- 1
Royal Flush
A to ten, one suit
A K Q J 10 - 2
Straight Flush
Five in a row, one suit
9 8 7 6 5 - 3
Four of a Kind
Four cards of one rank
Q Q Q Q 7 - 4
Full House
Three of a kind plus a pair
K K K 4 4 - 5
Flush
Five cards of one suit
A J 9 6 2 - 6
Straight
Five in a row, any suits
9 8 7 6 5 - 7
Three of a Kind
Three cards of one rank
J J J A 4 - 8
Two Pair
Two different pairs
K K 5 5 9 - 9
One Pair
Two cards of one rank
A A 9 6 3 - 10
High Card
Nothing else: highest card plays
A J 8 6 3
Strongest at the top. Suits never break a tie; identical hands split the pot.
Poker hand order, with tie-breakers and odds
Hands are ranked by rarity: the harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks. With seven cards available (two of your own and five shared), you always play the best five-card combination; the other two cards are ignored.
| # | Hand | What it is | If two players tie | Odds in Hold’em |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A-K-Q-J-10, one suit | Cannot be beaten. Two royal flushes cannot exist in one deal, so there is no tie. | 1 in 30,940 (0.003%) |
| 2 | Straight flush | Five in a row, one suit | Highest top card wins. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest. | 1 in 3,590 (0.03%) |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank | Higher four wins, then the kicker. | 1 in 594 (0.17%) |
| 4 | Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | Compare the three first, then the pair. | 1 in 38.5 (2.6%) |
| 5 | Flush | Five cards of one suit | Compare cards from the highest down. | 1 in 33 (3.0%) |
| 6 | Straight | Five in a row, mixed suits | Highest top card wins. The wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is five-high. | 1 in 21.6 (4.6%) |
| 7 | Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank | Higher three wins, then the two kickers. | 1 in 20.7 (4.8%) |
| 8 | Two pair | Two different pairs | Higher pair, then lower pair, then the kicker. | 1 in 4.3 (23.5%) |
| 9 | One pair | Two cards of one rank | Higher pair, then the three kickers in order. | 1 in 2.3 (43.8%) |
| 10 | High card | No other hand | Compare the highest card, then the next, down to five. | 1 in 5.7 (17.4%) |
Common mix-ups
- Three of a kind vs a straight. A straight is stronger even though it feels less “big”.
- Flush vs full house. A full house beats a flush; people often get this backwards because flushes feel rarer in play.
- Straight on the board. If five cards in sequence are on the table, everyone has at least that straight. Only a higher straight or a better hand wins.
- Counterfeited hands. If the board pairs your low pair, your hand may effectively become a worse hand: re-read the board on each street.
The best way to make the order automatic is to play a few dozen hands. Sit at a free table and the game names the winning hand at every showdown. New to the game? Start with how to play poker or the full Texas Hold’em rules.
Poker hand order from the strongest hand to the weakest, for Texas Hold’em: all ten hands with example cards, how ties are broken and how often each one shows up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the order of poker hands?
From best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
What beats what in poker?
Each hand in the list beats every hand below it. For example a flush beats a straight, and a full house beats a flush.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush is harder to make than a straight, so it ranks higher. A full house beats both.
Is ace high or low in a straight?
Both. An ace can be the top card of 10-J-Q-K-A or the bottom card of A-2-3-4-5 (the “wheel”), but it cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
Do suits matter when two hands tie?
No. In Texas Hold’em no suit outranks another. If two hands are identical in rank, the pot is split.
How many cards make a poker hand?
Five. In Texas Hold’em you make the best five-card hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards.
What is the best starting hand in Texas Hold’em?
A pair of aces (“pocket rockets”). Starting hands are not ranked like the hands above, which only apply to the final five cards at showdown.
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Last updated 2026-10-15. MoonLight Poker is a free-to-play game with virtual chips only; this page is educational and not gambling advice.