Top Poker Hand Rankings: Best Hands in Texas Hold’em

Key Takeaways

• The hierarchy of poker hands ranges from the royal flush down to high card.
• A poker hand rankings chart is a valuable resource for players. It allows you to quickly identify top starting hands and play less duds.
• Understanding the odds of forming specific poker hands is a vital skill, turning amateur players into seasoned poker pros.

Poker Hand Rankings Explained

Understanding poker hand rankings is a vital skill that even amateur poker players must understand. And if you can recognize which hands to play and which hands to bin during poker games, you’ll have an advantage over plenty of fish sitting at the tables.

But before we start, we want to make one thing clear: most hands simply aren’t as strong as you think. The best poker players are highly selective over which hands to play, only getting involved in a small percentage. Most have no problem folding for an hour until they land a decent starting hand.

So, how many poker hands are there? Well, in total, there are 10 hands you can land, from the royal flush all the way down to the lowly high card. But each hand’s strength is relative to the board and the way other players are acting, so don’t think your two pair will be a winner just because you won with it last time.

Let’s see the poker hands ranked and work out what beats what in poker.

What Beats What in Poker?

Below you’ll find each poker hand you could land while playing, going from best to worst. If you find remembering the order of hands tough, we’d recommend downloading a poker hands ranking chart, which has all the information laid out for you.

Royal Flush

The royal flush, comprising A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit, is the highest-ranking hand. With only four possible combinations, landing a royal flush is an extraordinary event – some players never see one in their entire career. Royal flush beats everything else and can’t lose.

Straight Flush

A straight flush, ranking just below the royal flush, consists of five sequential cards all the same suit, like 7, 8, 9, 10, and J of hearts. Straight flushes beat four-of-a-kind and all lower hands.

Four-of-a-Kind

Four-of-a-kind, or quads, includes four cards of the same rank, like four aces or four kings, plus one kicker. This hand ranks third in the hierarchy and is nearly always unbeatable, especially if you have a high kicker.

Full House

A full house, or ‘full boat’, consists of three cards of one rank and two of another. A full house beats a flush and lower, and provides a strong chance of winning. If two players have full houses, the highest three-of-a-kind determines the winner.

Flush

A flush comprises five suited cards, not in consecutive order. A flush’s strength is based on its highest card. This means that the card with the highest rank in the flush determines its value. For instance, an ace-high flush wins against king-high flush.

Straight

A straight consists of five consecutive cards of different suits. The highest card in the straight determines its strength, meaning a straight with high-card ace beats a straight with high-card 10, for example.

Three-of-a-Kind

Three-of-a-kind includes three cards of the same rank and two kickers. It can be a strong hand on the right board, but is also certainly beatable, so don’t get too attached to it.

Two Pair

Two pair consists of two pairs of different ranks and one kicker. In a tie, the highest pair determines the winner.

One Pair

One pair includes two cards of equal value and three kickers. While often a weak hand, it takes down pots more often than you might think.

High Card

If you’ve got none of the hands above, you’ve got high card. The value of the hand is determined by the highest card.

Kickers in Poker

In poker, ties are often resolved by kickers. They are especially crucial in Texas Hold’em, where they frequently come into play, but are also used in other poker games.

But what is a kicker? Well, it’s a card that doesn’t help form the hand. For example, if you have 5, 5, 5, 5, 10, the 10 is the kicker, because without it, you’d still have four-of-a-kind.

If two players have the same hand, the kicker is used to determine the winner. So, if two players both have quads of aces, but one player had a 6 as a kicker, and the other a 7, the player with the 7 would win, as the highest kicker wins. If the top kicker fails to resolve the tie, the second kicker, then the third, is used.

If two or more players have identical five-card hands, you split the pot evenly.

Probabilities of Poker Hands

Check out how likely you are to land a specific hand during a poker game below.

Downloadable Poker Cheat Sheet

A quick reference guide is incredibly helpful for new or beginner-level poker players. This is why every new poker player should get their hands on a downloadable poker cheat sheet. Either keep it handy on your desktop or print it out and stick it to the wall.

The cheat sheet is designed to help players quickly recall the strength of different hands and make better strategic decisions. Even experienced players can benefit, as we all need reminding of the basics occasionally!

The 20 Best Starting Hands in Texas Hold’em

Identifying which starting hands to play significantly impacts your poker performance. The best starting hand in Texas Hold’em is AA, followed by KK and QQ. These hands offer the highest potential for winning and should usually be played aggressively.

Here are the 20 best pocket cards you can be dealt:

1. Pocket Aces (AA)
2. Pocket Kings (KK)
3. Pocket Queens (QQ)
4. Ace-King Suited (AKs)
5. Pocket Jacks (JJ)
6. Ace-Queen Suited (AQs)
7. King-Queen Suited (KQs)
8. Ace-Jack Suited (AJs)
9. King-Jack Suited (KJs)
10. Pocket Tens (TT)
11. Ace-King Offsuit (AKo)
12. Ace-Ten Suited (ATs)
13. Queen-Jack Suited (QJs)
14. King-Ten Suited (KTs)
15. Queen-Ten Suited (Q10s)
16. Jack-Ten Suited (J10s)
17. Pocket Nines (99)
18. Ace-Queen Offsuit (AQo)
19. Ace-Nine Suited (A9s)
20. King-Queen Offsuit (KQo)

Differences in Poker Hand Rankings Across Variants

While most poker variations use similar poker hand rankings, there can be differences in the way these hands are made. Three notable examples are listed below.

Omaha

In Omaha, players must use exactly two of their four hole cards and three of the five community cards to form their five-card hand. This makes Omaha a somewhat more challenging game to play.

Seven-Card Stud

Seven-Card Stud requires players to form the best five card poker hand from seven dealt cards without using community cards. The game involves more betting rounds and strategic decisions based on opponents’ visible cards, making it a complex yet rewarding variant.

Short Deck Hold’em

Short Deck Hold’em, played with a 36-card deck, significantly alters the game’s dynamics. Full houses become easier to make, while flushes are more challenging, altering usual hand rankings and strategies.

Summary

Poker hand rankings: if you want to play poker, you’ve simply got to understand them. And if you can’t commit them to memory, download a poker hand rankings chart, so you’ve always got a handy reference while you play.

That’s really it: learn the poker hand rankings and understand how they relate to one another, then hit the tables and put everything you’ve learned into practise! Hopefully you’ll land a few royal flushes and scoop some mega pots!

Poker Hand Rankings FAQ

Got a question about poker hand rankings? Check out the FAQs below.