Basics

Poker hand rankings: the 10 hand rankings in order with examples

There are 10 hand rankings in poker and the order is the same for hold'em, Omaha and most other variants. Each is shown with cards below, with the rules for comparing equal hands and the one place the order changes - short deck.

  • 10 hand rankingshands
  • 5 cardscards in a hand
  • 52 cardscards in the deck
  • A, K, Q, J and 10royal flush

From highest to lowest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. A hand always uses 5 cards. Equal hands compare their highest cards, then the kicker - the card outside the combination.

Royal flush

AKQJ10
Royal flush: A, K, Q, J and 10 of one suit. The strongest hand.

Straight flush

98765
Straight flush: 5 consecutive cards of one suit.

Four of a kind

QQQQ4
Four of a kind: 4 cards of one rank plus 1. Higher rank wins between two.

Full house

JJJ88
Full house: three of a kind plus a pair. The trips compare first, then the pair.

Flush

A10752
Flush: five cards of one suit in any order, compared by the highest card down.

Straight

109876
Straight: five consecutive cards of mixed suits. The ace plays high or low.

Three of a kind

777K3
Three of a kind: 3 cards of one rank plus 2. A set when the pair was in hand, trips when it was on board.

Two pair

KK99A
Two pair: the higher pair compares first, then the lower, then the kicker.

One pair

AAJ62
One pair: 2 cards of one rank plus 3. The most common showdown hand.

High card

AQ853
High card: nothing connected; the higher first card wins, then the second and so on.

Breaking ties

Rank of the hand first, then the cards inside it, then the kicker. Two pairs of kings: the higher second card wins; identical - the pot splits. Suits carry no rank. Where the order changes: in short deck the flush beats the full house because fewer cards of each suit remain - short deck poker. In Omaha the order is standard but the hand must use exactly two hole cards - Omaha rules.

Rankings stick at the table

Open a GGPoker account: the client highlights your current hand during play.

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