Winning Poker Hands: Poker Hand Rankings

When you’re a beginner playing poker, it can be frustrating to remember which hand outranks another at the poker table.  For your reference we have organized poker hands by strength so that you are never wondering who is the winner of any poker hand at the table. Note that the poker games Pot Limit Omaha and Texas Hold’em both share the same hand rankings format.

Poker Hand Rankings Guide

Does a straight beat a flush? Does 2 pair beat a set? Use our poker hands reference chart until you are 100% certain of hand rankings.

Poker hands from strongest to weakest

Royal Flush: Five card sequence from 10 to the Ace in the same suit (10,J,Q,K,A).

Straight Flush: Any five card sequence in the same suit. (eg. 8,9,10,J,Q and A, 2,3,4,5 of same suit). All the cards are of the same suit, and all are consecutive. Ranking between straights is determined by the value of the high end of the straight.

Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same index (eg. J,J,J,J).

Full House: Three of a kind combined with a pair (eg. A,A,A,5,5). Ties on a full house are broken by the three of a kind, as you cannot have two equal sets of three of a kind in any single deck.

Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence. Don’t be tricked into thinking that all five cards are the same color. The high card determines the winner if two or more people have a flush.

Straight: Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit. A straight cannot wrap, meaning it is not a straight if you have a Queen, King, Ace, Two, Three. The higher straight wins if two or more people have a straight. In case of straights that tie, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same value. The highest set of three cards wins.

Two Pair: Two separate pairs (eg. 4,4,Q,Q). As usual the pair with the higher value is used to determine the winner of a tie.

Pair: One pair of two equal value cards constitutes a pair.

High Card: If no one has any of the above winning hands, the tie is determined by the highest value card in the hand. If the highest cards are a tie then the tie is broken by the second highest card. Suits are not used to break ties.

If no one has any of the above winning hands, the tie is determined by the highest value card in the hand. If the highest cards are a tie then the tie is broken by the second highest card. Suits are not used to break ties.

Once you know the rules of the game, and the hand-ranks, you’re ready to dive into real money online poker! Check out our recommended poker sites and poker rakeback offers to find a reliable and trustworthy online poker room.