Texas Hold'em hand rankings determine who wins the pot at showdown. There are exactly 10 possible hand types, ordered from strongest to weakest. Memorize this list and you'll always know where you stand.
A quick note on how the game works: you get two private cards (your "hole cards") and share five community cards with everyone at the table — three on the flop, one on the turn, and one on the river. Your hand is always the best five-card combination you can make from those seven total cards.
Here are the Texas Hold'em hand rankings, from best to worst.
1. Royal Flush
Five cards of the same suit running from ten to ace: T-J-Q-K-A, all the same suit.
Example: A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠
The best possible hand in poker. It can't lose and it can't tie — there's only one royal flush per suit, and you can't have two at the same table. If you make one, the pot is yours.
2. Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit — any sequence, as long as it isn't the ace-high version (that's the royal flush).
Example: 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ T♥ J♥
If two players both make straight flushes, the one with the higher top card wins. A jack-high straight flush beats a nine-high straight flush.
3. Four of a Kind
All four cards of the same rank, plus any fifth card.
Example: A♠ A♥ A♦ A♣ K♠
Also called "quads." If both players somehow make four of a kind (possible when the board has four of one rank), the higher rank wins. Four aces beat four kings.
4. Full House
Three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
Example: K♠ K♥ K♦ Q♠ Q♥
When comparing full houses, the three-of-a-kind portion decides the winner — not the pair. K-K-K-2-2 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A because three kings outrank three queens, regardless of what the pair is.
5. Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
Example: A♥ J♥ 8♥ 5♥ 2♥
When two flushes compete, compare the cards from highest to lowest until one differs. A-J-8-5-2 beats A-J-8-5-3 because of the last card (2 vs. 3). Suits have no rank in Texas Hold'em — an ace-high heart flush and an ace-high spade flush of the same ranks split the pot.
6. Straight
Five consecutive cards of any suits.
Example: 5♠ 6♥ 7♦ 8♣ 9♠
The highest possible straight is A-K-Q-J-T, called "Broadway." The lowest is A-2-3-4-5, sometimes called "the wheel" — here the ace plays as a 1, the lowest card. Importantly, an ace can only anchor a straight at the top or the bottom. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
7. Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank, plus two unrelated cards.
Example: 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ A♣ 3♠
A small naming note: if you make three of a kind using a pocket pair (both your hole cards) and one matching card on the board, it's called a "set." If you use one hole card with a pair already on the board, it's called "trips." They're the same hand ranking — sets are just harder for opponents to detect.
8. Two Pair
Two separate pairs, plus one unrelated card.
Example: A♠ A♥ K♦ K♣ 3♠
When two players both have two pair, compare the higher pair first. A-A-3-3 beats K-K-Q-Q because aces beat kings as the top pair. If the top pairs match, compare the lower pair. If both pairs match, the fifth card (the kicker) decides.
9. One Pair
Two cards of the same rank, plus three unrelated cards.
Example: J♠ J♥ 7♦ 4♣ 2♠
When both players have the same pair, the best remaining card (the kicker) decides the winner. J-J-A-7-2 beats J-J-K-7-2 because the ace kicker outranks the king kicker. If all five cards are identical in rank, the pot is split.
10. High Card
No combination at all — your hand is just your highest card.
Example: A♠ K♥ 9♦ 6♣ 2♠
High card only comes into play when neither player has any combination. Ace-high beats king-high. If the top cards match, compare the next, and so on down to the fifth card.
The Best-Five-Cards Rule
You always play your best five cards from the seven available. You don't have to use both hole cards. You don't have to use either one. The game automatically uses whatever five-card combination is strongest.
This trips up beginners in a specific way: sometimes the board itself is the best hand at the table.
If the board shows A♠ A♥ A♦ K♠ K♥, every player's best hand is A-A-A-K-K — a full house made entirely from the community cards. Unless someone holds the fourth ace (giving them four of a kind) or a king (giving them a king-full-of-aces full house), the pot is split among all remaining players.
Always check what the board makes before deciding how strong your own hand is.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Thinking a Flush Beats a Full House
It doesn't. Full house ranks above flush, at positions 4 and 5 on the list. This confuses beginners because flushes feel flashy and rare. Just commit the order to memory: four of a kind, then full house, then flush.
Misreading Two Pair
K-K-2-2 does not lose to A-A-3-3 "because aces and kings are both pairs" — it loses because aces beat kings as the top pair. But K-K-Q-Q beats K-K-J-J because the second pair (queens vs. jacks) is higher once the top pairs tie. Go pair by pair from highest to lowest, then compare kickers.
Forgetting the Kicker
Two players both have a pair of queens. Who wins? It depends on the next-highest card. Q-Q-A-9-4 beats Q-Q-K-9-4 because the ace kicker beats the king kicker. Beginners often see matching pairs and assume a tie, but the kicker frequently decides the hand.
Confusing "Trips" and "Two Pair" on the Board
If the board is K♠ K♦ 7♥ 4♣ 2♠ and you hold Q♣ J♠, your best hand is K-K-Q-J-7 — a pair of kings. If you hold K♥ Q♣, your best hand is K-K-K-Q-7 — three of a kind. The board pair is shared by everyone; what matters is what you add to it.
Forgetting That Suits Don't Break Ties
There is no suit ranking in Texas Hold'em. A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ and A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ T♦ are identical hands — both royal flushes, pot split. Suits only matter for making flushes and straight flushes.
Practice
Knowing the ranking order is just the start. The harder skill is recognizing which of two competing hands wins when the board is complex — and doing it quickly.
The hand rankings drill at /basics/hand-rankings shows you seven cards and asks you to name the best hand you can make. Once that's comfortable, try the which hand wins drill at /basics/which-wins, which puts two hands head to head on a shared board — exactly what you'll face at a real table.