Texas Hold’em • Free poker guide
Poker Hand Rankings: From Royal Flush to High Card
Compare every Texas Hold’em hand, learn how kickers break ties, and see why the best five cards can use one, two or none of your hole cards.
Updated October 20, 2026
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The strongest five cards win
Texas Hold’em uses standard high poker rankings. At showdown, choose the best five cards from your two private cards and the five community cards. You do not have to use both private cards. A royal flush is the highest straight flush; it is listed separately below because its name is common on paytables.
| Rank | Hand | Example | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | Ace-high straight flush |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five consecutive ranks, one suit |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♠ | Four cards of one rank |
| 4 | Full house | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ K♠ | Three of a kind plus a pair |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | Five cards of one suit |
| 6 | Straight | 8♠ 7♥ 6♦ 5♣ 4♠ | Five consecutive ranks |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 6♠ 6♥ 6♦ A♣ 9♠ | Three cards of one rank |
| 8 | Two pair | J♠ J♥ 4♦ 4♣ A♠ | Two different pairs |
| 9 | One pair | K♠ K♥ 10♦ 7♣ 2♠ | Two cards of one rank |
| 10 | High card | A♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 2♠ | None of the combinations above |
Break ties one rank at a time
First compare the hand category. Any flush beats any straight, regardless of the straight’s highest card. Within a category, compare the cards that define it: a pair of kings beats a pair of queens; a full house with three eights beats one with three sevens, even if the latter has a pair of aces.
When both players have the same pair, compare the highest remaining card, then the next, then the last. These cards are kickers. With two pair, compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker. With a flush or high-card hand, compare all five cards in descending order until they differ.
Aces can be high or low in a straight
A-K-Q-J-10 is an ace-high straight. A-2-3-4-5 is a five-high straight, often called a wheel, and loses to a six-high straight. An ace cannot wrap around: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight. For straight flushes and ordinary straights, the top card decides which is higher.
Playing the board and splitting the pot
If the board is A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠, every remaining player has the same royal flush. Extra cards in a player’s hand do not break that tie. Equal best five-card hands split the relevant pot; neither a sixth card nor suit order can decide the winner.
For a kicker example, suppose the board is A♦ A♣ 9♥ 6♠ 2♦. K♠ Q♠ makes A-A-K-Q-9; K♥ J♥ makes A-A-K-J-9. Both have a pair of aces and a king kicker, but the queen beats the jack at the next comparison.
Practice before reading a payout
Pause a hand recap at showdown and name the exact five cards used by each player. Identify the category before comparing ranks. If a player is all in for less than the others, the best overall hand may not be eligible for every side pot; compare hands separately for each pot.
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