Hand rankings: what beats what
A clean reference from high card to royal flush—plus quick tie-break tips.
- evergreen
- basics
Use this as a cheat sheet until order feels automatic. In Hold'em you always play your best five cards, no matter whether they come from your hand, the board, or a mix.
Standard ranking (high to low)
- Royal flush A-K-Q-J-T suited
- Straight flush five suited cards in sequence
- Four of a kind quads + kicker
- Full house three of a kind + a pair
- Flush five suited cards, non-sequential
- Straight five sequential cards, mixed suits
- Three of a kind trips + kickers
- Two pair two different pairs + kicker
- One pair + three kickers
- High card
Ties
- Flush / high card: compare highest cards down until someone wins.
- Full house: trips rank first, then the pair.
- Straight: highest top card wins (Aces can play high or low in allowed wheels per room rules—confirm locally).
If two players share the exact same five-card hand, the pot is chopped.