough idea of which hands are stronger than others:
| # | Hand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pocket aces Aâ™ A♥ | The very best starting hand in Texas Hold’em. Fun fact: the hand with the highest chance of beating aces in a one-on-one matchup is 6-5 suited (22.51% vs. 77.49%). |
| 2 | Pocket kings Kâ™ K♣ | The second-best starting hand. Kings are known as “ace magnets” by more pessimistically minded players. |
| 3 | Pocket queens Q♠Q♥ | The ladies are the third-best starting hand. This premium pair will be an overpair to the flop quite often. |
| 4 | Pocket jacks J♠J♥ | Also known as fishhooks, jacks are one of the most complained-about hands in poker. |
| 5 | Ace-king suited Aâ™ Kâ™ | The best non-pair is also known as big slick. |
| 6 | Pocket tens T♠T♥ | Another premium pair with which you should often be willing to commit a lot of money. Proceed cautiously when facing a lot of action. |
| 7 | Ace-king offsuit Aâ™ K♥ | A powerful hand that has at least a 45–50% chance to win versus almost any holding (except aces and kings). |
| 8 | Ace-queen suited Aâ™ Qâ™ | Another premium hand with a lot of postflop playability. Especially valuable on queen-high flops with top pair, top kicker. |
| 9 | Pocket nines 9♠9♥ | A strong hand that is almost always worth playing preflop, whether by raising, calling a raise, or 3-betting. |
| 10 | Ace-jack suited A♥ J♥ | Has a lot of postflop playability and hits a lot of strong top pairs on the flop. Plus flush and straight potential. |
| 11 | King-queen suited Kâ™ Qâ™ | A lot of playability because of how well it interacts with flops. Can easily hit strong top pairs, plus straights and flushes. |
| 12 | Ace-ten suited A♥ T♥ | Strong top pair, flush, and straight potential. The large gap between cards makes it slightly less preferable to king-queen suited. |
| 13 | Ace-queen offsuit A♠Q♦ | Hits a lot of strong top pairs and is thus very valuable. |
| 14 | Pocket eights 8♣ 8♦ | The lowest pair that cracks the top 20. Strong, but will often face tough spots when an overcard or two comes on the flop. |
| 15 | King-jack suited K♦ J♦ | Yet another top starting hand that hits strong top pairs relatively often. |
| 16 | King-ten suited Kâ™ Tâ™ | Has the potential to hit strong pairs, straights, and flushes. |
| 17 | Queen-jack suited Q♦ J♦ | Can hit strong pairs, flushes, and straights. |
| 18 | Ace-jack offsuit A♣ J♠| Another powerful, high-card-driven hand. Be somewhat wary on ace-high flops, especially versus tight players. |
| 19 | King-queen offsuit K♥ Q♠| Great at hitting strong pairs on the flop. Plus, that A-J-T flop is dreamy. |
| 20 | Queen-ten suited Qâ™ Tâ™ | This high-potential suited broadway hand rounds out the list. |
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 hand, the extra cards come into play. These extra cards are called “kickers.” The player with the higher kicker takes the pot.
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 two pair, kings and tens, but Player B wins the pot by out-kicking Player A.
In a high card or one pair tie-breaker, both players can sometimes have the same kicker. In this case, the second kicker is used, then the third, and so on. If both players’ best five-card hands are identical, they split the pot equally.
Quizzes and Flashcards
Poker hands quiz
Put your knowledge of poker hands to the test with the quiz below. Good luck! (The quiz will open in a new tab.)
Poker Hand Flashcards
What is a royal flush in poker?
A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ T♦
The best hand possible, a royal flush consists of an ace, king, queen, jack, and 10, all of the same suit.
What is a straight flush in poker?
T♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥
Also very rare, a straight flush consists of any straight that is all the same suit.
What is four of a kind in poker?
J♦ J♣ J♠J♥ K♦
Four of a kind, or “quads,” consists of four cards of equal value along with another card known as a side card.
What is a full house in poker?
A♥ A♣ A♦ 9♠9♣
A full house consists of three cards of one value and two cards of another.
What is a flush in poker?
Aâ™ Jâ™ 8â™ 4â™ 3â™
A flush is a hand that has all five cards of the same suit.
What is a straight in poker?
9♥ 8♠7♣ 6♦ 5♣
A straight has 5 cards of consecutive value that are not all the same suit.
What is three of a kind in poker?
7♠7♦ 7♣ K♦ Q♣
Also known as “trips,” three of a kind is 3 cards of the same value and 2 side cards of different values.
What is two pair in poker?
9♣ 9♦ 6♣ 6♠Q♥
Two pair consists of two cards of equal value, another two cards of equal value, and one extra card.
What is one pair in poker?
A♦ A♥ K♠9♦ 4♥
One pair consists of two cards of the same value and three extra cards.
What is a high card hand in poker?
A♠J♦ 8♣ 6♠2♥
High card is when you have five cards that do not combine to make any of the hands above.
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)
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