Poker hands ranked: Everything you need to know

Telegraph

13-06-2025

For anyone looking to learn how to play poker, one of the key steps is to remember each of the poker hands ranked from best to worst. It can help with your in-game tactics and strategy because knowing when to call or fold is crucial as the cards are dealt.
In this article, we give you an overview of poker hands and rankings. This will help you know which cards to look out for to win the pot in offline and online poker games.
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Poker hand chart and rankings
Poker rounds are settled on the strength of the cards held by each player at the table. There are 10 different hands that can be formed, using one card up to a maximum of five.
Take a look at our poker hand rankings chart below. You'll find all the best poker hands in order, starting with the famous Royal Flush.
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Poker hand rankings explained
You know what the card rankings look like, so it's time to find out how each of them works. Here's our full poker hands list, with the cards that need to be drawn by the dealer to have the best chance of winning a pot.
Royal Flush
The Royal Flush is the strongest and most iconic poker hand available. For this combination you need the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace all in one suit. Completing a Royal Flush means you cannot lose the round
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Straight Flush
Only a Royal Flush hand beats a Straight Flush, which is five sequential cards of one suit (but not A-K-Q-J-10). Given the former is so rare, landing this set of cards will almost certainly secure the pot.
When two players have a Straight Flush – which can happen if the community cards set it up – the combination with the highest number wins the round. So the 3-4-5-6-7 of Hearts would lose to the 4-5-6-7-8 of another suit for example.
Four of a Kind
Draw four cards of the same value to have Four of a Kind, also known as 'quads'. This could be four Jacks, four 9s or anything else.
It's incredibly unlikely that there will be two Four of a Kinds in the same round, but not impossible. The highest card tie-breaker will be used to settle the pot if it happens.
Full House
The next combination in the poker hand standings is the Full House. This is formed using five cards, putting a Three of a Kind with One Pair. You may have 6-6-Q-Q-Q, or A-A-4-4-4, which can be tough to top.
To settle tie-breaks when there are multiple Full Houses, the hand with the highest-value Three of a Kind is determined as the winner.
Flush
A Flush is secured with a hand that has five cards of the same suit. They can be in any order, so 2-5-7-8-J of Spades would complete the combination.
Community cards can be a good guide when it comes to betting on a Flush. If four cards of one suit have been drawn on the table, there's a good chance an opponent has a matching suit, possibly with a high-value card.
Straight
Five consecutive cards are required to make a Straight, which can be made from a mix of all four suits. 2-3-4-5-6 is the weakest Straight, while 10-J-Q-K-A is the strongest.
Straights are in the middle of the road in terms of all poker hands ranked, with five different combinations able to beat them.
Three of a Kind
When there are three cards of the same rank in a hand, it's known as Three of a Kind. Although it's not one of the strongest combinations in the game, it can set you up nicely if it's dealt early on.
Land another of the same card on the Turn or River to turn it into Four of a Kind. If your hole card is repeated on the table, it becomes a Full House. Either of those hands turns a decent position into a very strong one.
Two Pair
Despite only being one card from a Full House, the Two Pair poker hand is ranked four spaces below it in the table.
Two Pair gives you exactly that – two pairs of cards. This could be 7-7-A-A-2 in a hand, with the fifth card not counted. It can be made using a mix of the four suits, so there's no need to worry about the pairs matching.
One Pair
Having only One Pair is not as good as two. Only two matching cards are required, leaving the other three in your hand unused.
When you draw two matching cards from the dealer at the start of the round, it's known as 'Pocket Pairs'. This is one of the strongest positions to play with, as there's a high possibility of it leading to a strong hand.
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No Pair/High Card
Sometimes the cards don't land well for any player at the table. In this case, the hand with the highest-value card wins the pot.
This is comfortably the weakest hand, so it's rare for it to come up trumps. But it does happen from time to time. As always, 2 is low and Ace is high.
Poker hand rankings odds and probability
You have a potential 2,598,960 card combinations to make all the hands in poker. We've put together a list of them below, showing the number of ways to form them, their probability and the odds of hitting the hand.
Tie-breaking in poker explained
Poker players can sometimes draw the same hand during a round, so tie-breakers are used to settle the pot if it's the strongest on the table. This normally happens with weaker cards – it's unlikely two Four of a Kinds or Straight Flushes will be dealt together.
There are three different tie-breakers to keep in mind and here's what you need to know about each of them.
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Highest card
If the remaining players in the round haven't formed a two-card combination, the highest-value card decides the winner of the pot. Don't forget that 2 is low and Ace is high, so you'll more than likely need a face-card to claim the cash in the middle.
Kickers
The cards dealt at the start of the round can also play a part in settling tie-breaks. These are known as 'kickers' and the rule comes into effect if at least two players hold the strongest available hand.
For example, there could be two Pairs of Kings on the table. In this case, the player with the highest-value hole card wins the pot.
Split pot
It's not always possible to have a single winner, so the final option is a split pot. Two players could be dealt Pocket Pairs, with no help from the community cards in the middle of the table. The money would then be split evenly between them, effectively making the round a draw.
Poker hands tips
Poker is one of the most strategic and tactical card games around. Knowing how to build hands and when to play them is an important part of the learning process, which can help you to pick up more prize pots.
We've put together a list of our top tips to have in mind the next time you take a seat and place some chips on the table.
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Bet on fewer hands, but know when to attack
Choosing to get involved in too many poker hands risks slowly draining the stack of chips in front of you. This can lead to winning less on future rounds, plus it makes the exit door a little bit closer.
Be more selective about the hands you take a chance on, even at the small or big blinds stage. It can cost less to forfeit as one of the blinds than it does to fold later down the line having called or raised.
Whenever the opportunity arrives to wager on a round, do so aggressively. This can help hide the strength or weakness of any hands, luring opponents in and potentially increasing the size of the pot.
By always betting offensively, other players won't be able to tell whether it's a bluff or a good set of cards. They may end up folding against nothing or betting when you're in a strong position.
Go for semi-bluffs on card draws
Knowing when to bluff is a crucial part of the game. Cards won't always fall ideally, so having an effective bluff means pots can be stolen without the best poker hands.
Bluffing isn't just about disguising bad cards, though. When you're one card away from completing a good hand, the semi-bluff comes into play.
Semi-bluffs aren't aimless – they're often smart plays based on the chance of improving a hand in the next one or two cards.
It could be that a King is needed to land a Straight, with 9, 10, Jack and Queen already on the table, or another Diamond is required for a Flush. If it lands, it sets you up perfectly with other players likely to still be invested.
While semi-bluffs won't always work, they can have a positive impact on the amount of chips in front of you if they're played correctly.
Boost the pot by fast-playing good hands
If you've got a good hand, take the chance to attack and build the pot. Great cards aren't dealt all the time, so it makes sense to use the opportunity to its full advantage.
Of course, it's not smart to be betting or raising every single round. There's still a small danger of getting outdrawn, so it could go wrong occasionally. Keep an eye on the community cards and try to work out the likelihood of being beaten.
Sometimes when you have good cards and fast-play, it can cause opponents to fold. While that prevents the pot from reaching its maximum value, it does mean the chips are yours, and it's better than getting a bad beat on the River.
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No shame in folding
A key difference between good and bad poker players is the ability to fold what is a decent hand in theory. This could be Pocket Pairs or even three cards of one rank, but it's important to remember that several combinations can beat them.
Folding means forfeiting all cards and any chips wagered until that point. You'll be out of the running to collect the pot, plus folding last means the opponent won't have to reveal their cards. Leaving the hand at the start means having to sit back and find out what potentially could have been won.
However, by folding too early as opposed to too late or rarely, it is possible to save chips in the long run. It's never sensible to commit to too many hands, as it's unlikely that cards will keep being drawn to win pots consistently.
Things can change very quickly in poker, particularly on the Turn and the River towards the end of the round. Always be prepared to bail out at any point if things aren't adding up in your favour.
If there's ever any doubt whether to call, raise or fold, the last is often the best option. Betting too often is one of the fastest ways to lose chips in poker games.
Take time out if you don't feel like playing
Poker is meant to be a fun game. All players should enjoy the thrill of watching the cards being dealt, going head to head with opponents for pots and winning real money.
If you don't feel in the zone, or the hands aren't falling favourably and it's leading to frustration, it's best to step away from the table for a while.
Poker is played around the world every single day, so there's always a possibility that the cards will turn tomorrow. Being in the right mindset gives you the best chance of winning hands, picking up chips, and most importantly, enjoying the game.
Poker hands and rankings FAQs
Before you take a seat at the table and start playing, we've answered a set of our most commonly asked questions about how poker hands are ranked.
What is the best hand in poker?
A Royal Flush beats every other card combination in poker, as it's the strongest hand available. You need 10-J-Q-K-A of any suit to complete this set of cards, which has a 0.000154% chance of landing.
How many poker hands are there?
In total, 10 different poker hands can be used to win a round. This could be a combination of cards like a Straight Flush, or the single highest card.
What is the order of poker hands?
Poker hands are ranked to settle the winner of a pot. Find all poker hands listed as follows, starting from strongest to weakest.
Royal Flush
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
Three of a Kind
Two PairPair
High Card
How do you beat a full house in poker?
A Full House is the fourth-strongest set of cards you can draw in poker hand standings, which means there are three ways to beat it. Look out for a Royal Flush, Straight Flush or Four of a Kind to take down another player's Full House.
What happens when players have the same hand in poker?
Tie-breakers are used to decide poker rounds when two or more players have the same hands. If the highest-value cards and kickers can't separate them, the pot is split and any winnings are divided equally among those involved.