Learn / Hands
Hand rankings
Ten categories, strongest at the top. The same ranking applies to Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and almost every other variant.
At showdown in Texas Hold'em, you pick the best five-card hand out of your two hole cards and the five community cards. The higher the row in the table below, the stronger the hand. Within the same category, the higher card ranks win.
| # | Hand | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit. The strongest possible hand. | ♠A ♠K ♠Q ♠J ♠10 |
| 2 | Straight Flush | Five consecutive cards of the same suit. | ♥9 ♥8 ♥7 ♥6 ♥5 |
| 3 | Four of a Kind (Quads) | Four cards of the same rank. | ♠J ♥J ♦J ♣J ♠4 |
| 4 | Full House | Three of a kind plus a pair. | ♥Q ♦Q ♣Q ♠7 ♥7 |
| 5 | Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not necessarily consecutive. | ♣A ♣10 ♣8 ♣5 ♣2 |
| 6 | Straight | Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. | ♠9 ♥8 ♦7 ♣6 ♠5 |
| 7 | Three of a Kind (Set / Trips) | Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated cards. | ♦8 ♣8 ♠8 ♥K ♠3 |
| 8 | Two Pair | Two different pairs, plus a fifth card. | ♠A ♦A ♣9 ♥9 ♠4 |
| 9 | One Pair | A single pair, plus three unrelated cards. | ♥10 ♠10 ♦K ♣7 ♥2 |
| 10 | High Card | No made hand. Compare by the highest card, then the next, and so on. | ♠A ♦J ♥8 ♣5 ♠2 |
The wheel: A-2-3-4-5
Straights are normally five consecutive cards, but the Ace is allowed to play as a "one" at the low end. So A-2-3-4-5 is a valid straight — the weakest one, often called the wheel or bicycle. A cannot bridge the turn, though: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight. The Ace can only sit at the top (10-J-Q-K-A) or the bottom (A-2-3-4-5).
Kicker tiebreakers: a worked example
When a hand like one pair or two pair doesn't use all five cards, the leftover cards — the kickers — break ties. Concrete case:
- Board: ♦A ♥9 ♦4 ♣K ♣2
- You: ♠A ♦Q — best five cards: A, A, K, Q, 9
- Opponent: ♥A ♣10 — best five cards: A, A, K, 10, 9
Both players have a pair of aces and the same highest kicker, K. The second kicker — the fourth card of the best five — is your Q versus their 10, so you win. Both have 9 as the final kicker. For one pair, compare the three kickers within the best five cards from highest to lowest. Identical five-card hands split the pot; a sixth or seventh card cannot break the tie.
Comparison method checked on 2026-10-05 against Wikipedia's List of poker hands and Kicker (poker). The official PokerStars rule explanation checked on 2026-10-02 is region-restricted and cannot be opened from Japan, so it is no longer linked.
Suits have no strength
Spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs are equal in Hold'em. Two hands that tie exactly — same ranks, same kickers — split the pot regardless of suit.