Poker Hand Rankings
Card Games · 13 specs
Direct Answer
Poker hand rankings define the universal hierarchy of 5-card hands in poker standards, ranging from Royal Flush (1 in 649,740) down to High Card. Flushes beat Straights, Full Houses beat Flushes, and Four of a Kind beats Full Houses. Ties are broken by the highest ranked cards within the combination, followed by kickers.
Source: World Series of Poker (WSOP) / Poker TDA Official Rules · Last reviewed Aug 28, 2026
Specs
| Governing Standard | WSOP / Poker TDA |
| Standard Deck Size | 52 cards (no jokers) |
| Total 5-Card Combinations | 2,598,960 possible hands |
| 1. Royal Flush Odds | 1 in 649,740 (0.000154%) 4 combinations |
| 2. Straight Flush Odds | 1 in 72,193 (0.00139%) 36 combinations |
| 3. Four of a Kind Odds | 1 in 4,165 (0.0240%) 624 combinations |
| 4. Full House Odds | 1 in 694 (0.1441%) 3,744 combinations |
| 5. Flush Odds | 1 in 508 (0.1965%) 5,108 combinations |
| 6. Straight Odds | 1 in 254 (0.3925%) 10,200 combinations |
| 7. Three of a Kind Odds | 1 in 47.3 (2.1128%) 54,912 combinations |
| 8. Two Pair Odds | 1 in 21.0 (4.7539%) 123,552 combinations |
| 9. One Pair Odds | 1 in 2.37 (42.2569%) 1,098,240 combinations |
| 10. High Card Odds | 1 in 1.99 (50.1177%) 1,302,540 combinations |
Universal 5-Card Poker Hierarchy
In standard high poker (Texas Hold'em, Omaha, 7-Card Stud, 5-Card Draw), hands are ranked by absolute mathematical rarity:
- Royal Flush: A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit.
- Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g., 9-8-7-6-5 of Hearts).
- Four of a Kind (Quads): Four cards of identical numerical rank (e.g., 8-8-8-8-K).
- Full House (Boat): Three cards of one rank plus two cards of another (e.g., Q-Q-Q-7-7).
- Flush: Any five non-consecutive cards of the same suit.
- Straight: Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. (Ace can act as high above King or low below 2 in A-2-3-4-5).
- Three of a Kind (Set / Trips): Three cards of identical rank (e.g., J-J-J-8-4).
- Two Pair: Two distinct pairs plus one side card (e.g., 10-10-4-4-A).
- One Pair: Two cards of matching rank (e.g., 9-9-K-J-2).
- High Card: No matching combinations; ranked by highest individual card.
Common Misconceptions: Flush vs. Straight
A frequent debate among novice players is whether a Flush beats a Straight or vice versa. A Flush always beats a Straight. With a 52-card deck, there are only 5,108 possible Flush combinations (0.196%) compared to 10,200 possible Straight combinations (0.392%), making the Flush nearly twice as rare mathematically.
Tie-Breaking & Kicker Rules
- Comparing Same Hand Types: The hand with the higher rank within the combination wins (e.g., a Full House of K-K-K-2-2 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A; an Ace-high Flush beats a King-high Flush).
- Kickers: In unmatched positions (One Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind), remaining side cards break ties in descending order. For example, Pair of Aces with K-J-4 beats Pair of Aces with K-10-8 because Jack beats Ten.
- Suit Rankings: Suits (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs) never have rank in poker showdowns. If two players have identical numerical hands in different suits, the pot is split equally.