Free Video Poker / Poker hand rankings
Poker hand rankings
From best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. The rarer the hand, the higher it ranks. The rankings are the same in Texas Hold'em, five-card draw and video poker.
The 10 hands, best to worst
| # | Hand | Example | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠ | Ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all one suit. |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥ | Five cards in a row, all one suit. |
| 3 | Four of a kind | 7♣7♦7♥7♠K♦ | Four cards of the same rank. |
| 4 | Full house | Q♠Q♥Q♦4♣4♠ | Three of a kind plus a pair. |
| 5 | Flush | K♦10♦7♦4♦2♦ | Any five cards of one suit, not in a row. |
| 6 | Straight | 8♣7♦6♠5♥4♣ | Five cards in a row, mixed suits. |
| 7 | Three of a kind | J♣J♦J♠9♥3♣ | Three cards of the same rank. |
| 8 | Two pair | 10♠10♥6♦6♣A♠ | Two different pairs. |
| 9 | One pair | A♥A♣9♠6♦2♣ | Two cards of the same rank. |
| 10 | High card | A♦J♣8♠5♥3♦ | None of the above. The highest card plays. |
Odds of each hand
The chance of being dealt each hand in five cards from a full 52-card deck. There are 2,598,960 possible five-card hands.
| Hand | Ways to make it | Chance | One in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 4 | 0.00015% | 649,740 |
| Straight flush | 36 | 0.0014% | 72,193 |
| Four of a kind | 624 | 0.024% | 4,165 |
| Full house | 3,744 | 0.14% | 694 |
| Flush | 5,108 | 0.20% | 509 |
| Straight | 10,200 | 0.39% | 255 |
| Three of a kind | 54,912 | 2.11% | 47 |
| Two pair | 123,552 | 4.75% | 21 |
| One pair | 1,098,240 | 42.26% | 2.4 |
| High card | 1,302,540 | 50.12% | 2.0 |
In video poker you draw once, so the odds of finishing with each hand are better than the dealt odds. With good play in Jacks or Better a royal flush comes about once in 40,000 hands. Video poker odds · Royal flush odds.
What beats what
- A flush beats a straight. A flush is rarer: 5,108 ways against 10,200.
- A full house beats a flush. Full house is next up, then four of a kind.
- Three of a kind beats two pair, and two pair beats one pair.
- Suits never rank. A spade flush and a heart flush of the same cards tie. No suit is higher than another.
- The ace plays high or low. 10 J Q K A is the highest straight and A 2 3 4 5 is the lowest. Q K A 2 3 is not a straight.
When two players have the same hand
Compare the cards that make the hand first, then the leftover cards, called kickers, from highest down.
- Pairs, three of a kind, four of a kind: the higher rank wins. A pair of kings beats a pair of queens. Same pair? The highest kicker wins.
- Two pair: the higher top pair wins, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.
- Full house: the three of a kind decides it. Kings full of twos beats queens full of aces.
- Straights and straight flushes: the highest card wins.
- Flush and high card: compare the highest card, then the next, down to the fifth.
If every card matches in rank, the pot is split.
Hand rankings in video poker
Video poker uses the same order but pays by a table instead of beating other players. The lowest hand that pays depends on the game:
- Jacks or Better pays from a pair of jacks, queens, kings or aces. A pair of tens or lower pays nothing.
- Deuces Wild makes every 2 wild and adds five of a kind, a wild royal and four deuces. Pays start at three of a kind.
- Double Double Bonus splits four of a kind by rank and pays extra for four aces with a 2, 3 or 4.
Wild card hands
With wild cards in play, five of a kind becomes possible and ranks above a straight flush in most games. In Deuces Wild video poker a royal made with a deuce, a wild royal, ranks below four deuces and below a natural royal made without any.
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Questions
What beats what in poker?
From best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush is rarer than a straight, so it ranks higher. A full house beats both.
What is the rarest hand in poker?
The royal flush. There are only four, one per suit, so the chance of being dealt one in five cards is 1 in 649,740.
Does suit matter in poker hand rankings?
No. All four suits are equal. Two flushes with the same ranks tie no matter the suit.
Is an ace high or low in poker?
Both. It is the highest card and makes the top straight, 10 to ace, but it can also start the lowest straight, ace to 5.
What beats a full house?
Four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush. With wild cards, five of a kind also beats it.
More: How to play video poker · Video poker strategy · Jacks or Better strategy · Deuces Wild strategy · Double Double Bonus strategy · Video poker pay tables · Video poker odds · Royal flush odds · Video poker trainer · How to win at video poker