Poker Hand Combinations Explained

Poker is a game of skill, strategy, and understanding the cards you’re dealt. One of the first things every new poker player must learn is the poker hand rankings – basically, which hands are stronger than others. In this article, we have poker hands explained in simple terms, complete with examples. We’ll present a poker combinations chart that shows all the hand ranks from strongest to weakest. By the end, you should know the strongest poker hands, what beats what, and how to quickly identify a winning hand. Whether you’re playing Texas Hold’em, Omaha, or 5-Card Draw, the hand rankings are generally the same, so this knowledge will serve you well in any poker game.

Poker Hand Rankings Chart

Below is a handy chart of poker hand combinations in order from highest rank (1) to lowest rank (10). We include an example for each hand to illustrate what it looks like:

This chart should serve as a quick reference for the hierarchy of poker hands. It’s crucial to memorize that order: a flush beats a straight, a full house beats a flush, etc. Most poker rule books and cheat sheets list them in this descending order of strength.

Understanding the Strongest Hands (Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind)

The top three hand types – Royal Flush, Straight Flush, and Four of a Kind – are relatively rare in poker, but when they occur, they virtually guarantee a win.

• Royal Flush: This is the best possible hand in poker. It’s essentially an Ace-high straight flush. All four suits have their own possible Royal Flush (e.g., hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades), but in terms of rank they are all equivalent (no suit is higher than another in standard poker). The odds of getting a Royal Flush are extremely low, which is why it’s a big deal and often comes with special prizes in promotional games or bad beat jackpots if someone loses with it (which can only happen against another Royal Flush tie, which is almost impossible). For most players, seeing a Royal Flush is a once-in-a-lifetime event, unless you play a huge volume of hands.

• Straight Flush: Any five in a row of the same suit that isn’t the Royal Flush. These are also very rare. For example, if you have 4-5-6-7-8 all in diamonds, that’s a straight flush. If by some astronomical chance two players both have a straight flush, the one with the higher top card wins (e.g., 8-high straight flush beats 7-high). In community card games like Texas Hold’em, it’s almost impossible for two different straight flushes to occur unless the board itself is a straight flush (in which case it’s a tie for all who can play it).

• Four of a Kind (Quads): Four cards of the same rank is a powerhouse hand. If you have four of a kind, the only hands that can beat you are any straight flush (including Royal) or, in very rare cases, another higher four of a kind. In Texas Hold’em, if the board shows four of a kind (say the board has 9-9-9-9-X), everyone technically has four of a kind, but the one with the highest fifth card (the kicker) would win – though usually if quads are on board, it often leads to a tie or very little betting because it’s obvious. Generally, quads are a monster hand that you’ll seldom see, and when you do, it often results in a big win for the person holding it (unless the entire table can play it from the community cards).

Mid-Range Hands (Full House, Flush, Straight)

These hands occur a bit more frequently than the ultra-rare ones above, but they’re still considered strong and will win many pots.

• Full House: A full house (sometimes called a “boat”) combines three of a kind with a pair. This can happen fairly often in games like Omaha (due to more cards in play) and somewhat regularly in Hold’em when the board pairs and you have a matching card. To rank full houses against each other, you always look at the three of a kind part first. For example, QQQ22 beats JJJKK because Queens (Q) outrank Jacks (J), even though one has Kings as the pair, the triplet is what counts more. Full houses can be very tricky in poker because a player might think their three of a kind is great, not realizing another player’s full house (with a higher trio) has them beat. Generally, any full house is a very strong hand – the only hands that beat it are four of a kind and straight flushes, which are rare.

• Flush: Five cards of the same suit can sneak up when the board has three or more of a suit. In Hold’em, if you have two hearts in hand and the board has three hearts, you have a flush. If another player also has two hearts, whoever has the highest heart wins. Flushes are ranked by their highest card, then second highest, etc. For instance, A-7-5-3-2 of hearts beats K-Q-J-5-2 of hearts because the first has an Ace. If by chance both players have the exact same five card ranks in a flush (which could happen using community cards), it’s a tie and they split the pot. Flushes beat all straights and lower, so they’re a powerful hand. However, be cautious: if the board itself has four of a suit, any single card of that suit in someone’s hand makes a flush, so lots of players might have a flush and you may need the nut flush (ace-high flush) to win in that scenario.

• Straight: Five in a row (like 5-6-7-8-9). Straights are neat because they can be made with many combinations. Remember that the ace can be low (A-2-3-4-5) or high (10-J-Q-K-A) but not both at once (you can’t "wrap around" e.g., 2-A-K-Q-J is not a straight). Straights are vulnerable to flushes and full houses above, but they still beat any hand that is three of a kind or lower. In games, a lot of medium-sized pots are won with straights or flushes. If the board has something like 8-9-10-J-Q, everyone has a straight (at least a 8 through Q straight) by virtue of the community cards, which means it would be a tie for all players who stay – unless someone has a flush or higher. So context matters, but generally a straight is an excellent hand to win a pot if higher-ranked combinations aren’t out.

Lower Poker Hands (Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card)

These are the most commonly occurring hand types. In many casual games and many dealt hands, the winning hand will often be one pair or two pair, simply because the stronger hands are hard to get.

• Three of a Kind: This can win many pots, especially if it’s a high-ranking set (like AAA or KKK). In community card games, if you make three of a kind by using a pair from your hand plus one on the board, it’s called a "set" and is usually well-hidden (opponents might not realize you have it). If you make three of a kind with one card in your hand and a pair on the board (like board is 7-7-Queen and you have a 7), that’s called "trips," and others might have it too (if someone else also had a 7, they have trips as well, so kicker will matter – whoever has the higher other hole card wins in that case). Three of a kind is beaten by any straight or higher, so if the board looks scary (like it could have a straight or flush), three of a kind might not always be good. But often, especially in games like 5-card draw or when the board isn’t coordinated, three of a kind can be a winning hand.

• Two Pair: Two pair happens quite often. If you’re holding two pair, there’s a chance someone else might have a better two pair or three of a kind, etc. But two pair frequently wins in many situations. The highest pair in the two-pair hand is the first deciding factor. For example, if you have 10-10-2-2-x and another player has 9-9-8-8-x, the player with tens and twos wins because their top pair (tens) beats the other’s top pair (nines). If the top pairs were the same (say both had tens as top pair), then you compare the second pair. If somehow both had the exact same two pairs (quite possible with community cards, e.g., board is K-K-7-7-4 and one has A-2, another has Q-J, both technically have two pair: Kings and Sevens, and then the Ace kicker vs Queen kicker decides). That leads to the kicker: the fifth card can decide the winner if both have identical two pair. Two pair is an exciting hand for beginners because it’s clearly stronger than one pair but you have to be cautious – new players sometimes overvalue a lower two pair when there’s a possibility of higher hands out.

• One Pair: This is the bread-and-butter hand in poker. In Texas Hold’em, making one pair is quite common by the river (final card). Often a single pair can win a pot if no one else connects better. But if the community cards have a lot of high cards or potential combinations, one pair can be very vulnerable. The highest possible pair is Aces (having two Aces), which will beat any other single pair. If two players both have a pair of Aces (possible if an Ace pair is on the board, then everyone technically has a pair of Aces), then the next highest card (kicker) decides. For example, Ace-Ace-Queen-8-3 beats Ace-Ace-Jack-10-9 because the first hand’s kicker is Queen which beats the Jack of the second hand at the first point of difference. Learning to gauge the strength of your pair relative to what the other person might have is a key skill in poker.

• High Card: When no one even has a pair, it comes down to the highest card each player holds. This is often the case in very low-stakes games where everyone misses the board, or in games like 5-card draw when you toss away and draw and end up with nothing. Ace is the highest card, then King, Queen, and so on down to 2 (deuce) as the lowest. If one hand is A-J-9-5-3 (Ace high) and another is A-J-9-4-2 (Ace high also), you’d compare card by card: Ace vs Ace (tie), J vs J (tie), 9 vs 9 (tie), 5 vs 4 – the 5 is higher, so the first hand wins. It’s rare for a pot to be decided by a high-card showdown in community card games like Hold’em because often at least a pair is made by someone, but it certainly happens. In any case, knowing that if you have nothing, the value of your highest cards might still matter is important for reading outcomes.

Ties and Kickers

A concept that goes hand-in-hand with hand rankings is the idea of kickers – side cards that come into play when players tie on a hand category. We touched on this above, but let’s clarify:

• If two players have the exact same type of hand, you determine the winner by the highest relevant card outside of that tie. For example, two players each have a pair of Kings. To break the tie, you look at the next highest card in their five-card hand (the kicker). If one has K-K-7-4-2 and the other has K-K-7-4- Ace, the second player wins because their kicker (Ace) is higher than the first player’s kicker (7? Wait, in that example the second highest card after the pair is 7 for both, then next 4 vs Ace – actually let’s adjust the example: Player1: K-K-9-8-2, Player2: K-K-9-7-6. Both have pair of Kings, both have 9 as second highest, then compare the third: 8 vs 7 – Player1 wins with the 8).

• In two pair, as mentioned, if the top pairs differ, you don’t need kickers because one top pair is higher. Only if both players share the same two pair (which can happen if the board has those pairs) does the kicker decide.

• In three of a kind, if two players somehow both have three of a kind of the same rank (possible if community cards have three of a kind on board), then the kickers (the other two cards) would decide, though often that leads to split pots if the board itself had the trips (since everyone has that, it’s the next two cards that matter).

• Flush ties are broken by highest card in the flush (then second highest, etc., if needed).

• Straight ties: In poker, if two people have straights, you compare the top card of the straight. For example, 6-7-8-9-10 loses to 7-8-9-10-J (jack high straight wins). If they are the same (which is only possible if the straights are completely identical in rank sequence), then they tie and split the pot. Suits do not break ties in straights.

• Full house ties: It’s extremely rare to tie on a full house in rank (you’d need the same triplet and the same pair values for both players). In community cards, if the board is something like K-K-5-5-10, everyone has full house (Ks full of 5s). If one player has the remaining King or 5, that doesn’t change anything because the best five cards are still K-K-K-5-5 for anyone holding the extra K or 5 (they’d have four of a kind K or 5 of a kind which isn’t possible with standard decks – so basically, on a paired board, two players can both have the same full house using one of their hole cards and the board). Often that’s a tie or the kicker outside doesn’t play because full house is defined by those 5 cards already.

• Four of a kind ties: if by chance two players have four of a kind of the same rank (only possible if it’s on the board in community cards scenario), then the fifth card (kicker) decides who wins. If the four of a kind is completely on the board (e.g., board is Q-Q-Q-Q-3), everyone has four Queens and a 3, and if someone has a higher card than 3 in their hand, they can use that as kicker to beat someone who doesn’t. If nobody can beat the 3, it’s a tie and splits.

Understanding kickers is important because many beginner players look only at the main combination and forget the side cards.

For example, if the board in Hold’em is A-8-8-5-2 and Player1 has A-7, Player2 has A-4: both have two pair (Aces and 8s) because the board provides a pair of 8s and they both have an Ace. Now the next best card for each (kicker) is 7 vs 5 (since the board’s 5 might come into play). Actually, let’s do this systematically: Each player’s best five-card hand is A-A-8-8-7 for Player1, and A-A-8-8-5 for Player2 (the 7 from hand vs the 5 from board, since Player2’s kicker 4 is lower than board 5, they'd use 5). So Player1 wins because 7 kicker beats 5 kicker. Beginners sometimes might think “we both had two pair Aces and 8s, so it’s a tie” but the kicker 7 vs 5 actually matters.

Conclusion

Learning poker hand rankings is like learning the ABCs of poker. It’s fundamental and will become second nature after enough practice. We’ve provided a poker combinations chart above and explanations for each hand. To recap from highest to lowest: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card. If you ever forget, just refer back to a chart like the one here.

When you’re playing, take a moment at showdown to mentally rank each hand. With time, you won’t have to consciously think "Does a flush beat a straight?" – you’ll just know. Recognizing the strongest poker hands (and by extension the weakest) will also help you make better decisions during the betting rounds. For instance, if the community cards make a flush possible and all you have is one pair, you’ll know that there’s a decent chance someone might have a flush, which beats your pair.

Finally, remember that understanding hand rankings is only one part of poker – albeit a crucial part. Poker also involves reading opponents, managing your bets, and sometimes making tough folds even with a good hand if you suspect a better hand is out. But with the hand rankings under your belt, you have the foundation to build all those other skills.

Keep this guide handy as you play or practice, and soon you’ll have all the poker hands explained to others as you become more experienced. Good luck at the tables, and may you be dealt the strongest hands when you need them!