Poker Hand Rankings: Every Starting Hand Ranked

The whole picture

Ten hands. One ladder.

Every poker hand falls into exactly one of these ten categories. Higher categories beat lower ones — always. When two players land in the same category, kickers and tie-breakers settle it.

Total ranks

10from royal flush to high card

Total 5-card hands

2,598,960combos in a 52-card deck

Royal flush odds

1 : 30,940once every ~217 hours of play

Most common in Hold'em

One Pair~44% of all showdowns

Hold'em rule

Best 5 of 7two hole cards + five board cards

The cheatsheet

The whole ladder, at a glance.

Strongest at the top, weakest at the bottom. The bar after each hand shows how often it actually turns up in Hold'em — most showdowns are pairs; anything above two pair is rare.

01

Royal Flush

A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠

1 in 30,940

02

Straight Flush

9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥

1 in 3,589

03

Four of a Kind

K♠K♥K♦K♣A♠

1 in 595

04

Full House

A♠A♥A♦K♠K♥

1 in 38.5

05

Flush

A♦J♦9♦6♦3♦

1 in 32.1

06

Straight

10♠9♥8♦7♣6♠

1 in 21.6

07

Three of a Kind

Q♠Q♥Q♦A♠7♣

1 in 19.7

08

Two Pair

A♠A♥8♦8♣K♠

1 in 4.25

09

One Pair

J♠J♥A♦7♣3♠

1 in 2.28

10

High Card

A♠J♥8♦6♣2♠

1 in 5.74

Top Royal flush — once every ~217 hrs of play. Most common One pair — ~44% of all Hold’em showdowns.

The list · click any row to expand

Each rank, explained.

Same ten hands, with reasoning. Click any row for odds, combos, why it sits where it does on the ladder, and the rule for breaking ties.

No.01

Royal Flush

The unbeatable peak — A K Q J 10, all one suit.

1 in 30,940 0.0032% of hands

A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 30,940

Possible 5-card combos

4

% of Hold’em hands

0.0032%

Why it sits here

A straight flush, but specifically the highest one. Same suit, ten through ace.

Beats

Everything. Nothing beats this.

No.02

Straight Flush

Five sequential cards of the same suit.

1 in 3,589 0.0279% of hands

9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 3,589

Possible 5-card combos

36

% of Hold’em hands

0.0279%

Why it sits here

It's a straight AND a flush in the same five cards. Both rare events at once.

Beats

Quads and below. Lower straight flushes by top card.

No.03

Four of a Kind

All four cards of the same rank — 'quads'.

1 in 595 0.168% of hands

K♠K♥K♦K♣A♠

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 595

Possible 5-card combos

624

% of Hold’em hands

0.168%

Why it sits here

You'd need every card of one rank — there are only four of each in the deck.

Beats

Full house and below. Higher quads win; kicker breaks ties.

No.04

Full House

Three of a kind + a pair. 'Aces full of kings.'

1 in 38.5 2.60% of hands

A♠A♥A♦K♠K♥

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 38.5

Possible 5-card combos

3,744

% of Hold’em hands

2.60%

Why it sits here

A set plus a pair. Two matching events stacked — uncommon, but it happens.

Beats

Flush and below. Trips rank decides; pair breaks ties.

No.05

Flush

Five cards of the same suit, any order.

1 in 32.1 3.03% of hands

A♦J♦9♦6♦3♦

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 32.1

Possible 5-card combos

5,108

% of Hold’em hands

3.03%

Why it sits here

Five of one suit. There are only 13 of each suit in the deck — getting five is rarer than a run.

Beats

Straight and below. Highest card wins; suit doesn't.

No.06

Straight

Five sequential cards, any suits. A-5 is the lowest.

1 in 21.6 4.62% of hands

10♠9♥8♦7♣6♠

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 21.6

Possible 5-card combos

10,200

% of Hold’em hands

4.62%

Why it sits here

Five in a row by rank. Easier than a flush because suits don't have to match.

Beats

Three of a kind and below. Top card decides ties.

No.07

Three of a Kind

Three of one rank — 'trips' or 'a set'.

1 in 19.7 4.83% of hands

Q♠Q♥Q♦A♠7♣

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 19.7

Possible 5-card combos

54,912

% of Hold’em hands

4.83%

Why it sits here

Three of one rank. With seven cards in play it's slightly more common than you'd guess — especially flopping a set with a pocket pair.

Beats

Two pair and below. Higher trips win; kickers settle ties.

No.08

Two Pair

Two cards of one rank, two of another.

1 in 4.25 23.5% of hands

A♠A♥8♦8♣K♠

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 4.25

Possible 5-card combos

123,552

% of Hold’em hands

23.5%

Why it sits here

Two separate matched pairs in one hand — common in Hold'em because both your hole cards and the board can deliver them.

Beats

One pair and below. Top pair, then bottom, then kicker.

No.09

One Pair

Two cards of the same rank.

1 in 2.28 43.8% of hands

J♠J♥A♦7♣3♠

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 2.28

Possible 5-card combos

1,098,240

% of Hold’em hands

43.8%

Why it sits here

Just two matching ranks. The single most common Hold'em hand — almost half of all showdowns.

Beats

High card. Higher pair wins; then kickers in order.

No.10

High Card

No pair, no draw, nothing — just your highest card.

1 in 5.74 17.4% of hands

A♠J♥8♦6♣2♠

Odds in Hold’em

1 in 5.74

Possible 5-card combos

1,302,540

% of Hold’em hands

17.4%

Why it sits here

None of the patterns above. Less common than you'd think with 7 cards in play — you usually pair up somewhere.

Beats

Only weaker high cards. Compare cards in descending order.

Showdowns

So… who wins?

Six classic matchups, every one with the reasoning attached. The first three are easy. The last three trip up most players.

1. Royal vs Quad Aces

Winner

A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠

Royal Flush

vs.

Loses

A♥A♦A♣K♥Q♦

Four Aces

Why
A royal flush is just the highest straight flush — and a straight flush sits one whole rung above quads. Class wins, no comparison of cards needed.
2. Flush vs Straight

Winner

K♦J♦8♦5♦2♦

K-high Flush

vs.

Loses

10♠9♥8♦7♣6♠

Straight

Why
A flush is rarer than a straight (suits are scarcer than runs of rank) — so the ladder always puts flush above. The K-high doesn't matter; class wins.
3. Set vs Two Pair

Winner

8♠8♥8♦A♣K♠

Three Eights

vs.

Loses

A♠A♥K♦K♣7♠

Aces & Kings

Why
Three of a kind beats two pair — even when the two pair are aces and kings. People misremember this one constantly because aces 'look bigger'. They aren't.
4. AK vs QQ

Winner

A♠A♥K♦7♣3♠

AK Pair of Aces

vs.

Loses

Q♠Q♥A♣8♦4♠

Queens Pair

Why
Same class (one pair). When the classes match, top card decides — pair of aces is higher than pair of queens. The kicker only matters when the pairs are equal.
5. Straight vs Straight

Winner

A♠K♥Q♦J♣10♠

Broadway Straight

vs.

Loses

5♠4♥3♦2♣A♥

Wheel Straight

Why
Two straights — same class. The top card of the run decides: A-K-Q-J-T (top T-A) beats A-2-3-4-5 (top 5). In the wheel the ace plays as a 1.
6. Two Pair vs Two Pair

Winner

A♠A♥2♦2♣7♠

Aces & Twos

vs.

Loses

K♠K♥Q♦Q♣8♠

Kings & Queens

Why
Two pair tiebreak goes top pair → bottom pair → kicker. Aces beat kings as the top pair, so 'aces & twos' beats 'kings & queens' before the lower pair even gets compared.

The fine print

The kicker rules.

In Hold'em you make the best 5-card hand from your 2 hole cards + 5 community cards. When two players land in the same hand class, the unused cards — kickers — decide it.

1. Pair on the board, your hole cards decide

The board

7♠7♥K♦4♣2♠

You · Winner

Hole cards
A♠Q♥

Plays Pair of 7s, A-K-Q kickers

Them · Loses

Hole cards
J♦10♣

Plays Pair of 7s, K-J-T kickers

Why
Both players play the board's pair of 7s, then fill out the 5-card hand with their three highest unused cards. You play 77-A-K-Q; they play 77-K-J-T. Compared top-down, your Ace beats their King.
2. Trip kickers on a paired board

The board

A♠A♥K♦8♣3♠

You · Winner

Hole cards
A♦Q♣

Plays Trip Aces, K-Q kickers

Them · Loses

Hole cards
A♣J♥

Plays Trip Aces, K-J kickers

Why
Both have trip aces using the board pair. The 5-card hand is AAA + the two highest unused cards. You play AAAKQ, they play AAAKJ. Your Queen kicker wins.
3. When the board wins (chop)

The board

A♠K♥Q♦J♣10♠

You · Chop

Hole cards
7♠2♥

Plays Broadway straight (board)

Them · Chop

Hole cards
6♦3♣

Plays Broadway straight (board)

Why
Neither player's hole cards beat any of the five board cards. Both play AKQJT — the board itself. Pot is split.
4. Two pair: only the top pair + one kicker count

The board

K♠8♥3♦3♣2♠

You · Winner

Hole cards
K♥Q♦

Plays Two pair, Kings & 3s, Q kicker

Them · Loses

Hole cards
K♦J♣

Plays Two pair, Kings & 3s, J kicker

Why
Both make Kings & 3s. Your 5-card hand is KK33Q, theirs is KK33J. The Queen kicker beats the Jack — even though the 8 sits on the board as the highest unused card, only ONE kicker plays in two-pair hands, and yours is your hole-card Q.

Test yourself

Eight spots. How many can you nail?

No calculator, no peeking. The eight hand-rankings spots that trip up most players.

1. Which hand is stronger?

Answer Full House, 3s full of 2s

Full house beats flush — always, regardless of the cards inside. Even the smallest full house (2s full of 3s) beats an ace-high flush.
2. Both players have a flush. Who wins?

Answer A♥ 9♥ 7♥ 4♥ 2♥

Suit doesn't matter in poker — only the cards. Compare highest to lowest: A beats K, so the ace-high flush wins. The other hand isn't a straight flush because the 8 breaks the run.
3. What's the lowest possible straight?

Answer A-2-3-4-5 (the 'wheel')

The Ace plays as a 1 in the wheel (A-2-3-4-5), making it the lowest possible straight. The Ace can also be high (T-J-Q-K-A, 'Broadway') — but it can't wrap around (Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight).
4. Both players hold the pair on the board. Who wins?

Answer You: A♠ 4♣ on board 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 9♠ 2♥

Both play a pair of 7s using the board. Then kickers come from the highest unused cards. Your Ace beats their Jack — your hand is 77AKx, theirs is 77KJx.
5. Quad fives vs. quad fives — possible?

Answer No, only one player can make quads of any rank

There are only four 5s in the deck. If one player has all four, no other player can have any. Quads are unique to one player — kickers might still matter against another quads holding.
6. Three of a kind vs. two pair — which wins?

Answer Trip 4s

Three of a kind always beats two pair, even the smallest trips beat the biggest two pair. People mix this up because aces & kings 'feel' bigger — but the rankings ladder doesn't care about ranks across classes.
7. Two pair vs. two pair — your kicker plays?

Answer You: AA-22, K kicker on board 7♣

Same two pair? Compare ONE kicker — the highest unused card. Your King kicker beats their Queen. Only one card past the two pairs ever plays in a 5-card hand.
8. Straight flush vs. four of a kind — which wins?

Answer Straight Flush, 9-high

Straight flush sits one rung above four of a kind on the ladder. Even a tiny 5-high straight flush beats quad aces. It's why straight-flush-vs-quads is one of the most dramatic hands you'll ever see.

Every poker hand, ranked.

Ten hands. One ladder.

The whole ladder, at a glance.

Each rank, explained.

Royal Flush

Straight Flush

Four of a Kind

Full House

Flush

Straight

Three of a Kind

Two Pair

One Pair

High Card

So… who wins?

1. Royal vs Quad Aces

Royal Flush

Four Aces

2. Flush vs Straight

K-high Flush

Straight

3. Set vs Two Pair

Three Eights

Aces & Kings

4. AK vs QQ

AK Pair of Aces

Queens Pair

5. Straight vs Straight

Broadway Straight

Wheel Straight

6. Two Pair vs Two Pair

Aces & Twos

Kings & Queens

The kicker rules.

1. Pair on the board, your hole cards decide

2. Trip kickers on a paired board

3. When the board wins (chop)

4. Two pair: only the top pair + one kicker count

Eight spots. How many can you nail?

1. Which hand is stronger?

2. Both players have a flush. Who wins?

3. What's the lowest possible straight?

4. Both players hold the pair on the board. Who wins?

5. Quad fives vs. quad fives — possible?

6. Three of a kind vs. two pair — which wins?

7. Two pair vs. two pair — your kicker plays?

8. Straight flush vs. four of a kind — which wins?

Three rules. That’s it.

Higher class wins

Same class? Top card.

Still tied? Kickers.