Knowing the poker hand rankings is the first step in playing Texas Hold’em well. The tricky part is applying them to the cards in front of you: choosing the best five-card hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards, comparing kickers, and judging whether a draw is worth chasing.
This guide covers every standard hand, with real card examples, a quick hand ranking chart, and practical odds for common draws. Keep a printable cheat sheet nearby while you learn, but remember that suits do not have different strengths: a spade is not higher than a heart, diamond, or club.
Texas Hold’em Hand Ranking Chart
Hands are listed from strongest to weakest. In Hold’em, each player makes the best five-card hand available from any combination of their hole cards and the community cards. You can use both hole cards, one, or neither.
Rank Hand Example 1 Royal flush A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 2 Straight flush 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ 3 Four of a kind Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 4♣ 4 Full house J♠ J♥ J♦ 8♣ 8♦ 5 Flush A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦ 6 Straight 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ 7 Three of a kind 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 3♠ 8 Two pair A♣ A♦ 5♠ 5♥ Q♣ 9 One pair 10♠ 10♥ A♦ 7♣ 2♠ 10 High card A♣ J♦ 8♠ 5♥ 3♣What Each Poker Hand Means
1. Royal Flush
A royal flush is the ace-high version of a straight flush: A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠. All five cards are consecutive and share a suit. It is the highest possible hand. In standard poker rankings, “royal flush” is a special name for the top straight flush, not a separate kind of hand.
2. Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit make a straight flush. For example, 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥. If two players have straight flushes, the one with the higher top card wins. An ace can be high or low: A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest straight, but it cannot wrap around (K-A-2-3-4 is not a straight).
3. Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank, plus a fifth card, make quads. For example, Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 4♣. The rank of the four matching cards decides the winner; the fifth card, called the kicker, matters only if both players have the same quads.
For a standard five-card hand, four of a kind occurs about 0.0240% of the time. You may see it described as 1 in 4,164; the commonly cited figure is about 1 in 4,165. The tiny difference comes from rounding and how the odds are expressed. These are five-card hand odds, not the chance of making quads by the river in Hold’em.
4. Full House
A full house combines three of a kind with a pair. J♠ J♥ J♦ 8♣ 8♦ is jacks full of eights. Compare the three-of-a-kind rank first. If that matches, compare the pair. For example, jacks full of eights beats jacks full of sevens.
5. Flush
A flush is any five cards of the same suit that are not consecutive, such as A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦. Compare the highest card first, then the next-highest, and continue as needed. Suits do not break ties: a spade flush does not beat an otherwise equal heart flush.
6. Straight
Five consecutive ranks of mixed or matching suits make a straight, as in 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣. Compare the highest card in each straight. A 10-high straight beats a 9-high straight. The ace can play high in 10-J-Q-K-A or low in A-2-3-4-5, with the wheel (A-2-3-4-5) being the lowest straight.
7. Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank make three of a kind, or “trips.” In 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 3♠, the sevens are the hand’s main combination. When players have the same trips, compare the highest side card, then the second side card. Those side cards are kickers.
8. Two Pair
Two different pairs plus a fifth card make two pair. For A♣ A♦ 5♠ 5♥ Q♣, the hand is aces and fives, with a queen kicker. Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker. If villain has A-K and you have A-Q on a board that gives both players a pair of aces, the king kicker wins unless the board or another card changes the best five-card hand.
9. One Pair
One pair is two cards of the same rank, such as 10♠ 10♥ A♦ 7♣ 2♠. Compare the pair first, then each of the three kickers from highest to lowest. That kicker comparison often decides close Hold’em pots. If villain has A-J and you have A-10 on a board where both of you make a pair of aces, villain’s jack kicker beats your ten kicker, assuming the remaining board cards do not supply better shared kickers.
10. High Card
If no player makes a pair or better, the highest card determines the hand. Compare the next-highest cards if the top card is tied. For example, A♣ J♦ 8♠ 5♥ 3♣ beats A♥ 10♦ 9♠ 6♣ 2♦ because the jack beats the ten after both hands’ aces match.
How to Use the Rankings in Texas Hold’em
Hold’em deals each player two private hole cards and puts up to five shared community cards on the board: the flop (three cards), turn (one), and poker hands ranked river (one). Your final hand is the best five-card combination from all seven available cards—not necessarily a hand that uses both hole cards.
- Board plays: If the board itself is A♠ K♦ Q♣ J♥ 10♠, every player has at least a king-high straight. A player cannot claim a better hand just because they hold an ace. One hole card can matter: With A♦ 9♣ in your hand and A♣ K♠ 7♦ 4♥ 2♣ on the board, your best hand is a pair of aces with K-9-7 kickers. The king is a shared board card; your nine is a relevant kicker. You may use no hole cards: If the board gives everyone the same best five-card hand, the pot is split unless a side pot or another rule applies.
When reading a hand, first identify the best five cards for each player. Then compare the hand category, the key ranks within that category, and finally any kickers. Do not compare all seven cards as if they form one hand.
Hand Odds and Probabilities: Read the Fine Print
Probability figures depend on the game and the point at which you measure them. A five-card draw frequency is not the same as the chance of finishing with a hand after seven cards in Hold’em. For example, the four-of-a-kind figure above describes a random five-card hand. In Texas Hold’em, you see up to seven cards by the river, so the chance of having quads by then is different.
Odds also do not tell you whether a call is profitable by themselves. You need to compare your chance of winning with the pot odds, account for how much you must call, and consider whether an opponent can already have a stronger hand. Equity charts and poker equity tools can help estimate your share of the pot against a specific hand or range.
Draw Odds by Flop, Turn, and River
A draw is an incomplete hand that can improve when another community card arrives. The number of cards that complete it is called the number of “outs.” The percentages below assume all outs are clean and unseen. Real hands can have fewer useful outs if an apparent improvement also gives an opponent a stronger hand.
Draw after the flop Typical outs Chance to improve on turn Chance to improve by river Open-ended straight draw 8 17.0% 31.5% Four-card flush draw 9 19.1% 35.0% Gutshot straight draw 4 8.5% 16.5%These estimates use the unseen cards in a standard Hold’em deck: after the flop, you generally know your two hole cards and the three board cards, leaving 47 unseen cards. With 9 flush outs, the chance to hit on the turn is 9/47, or about 19.1%. If you miss the turn and get to see the river, the approximate chance to hit at least once across both cards is 1 − (38/47 × 37/46), or about 35.0%.
Straight Draw or Flush Draw?
Keep these terms separate. An open-ended straight draw needs one of two rank values to complete a five-card run. For example, with 9♣ 8♦ on a 7♠ 6♥ 2♣ flop, a 5 or 10 completes a straight: typically eight outs. A flush draw means you have four cards of one suit and need another card of that suit. With A♠ 9♠ on a flop of 7♠ 4♠ 2♦, you have a spade flush draw, usually with nine spade outs.
A gutshot straight draw is missing an inside rank. With 9♣ 8♦ on a 7♠ 5♥ 2♣ flop, a 6 completes the 5-6-7-8-9 straight, giving four nominal outs. Do not count a straight draw as a flush draw—or assume every out is safe. If an opponent can make a full house, a higher flush, or a better straight, some cards that look helpful may not win the pot.
Printable Cheat Sheets and Equity Charts
A printable hand ranking chart is useful for quick reference during a home game or while learning online. Choose one that lists the hands in order, includes examples, and notes how kickers break ties. A separate draw-odds cheat sheet can show common outs and turn-versus-river percentages. These tools make practice easier, but they are references, not substitutes for working out the best five-card hand.
Equity charts are useful when you want to compare a hand against another hand or a range of possible hands. For instance, A♠ K♠ may have a strong draw on a spade-heavy flop, but its equity depends on the opponent’s cards and the board. Use charts as estimates, and check whether the outs are clean before treating the percentage as a reason to call.
A Simple Review Routine
Write down the best five-card hand you can make from your hole cards and the board. Classify it using the hand ranking chart, from high card through royal flush. If hands share a category, compare the relevant ranks and then the kickers. For a draw, count outs and estimate the chance to improve on the next card or by the river. Check whether an opponent could have a better hand, and consider the pot odds before calling.These poker hand examples cover the basic comparisons that come up at most tables. Practice with a printable cheat sheet, pay attention to the kicker whenever the open ended straight odds main hand ties, and use equity charts and draw odds to support—not replace—your decision-making.