Every poker game is decided by the same ladder of hand combinations. In Texas hold'em you make the best possible five-card hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards, and the highest-ranked combination wins the pot. This guide lists every poker combination from strongest to weakest, how ties are broken, and how often each hand actually appears.
Poker hand rankings, strongest to weakest
- Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10, all of one suit. The best possible hand.
- Straight flush: five cards in sequence, all of one suit, e.g. 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts.
- Four of a kind (quads): four cards of the same rank, e.g. 7-7-7-7.
- Full house: three of a kind plus a pair, e.g. K-K-K-4-4.
- Flush: five cards of one suit, not in sequence.
- Straight: five cards in sequence, mixed suits. The ace can play high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A), but not both at once.
- Three of a kind (trips or a set): three cards of the same rank.
- Two pair: two different pairs, e.g. J-J-6-6.
- One pair: two cards of the same rank.
- High card: none of the above; the highest card plays.
How rare each combination is
There are 2,598,960 possible five-card hands. The rarer a combination, the higher it ranks. In hold'em you choose the best five from seven cards, which makes every strong hand more common:
| Hand | Five-card combinations | Chance with 7 cards (hold'em) |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 4 | ~0.003% |
| Straight flush | 36 | ~0.03% |
| Four of a kind | 624 | ~0.17% |
| Full house | 3,744 | ~2.6% |
| Flush | 5,108 | ~3.0% |
| Straight | 10,200 | ~4.6% |
| Three of a kind | 54,912 | ~4.8% |
| Two pair | 123,552 | ~23.5% |
| One pair | 1,098,240 | ~43.8% |
| High card | 1,302,540 | ~17.4% |
Notice that with seven cards you'll end up with two pair more often than with no pair at all. That's one reason one pair often isn't enough to win a big pot.
How ties are broken
- Same combination, compare ranks. A pair of kings beats a pair of queens; an ace-high flush beats a king-high flush.
- Then compare kickers. If both players have a pair of aces, the next-highest unpaired card (the kicker) decides. A-A-K-7-3 beats A-A-Q-J-9.
- Only five cards count. A sixth or seventh card never breaks a tie. If both players' best five cards are identical, the pot is split.
- Suits never rank. In hold'em, a spade flush and a heart flush of the same ranks tie.
- Two pair compares the top pair first, then the second pair, then the kicker.
- Full houses compare the three of a kind first: 8-8-8-2-2 beats 7-7-7-A-A.
Common situations that confuse new players
The board plays
If the five community cards make a better hand than either player can improve, both players "play the board" and split the pot. For example, a board of J-10-9-8-7 gives everyone at least a jack-high straight.
Counterfeited hands
Your hand can lose value when the board pairs higher than your cards. Holding 5-4 on a 5-4-9 flop gives you two pair. If the turn and river are Q-Q, your best five cards become Q-Q-5-5-9: the board's queens replace your fours, which no longer play. Now any opponent holding a 9 has Q-Q-9-9 and beats you, even though they were behind on the flop.
Wheel straights
5-4-3-2-A (the "wheel") is the lowest straight. A-K-Q-J-10 is the highest. Straights don't wrap around: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
Starting-hand odds worth knowing
| Situation | Probability |
|---|---|
| Being dealt any pocket pair | ~5.9% (1 in 17) |
| Being dealt pocket aces | ~0.45% (1 in 221) |
| Being dealt suited cards | ~23.5% |
| Flopping a set with a pocket pair | ~11.8% (about 1 in 8.5) |
| Completing a flush draw from flop to river | ~35% |
| Completing an open-ended straight draw from flop to river | ~31.5% |
From hand rankings to strategy
Knowing the rankings tells you who wins at showdown. Winning players think one level higher: not "what do I have?" but "what does my hand beat, given everything my opponent could hold?". That shift from hands to ranges is the foundation of modern poker strategy and of GTO.
When you're ready to practise decisions rather than memorise rankings, a GTO poker trainer deals you real spots and grades every choice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest poker combination?
The royal flush: ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit. Below it come the straight flush, four of a kind and the full house.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush beats a straight, and a full house beats a flush.
Do suits matter in poker hand rankings?
No. In Texas hold'em no suit ranks above another; identical hands in different suits split the pot.
What happens if two players have the same hand?
Compare ranks, then kickers, using only the best five cards. If both best five-card hands are identical, the pot is split.