PokerzinAt showdown, the best five-card hand wins. In Texas Hold'em you build that hand from the seven available cards (your two hole cards and the five on the board) and discard the two worst. The order of hand strength is the same in almost every poker variant, and it's worth memorizing: it's the foundation of every other decision.
The 10 hands, in order
From strongest to weakest. The percentage is the chance of ending up with that hand on the river, looking at all seven cards.
| Hand | What it is | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit | 0.003% |
| Straight flush | Five cards in a row of the same suit | 0.03% |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank | 0.17% |
| Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | 2.6% |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not in a row | 3.0% |
| Straight | Five cards in a row, mixed suits | 4.6% |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of the same rank | 4.8% |
| Two pair | Two different pairs | 23.5% |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank | 43.8% |
| High card | None of the above: the highest card counts | 17.4% |
Notice that high card (17.4%) happens less often than a pair (43.8%) and even less than two pair (23.5%): with seven cards, at least one pair almost always shows up. Even so, the order of strength doesn't change.
Each hand, with an example
Royal flush
Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit.
Straight flush
Five cards in a row of the same suit.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank.
Full house
Three of a kind plus a pair.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit, not in a row.
Straight
Five cards in a row, mixed suits.
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank.
Two pair
Two different pairs.
Pair
Two cards of the same rank.
High card
None of the above: the highest card counts.
How ties are broken
When two players have the same type of hand, the rank of the cards decides:
- Straight and straight flush: the one ending in the highest card wins. The lowest straight is A-2-3-4-5, where the Ace counts as 1; the highest is 10-J-Q-K-A.
- Four of a kind, three of a kind and full house: the rank of the quads or trips counts first. In a full house, 8-8-8-2-2 beats 7-7-7-A-A.
- Flush: compare the highest card; if tied, the second, and so on. Suits never break ties.
- Two pair: first the higher pair, then the second pair, then the fifth card.
- Pair and high card: first the pair (or the highest card) and then the other cards, one by one. That leftover card that breaks the tie is the kicker.
If all five cards are equal in rank, the pot is split equally.
The kicker in practice
You and an opponent both hold an Ace, and the board brings another Ace. You both have a pair of Aces. Who wins?
You make A-A-K-J-7 and your opponent makes A-A-J-9-7. The pair is the same, so the next card counts: your King beats their Jack (which, in this case, comes from the board). That's why a hand like Ace with a low card often causes trouble: when it hits the pair, it loses to other Aces with a better kicker.
Common traps
- Only five cards count. A sixth high card breaks no ties.
- The board plays for everyone. If the best possible hand is entirely on the board (for example, a five-card flush on the board), everyone without something better splits the pot.
- Straights don't wrap around. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
- Two pair can become three. With three pairs among the seven cards, only the two highest count, and the fifth card is the highest of the rest.
With the rankings in your head, the next step is knowing which hands are worth playing.