Poker Hand Rankings
Every poker hand, best to worst, with an example — or test yourself with a quick quiz.
- 1ace of spades, king of spades, queen of spades, jack of spades, ten of spades
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Ace-high (as shown) is a royal flush — the best possible hand.
- 2ace of spades, ace of hearts, ace of diamonds, ace of clubs, seven of spades
Four of a Kind
All four cards of one rank, plus any fifth card.
- 3king of spades, king of hearts, king of diamonds, seven of clubs, seven of diamonds
Full House
Three of a kind plus a separate pair.
- 4ace of spades, jack of spades, eight of spades, five of spades, two of spades
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
- 5nine of spades, eight of hearts, seven of diamonds, six of clubs, five of spades
Straight
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits.
- 6eight of spades, eight of hearts, eight of diamonds, king of clubs, four of diamonds
Three of a Kind
Three cards of one rank, plus two unrelated cards.
- 7ace of spades, ace of hearts, king of spades, king of hearts, seven of diamonds
Two Pair
Two separate pairs, plus a fifth card.
- 8ace of spades, ace of hearts, king of spades, queen of diamonds, jack of clubs
Pair
Two cards of one rank, plus three unrelated cards.
- 9ace of spades, king of hearts, nine of diamonds, five of clubs, two of spades
High Card
No pair or better — ranked by the highest card, then the next-highest, and so on.
How hands are ranked
Every standard poker variant compares hands by category first (a flush always beats a straight, regardless of the cards involved), then by the cards within that category if two hands share a category. Suits never break ties — only rank matters.
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