Poker Hands: Complete Guide to All Hand Rankings with Examples

Every poker hand is built from exactly five cards. In Texas Hold’em, seven cards are available by the river, but only the strongest five count at showdown. Knowing the hierarchy lets you identify the winner immediately instead of judging a hand by individual cards.

Understanding Hands in poker requires more than memorising ten names. You need to know which combination outranks another, how equal hands are compared, and when a kicker decides the pot.

The standard poker hand order runs from Royal Flush to High Card. Suits have equal value, so spades never beat hearts simply because of the suit.

The same ranking rules apply when players play poker online with crypto or at a live table. The format may differ, but the winning hand is still determined by the best legal five-card combination.

Poker Hand Rankings from Highest to Lowest

Poker hand rankings contain ten standard categories. A higher category always defeats every category below it, regardless of individual card values. The table shows the complete poker hand hierarchy and the main comparison rule for each hand.

In card poker, cards outside the best five-card combination have no value at showdown. This becomes especially relevant in Texas Hold’em, where players choose their final five from seven available cards.

Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit, for example A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠. It is technically the highest form of Straight Flush and the strongest poker hand possible.

Straight Flush

Five consecutive cards of one suit form a Straight Flush: J♥ 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥. Two Straight Flushes are compared by their highest card. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest possible version.

Four of a Kind

Four cards of the same rank plus a fifth card make Four of a Kind. Example: J♠ J♥ J♦ J♣ 3♠. Higher quads beat lower quads. If all four matching cards are on the board, the fifth card can decide the winner.

Full House

A Full House combines Three of a Kind and a Pair, such as K♣ K♥ K♦ 9♠ 9♥. Compare the three matching cards first. J-J-J-2-2 therefore beats 10-10-10-A-A.

Flush

A Flush consists of five cards of one suit that are not consecutive. Example: A♣ J♣ 10♣ 7♣ 3♣. If two players have a Flush, compare the highest card, then the second highest, continuing until a difference appears.

Straight

A Straight contains five consecutive ranks without a suit requirement: K♣ Q♥ J♦ 10♠ 9♣. The ace can be high in A-K-Q-J-10 or low in A-2-3-4-5. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a Straight.

Three of a Kind

Three equal-ranked cards form Three of a Kind, for example Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 9♥ 4♣. In Hold’em, a pocket pair plus a matching board card is called a set; one hole card combined with a paired board is usually called trips.

Two Pair

Two Pair contains two separate pairs and one kicker. A♥ A♣ J♠ J♦ 3♠ is aces and jacks. Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker.

One Pair

One Pair contains two equal-ranked cards, such as K♣ K♦ 10♠ 7♥ 3♣. When the pair is identical for both players, compare the three remaining cards from highest to lowest.

High Card

High Card applies when no stronger poker combination can be formed. With A♦ K♣ J♠ 9♥ 3♦, the hand is ace-high. Equal high cards are resolved by comparing the next card down.

How Poker Hands Are Compared

The hand category always comes first. A low Flush beats the highest Straight, and any Three of a Kind beats any Two Pair. Card values become relevant only when players hold the same category.

Player A: A♠ A♦ K♣ 9♥ 5♣
Player B: A♥ A♣ Q♠ J♦ 8♣
Winner: Player A. Both have a pair of aces, but the king kicker beats the queen.

Player A: Q♠ Q♥ 6♦ 6♣ 3♠
Player B: J♦ J♣ 10♠ 10♥ A♣
Winner: Player A. Queens and sixes beat jacks and tens because the higher pair is compared first.

Full Houses work differently. 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ A♣ A♥ loses to J♠ J♥ J♦ 2♣ 2♥ because the three-of-a-kind determines which Full House is stronger.

If the best five cards are identical, neither unused hole card nor suit can break the tie. The result is a split pot.

Common Poker Hand Mistakes

Many errors come from looking at seven available cards instead of identifying the best five. Others result from remembering the correct cards but applying the poker hand rankings in the wrong order.

• Putting a Straight above a Flush: a Flush always wins.
• Comparing Two Pair incorrectly: start with the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the kicker.
• Ignoring kickers: equal pairs or trips can still produce different winning poker hands.
• Ranking suits: ♠, ♥, ♦ and ♣ have equal value at showdown.
• Using six or seven cards: the final poker hand always contains exactly five.
• Misusing the Ace: A-K-Q-J-10 and A-2-3-4-5 are valid Straights; Q-K-A-2-3 is not.

Poker Hands in Texas Hold’em

Texas Hold’em gives each player two hole cards and places five community cards on the board. The final hand is the strongest five-card combination that can be made from those seven cards. You may use both hole cards, one hole card, or none.

Hole cards: A♠ K♠
Board: Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 4♦ 2♣
Final hand: A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠, Royal Flush

Here both hole cards combine with three board cards to make the strongest possible hand.

Now take a board of A♥ A♠ K♥ Q♠ J♦. A player holding 9♥ 3♣ has A-A-K-Q-J as the best five-card hand. Another player holding 7♠ 2♦ has exactly the same poker card combination. Since neither player’s hole cards improve the board, the pot is split.

A paired board deserves particular attention. Completing a Flush does not guarantee the pot because the same board may allow an opponent to make a Full House. Reading the entire board against the poker hand rankings prevents this common mistake.

Poker Hands

Poker hands run from Royal Flush through Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card. When two players hold the same category, ranks and kickers determine the winner. Texas Hold’em uses only the best five cards from the seven available, and identical five-card hands result in a split pot.

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