Poker Hand Rankings

The ten poker hands from best to worst. The order is the same in Texas Hold’em, Omaha and almost every other poker game: each hand beats every hand below it, and you always play your best five cards. The odds show how often you finish with each hand in Hold’em, using your two hole cards and the five on the board.

1. 1

   Royal Flush

   Ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all of the same suit.

   0.0032% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 30,940

   A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
2. 2

   Straight Flush

   Five cards in a row, all of the same suit.

   0.028% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 3,591

   9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥
3. 3

   Four of a Kind

   Four cards of the same rank, plus any fifth card.

   0.17% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 595

   Q♠Q♥Q♦Q♣7♠
4. 4

   Full House

   Three of a kind plus a pair.

   2.6% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 39

   K♦K♣K♠4♥4♦
5. 5

   Flush

   Five cards of the same suit, not in a row.

   3.0% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 33

   A♦J♦8♦5♦2♦
6. 6

   Straight

   Five cards in a row, in mixed suits. The ace plays high (10-J-Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3-4-5).

   4.6% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 22

   10♣9♦8♠7♥6♣
7. 7

   Three of a Kind

   Three cards of the same rank and two unrelated cards.

   4.8% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 21

   7♣7♦7♠K♥3♣
8. 8

   Two Pair

   Two different pairs and one unrelated card.

   23.5% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 4.3

   J♥J♠5♣5♦A♥
9. 9

   One Pair

   Two cards of the same rank and three unrelated cards.

   43.8% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 2.3

   10♥10♣A♠8♦4♠
10. 10

    High Card

    None of the above. The hand is named after its highest card.

    17.4% of Hold’em hands · 1 in 5.7

    A♥J♦9♣6♠3♥

Breaking Ties

When two players have the same kind of hand, the higher cards win. Only five cards ever count, so a sixth or seventh card can’t break a tie.

• Royal Flush: Two royal flushes always split the pot.
• Straight Flush: The higher top card wins. A-2-3-4-5 is the lowest.
• Four of a Kind: Higher quads win. With the same quads on the board, the fifth card decides.
• Full House: The three of a kind decides first, then the pair.
• Flush: Compare the highest card, then the next, down to the fifth.
• Straight: The higher top card wins. Equal straights split.
• Three of a Kind: Higher trips win, then the two other cards, highest first.
• Two Pair: The higher pair decides, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.
• One Pair: The higher pair wins, then the three kickers, highest first.
• High Card: Compare the highest card, then the next, down to the fifth.

A kicker is an unpaired card that breaks a tie. With A-K against A-Q on an A-8-5-3-2 board, both players have a pair of aces, and the king kicker wins. If the kickers match too, the pot is split.

Hand Rankings in Omaha

The order of hands is the same, but in Omaha you must use exactly two of your hole cards and exactly three from the board. Four hearts on the board with one heart in your hand is not a flush, and a board that shows four of a kind doesn’t give everyone quads. Big hands are also more common with four or five hole cards, so a hand that is strong in Hold’em is often second best in Omaha. See the PLO matchup table for how often big Omaha hands hold up.

Odds of Each Poker Hand

Exact frequencies, counted over all 2,598,960 five-card hands and all 133,784,560 seven-card hands. Seven cards make every hand except high card more likely: in Hold’em you finish with two pair more often than with no pair at all.

These are the odds of ending up with a hand, not of winning with it. For how often one hand beats another, see the Hold’em preflop odds chart and how to calculate poker odds.

Questions

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