Poker Hand Rankings and Tie-Break Rules
Standard high-poker hands rank from strongest to weakest as follows: straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. An ace-high straight flush is commonly called a royal flush, but it is not a separate category for tie-breaking purposes.
Complete poker hand ranking chart
| Rank | Hand | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Straight flush | Five consecutive cards of the same suit | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ |
| 2 | Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank, plus one other card | 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ A♦ |
| 3 | Full house | Three cards of one rank and two of another | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 5♣ 5♦ |
| 4 | Flush | Five cards of the same suit that are not consecutive | A♥ J♥ 8♥ 4♥ 2♥ |
| 5 | Straight | Five consecutive ranks in more than one suit | 10♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ |
| 6 | Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank, plus two other cards | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ A♣ Q♦ |
| 7 | Two pair | Two cards of one rank, two of another, and one other card | K♠ K♦ 5♣ 5♥ A♦ |
| 8 | One pair | Two cards of one rank, plus three other cards | A♠ A♦ Q♣ 9♥ 4♣ |
| 9 | High card | No pair, straight, flush or stronger combination | A♣ J♦ 9♠ 5♥ 3♦ |
A royal flush is A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit—the highest possible straight flush. All four royal flushes have equal value because suits do not break ties in standard poker.
For a shorter table that is easy to keep beside the game, see the poker cheat sheet.
How to break a tie between poker hands
First compare hand categories. A flush always beats a straight, for example. If both players have the same category, apply that category’s comparison rule. Only the best five cards count.
- Straight flush: Compare the highest card in each sequence.
- Four of a kind: Compare the rank of the four matching cards, then the kicker if necessary.
- Full house: Compare the three-of-a-kind rank first. If that is equal, compare the pair.
- Flush: Compare the highest card, then the second-highest, continuing downward until one differs.
- Straight: Compare the highest card in the sequence.
- Three of a kind: Compare the rank of the trips, then the highest kicker, then the second kicker.
- Two pair: Compare the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the kicker.
- One pair: Compare the pair, then compare the three kickers from highest to lowest.
- High card: Compare cards from highest to lowest until one differs.
If all five cards are equal in rank, the hands tie. No suit is stronger than another.
Kickers: when they count
A kicker is an unpaired side card used to separate otherwise equal hands. Kickers can matter with four of a kind, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high-card hands.
For example, A♠ A♦ Q♣ 9♥ 4♣ beats A♥ A♣ Q♦ 8♠ 7♦. The pairs and first kickers are equal, so the 9 beats the 8.
Kickers do not determine the winner when the made-hand comparison already settles it. With a full house, only the trips and pair matter. With a straight or straight flush, only the top of the sequence matters. A flush uses all five cards in descending order rather than a separately designated kicker.
A card in your hand also cannot act as a sixth-card tiebreaker. Once the best five cards are established, every other card is ignored.
The ace-low straight
An ace may be low in the sequence A-2-3-4-5. This is called a five-high straight or “wheel”:
A♣ 2♦ 3♠ 4♥ 5♣
It is the lowest straight and loses to 2-3-4-5-6. The ace cannot wrap around: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight. In standard high poker, an ace is otherwise ranked above a king.
Worked hand comparisons
Straight against straight
J♣ 10♦ 9♠ 8♥ 7♣ beats 10♣ 9♥ 8♦ 7♠ 6♥. The first hand is jack-high; the second is ten-high.
Flush against flush
A♥ J♥ 8♥ 4♥ 2♥ beats A♦ J♦ 7♦ 6♦ 3♦. The ace and jack tie, so the third card decides it: 8 beats 7.
Two pair against two pair
K♠ K♦ 5♣ 5♥ A♦ beats K♥ K♣ 4♠ 4♦ A♣. The higher pairs are equal, but fives beat fours. The ace kickers are not reached.
Full house against full house
Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 5♣ 5♦ beats J♠ J♥ J♦ A♣ A♦. The three-of-a-kind component is compared first, so queens full beats jacks full even though the losing hand contains aces.
Four of a kind against four of a kind
9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ A♦ beats 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 8♣ A♣. If both players instead share the same four nines, an ace kicker beats a king kicker.
Best-five-card evaluation in community-card games
In Texas Hold’em, each player forms the strongest possible five-card hand from seven available cards: two private hole cards and five community cards. You may use both hole cards, one hole card or neither.
For example, with A♠ 2♠ on an A♦ K♣ K♥ Q♠ J♣ board, the best hand is A-A-K-K-Q. The 2♠ does not play because it is not part of the best five cards.
Sometimes the board itself is everyone’s best hand. On A♣ K♦ Q♥ J♠ 10♣, every remaining player has the same ace-high straight if no stronger five-card hand is possible. Hole cards do not break that tie.
Other community-card variants may impose different requirements on how many private and board cards must be used. Check the specific game’s poker rules; the ranking order above remains the standard high-hand order unless the variant states otherwise.
Exact ties and split pots
An exact tie occurs when two or more players have identical best five-card hands by rank. The pot is then divided among the tied players. If the pot cannot be divided evenly into the available chip denominations, the procedure for awarding an odd chip depends on the cardroom or house rules.
Suits never resolve an exact tie in standard poker. A spade flush does not beat an otherwise identical heart flush.
Common poker hand ranking mistakes
- Ranking a straight above a flush: A flush is stronger than a straight.
- Comparing the pair before the trips in a full house: The three-of-a-kind rank is considered first.
- Using a sixth card: Only the best five cards can determine the result.
- Assuming every ace is high: An ace can be low in A-2-3-4-5.
- Calling Q-K-A-2-3 a straight: An ace cannot connect the high and low ends of a sequence.
- Using suits as tiebreakers: Standard poker does not rank spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs against one another.
- Treating a royal flush as a separate comparison category: It is the ace-high form of a straight flush.