🏆 Hand rankings
what beats what — and the kicker
Poker hand rankings are the ladder every showdown is settled by — from the Royal Flush at the top down to a lone High Card. Learn this order cold, because every other decision in poker is built on top of it. Below is the full ranking, plus how ties and kickers work.
Every showdown is settled by one ladder. Learn it cold: everything else in poker stands on it. From the unbeatable Royal Flush down to a lone high card:
When two players hold the same combination, the higher version wins: a pair of kings beats a pair of nines, an ace-high flush beats a king-high flush.
And when even that ties, the kicker decides — the highest card that isn’t part of the combination. Hold A-K on a board of A-7-3-9-2 and you beat A-Q: both have a pair of aces, but your king outkicks the queen.
💡 Key idea: suits never break ties in Hold’em. A spade flush is worth exactly as much as a heart flush — identical hands split the pot.
The ten categories, strongest first: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card. The rarer the hand, the higher it ranks — you’ll be dealt a pair roughly one hand in two, but a flush only about one in 500 on the river.
When two players share the same category, the higher version wins: a pair of kings beats a pair of nines. When even that ties, the kicker decides — the highest side card not part of the combination. Hold A-K on a board of A-7-3-9-2 and you beat A-Q, because both have a pair of aces but your king outkicks the queen. One card of kicker can be the difference between stacking someone and being stacked.
One rule trips up newcomers constantly: suits never break ties in Hold’em. A spade flush and a heart flush of the same ranks split the pot. There is no “spades beat hearts” — that’s a different game.
Questions
What beats a flush?
A full house, four of a kind, straight flush and royal flush all beat a flush. A flush beats a straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card.
Does a straight beat a flush?
No. A flush (five cards of one suit) beats a straight (five in sequence). It’s a common beginner mistake — the flush is rarer, so it ranks higher.