Poker hand rankings

1. Royal flush — A K Q J 10, all of one suit. The best hand in poker.
2. Straight flush — five cards in sequence, all one suit, such as 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥.
3. Four of a kind — four cards of the same rank, such as Q Q Q Q 7.
4. Full house — three of a kind plus a pair, such as 8 8 8 K K.
5. Flush — any five cards of one suit, not in sequence.
6. Straight — five cards in sequence of mixed suits, such as 10 9 8 7 6.
7. Three of a kind — three cards of the same rank.
8. Two pair — two different pairs, such as J J 4 4.
9. One pair — two cards of the same rank.
10. High card — none of the above; the highest card plays.

A flush beats a straight, and a full house beats a flush. Suits never rank against each other: a spade flush is no better than a heart flush of the same cards.

The chance that your best five cards from all seven (two hole cards plus the full board) are each hand. These are exact combinatorial frequencies, rounded:

Two pair and one pair together make up about two thirds of all seven-card hands — which is why a single pair so often wins small pots, and so rarely wins big ones.

When two players hold the same kind of hand, the higher cards decide it. Two pairs of kings are compared on the next-highest card, called the kicker. K K A 9 4 beats K K Q J 10, because the ace outranks the queen. Only five cards ever count: a sixth card cannot break a tie.

If the best five cards are exactly the same in rank — for example, when the board itself is the best hand for both players — the pot is split.

• A-2-3-4-5 is a straight (the "wheel"), with the ace playing low. Q-K-A-2-3 is not: straights do not wrap around.
• Three pairs are not a hand. With J J 6 6 3 3 A, your hand is two pair — jacks and sixes — with an ace kicker.
• A flush needs five cards of one suit. Four is a draw, not a hand.
• When the board shows four of a kind, the player with the highest fifth card wins.