Poker Hand Rankings

Poker hands are ranked from the strongest to the weakest. Understanding these rankings is essential for success at the game. Below is a list of poker hands in order, along with examples and descriptions to help you learn the basics.

Poker Hand Rankings

1. Royal Flush (A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ T♥)
   This is the best possible hand in poker. It consists of A, K, Q, J, and 10, all in the same suit.
2. Straight Flush (K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ 9♠)
   A rare hand that combines a straight (five cards in consecutive order) with all cards in the same suit.
3. Four of a Kind (Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ Q♠ A♣)
   Also called “quads,” this hand includes four cards of the same rank and one additional card (the kicker).
4. Full House (J♥ J♣ J♠ 9♠ 9♥)
   A combination of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.
5. Flush (A♥ Q♥ 9♥ 3♥ 2♥)
   Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
6. Straight (Q♥ J♠ T♣ 9♦ 8♣)
   Five cards in consecutive order but not all in the same suit.
7. Three of a Kind (K♠ K♦ K♣ 5♦ 2♣)
   Also known as “trips,” this hand features three cards of the same rank and two unrelated cards.
8. Two Pair (J♣ J♦ 9♣ 9♠ Q♥)
   Two sets of cards with the same rank, plus one extra card.
9. One Pair (A♦ A♥ Q♠ J♦ 5♥)
   Two cards of the same rank and three unrelated cards.
10. High Card (A♠ 9♦ 8♣ 6♠ 2♥)
    This is the weakest hand, consisting of five unrelated cards that do not form any of the hands above.

Poker Hand Rankings Printable Cheat Sheet

Below you find a downloadable cheat sheet to check your poker hand rankings. You can use this for games such as Texas Holdem, Omaha and Stud, among other games that use the same poker hand rankings.