Poker hand rankings, from royal flush to high card
Every poker game uses the same ranking of five-card hands. In Texas Hold'em, the version played in Vegas Poker, you make the best five-card hand you can from your two hole cards and the five community cards. Here they are, from the best to the weakest, with how often each one turns up in a random five-card hand.
Royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10, all of the same suit. The best hand in poker, and the rarest: about 1 in 650,000 five-card hands.
Straight flush: five cards in a row, all of the same suit, such as 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts. About 1 in 72,000.
Four of a kind: four cards of the same rank, such as four queens. About 1 in 4,200.
Full house: three of a kind plus a pair, such as three 8s and two kings. When two players both have one, the higher three of a kind wins. About 1 in 690.
Flush: any five cards of the same suit, not in a row. The highest card decides between two flushes. About 1 in 500.
Straight: five cards in a row of mixed suits. The ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A), but a straight can't wrap around from king to two. About 1 in 250.
Three of a kind: three cards of the same rank. About 1 in 47.
Two pair: two different pairs, such as jacks and fours. The higher pair decides first, then the lower one, then the fifth card. About 1 in 21.
One pair: two cards of the same rank. The most common made hand, about 42% of the time.
High card: no pair or better. The hand is ranked by its highest card, then the next, and so on. This happens about half the time.
Ties and kickers. When two players have the same kind of hand, the cards that aren't part of it (the kickers) decide. A pair of aces with a king beats a pair of aces with a queen. Suits never break a tie in Hold'em: if the best five cards are exactly equal, the pot is split.
A tip for the table: in Hold'em the community cards are shared, so think about what the board makes possible. Four cards of one suit on the board means anyone with one more of that suit has a flush, and a pair on the board makes full houses possible. Our Hold'em positions guide explains how where you sit changes which hands are worth playing.