Royal Flush
Flush hands never differ by suit alone. Here 10 ♦ 8 ♦ 7 ♦ 6 ♦ 5 ♦ and 10♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ 5♠, are considered as an equal rank. A flush beats a straight. A flush is any five cards all of the same suit (i.e., all diamonds or all spades, etc.). A straight flush is a combination of five cards of the same suit in the same order. For example, 5-6-7-8-9 is a 9 high straight flush. What does the straight flush beat? Every possible hand combination except higher straight flushes (say 10 high) and the royal flush. Help us to 100K Subscribers - If you are reading this, comment. Watch other Videos: Bluffs Gone Wrong - https://youtu.be/ffawyLHW4.
Ace high Straight Flush.
Ace of Spades King of Spades Queen of Spades Jack of Spades 10 of Spades in a single suit. Also frequently referred to as 'Broadway'.
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Five sequential cards in the same suit. The highest type of Straight Flush is a Royal Flush, and the lowest is an A-2-3-4-5 hand (if Aces are low or high/low). This type of hand is referred to as a 'Steel Wheel'. Other Straight Flushes with special names include:
- King of Clubs Queen of Clubs Jack of Clubs 10 of Clubs 9 of Clubs - Off Broadway (because it's shifted down one rank from a Royal Flush, or 'Broadway').
Four of a Kind
One of each suit in a single rank.
Also known as Quads. Many of the Four of a Kind hands have their own nicknames:
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts King of Spades - Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts Queen of Spades - Village People (four Queens)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts 10 of Spades - Larry, after Larry Fortensky (four-ten-sky), Elizabeth Taylor's eighth husband
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 4 of Spades - Yacht Club (because the 4 resembles a sail)
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 3 of Spades - Forest (four 'trees')
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts 2 of Spades - Mighty Ducks (because the 2 resembles a duck)
Full House
Poker Hands Flush Beats A Straight Guy
Three of a Kind and One Pair.
A Full House is called as 'X over Y' where X is the Three of a Kind and Y is the Pair (e.g., in a A-A-A-Q-Q hand, you would call it as 'Full House, Aces over Queens').
A Full House is sometimes called a boat or a full boat. When called a Boat/Full Boat, the hand is announced as 'X full of Y' (e.g., the same A-A-A-Q-Q hand would be called a 'Full Boat, Aces full of Queens'). Some Full House hands have special nicknames:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Marksman (bows and arrows)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Sailing rednecks
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Nits and Lice, Mites and Lice
Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
Any five cards, all of which are in the same suit. A Flush all in hearts is referred to as 'Valentine's' while a flush all in clubs is known as a 'Golf Bag'.
Straight
Five consecutive cards.
Five cards in sequential order (but not all in the same suit, or it would be a Straight Flush). Also known as a Run (in many melding/counting games, such as gin and its variants, cribbage, and canasta, a Straight is referred to as a Run, and the name has carried over into poker).
- 6 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 3 of Spades 2 of Clubs - Rabbit (the lowest Straight Flush if Aces are high)
- 5 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 2 of Spades Ace of Clubs - Wheel, Bicycle, Bike, Spike, First Street, Little Wheel (the lowest run if Aces are low or high/low)
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. Also known as Trips, a Set, or Triplets. Three-card combinations that have special names include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds Ace of Hearts - Beatles reunion
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts - Three Wise Men, Christmas Special (both references to 'Three Kings'), Alabama Night Riders, Ku Klux Klan (KKK is an abbreviation for the Ku Klux Klan, and 'Alabama Night Riders' is a colloquial term used to refer to this group, which has a history of carrying out their acts at night in rural ateas)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts - Six Tits
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds Jack of Hearts - Hart, Schaffner, and Marx (Three Jacks)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts - Dallas to Fort Worth (the I-10 connects these two Texas Cities), San Jose to Gilroy, Gilroy, Thirty Miles of bad road (the distance between San Jose and Gilroy, California, used to be 30 miles, although the two cities are now adjoining)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Hearts - 21, Slot Machine, Jackpot (all named after results in other casino games like Blackjack and Slots)
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds 6 of Hearts - The Devil, The Beast, Lucifer, Devil's Area Code
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 5 of Hearts - Washington Monument, Pork Chop Sandwiches
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Grand Jury
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Huey, Dewey, and Louie (three ducks)
Two Pairs
Two pairs, each with two cards of the same rank. Notable named two pair combinations include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (Arrows and Nooses)
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Mommas and Poppas
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Pair of Dogs (because it's K9K9-- two canines)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - San Francisco Waiters (Queens with Trays/Treys)
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five (Jacks and Fives), Motown, Rock and Roll
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Hookers with Crabs (because the Jacks hook and the 3 is like a sideways crab)
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Oldsmobile
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Dinner for Four
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Socks and Shoes, Mites and Lice, Mits and Mites, Nits and Lice
One Pair
Two cards of the same rank. The poker hand that contains a single pair that is the most worth noting is the Princess Leia (an A-A-2-3), so called because the room in which Leia was imprisoned in Star Wars was room A-A-2-3. The best known names given to (pocket) pairs include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds - Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds - Cowboys, King Kong
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Bitches, Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Fish Hooks
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - German Virgin (no, we don't know why.)
- 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Snowmen
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds - Sunset Strip, Hockey Sticks
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Route 66
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Speed limit
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Magnum, Sail Boat
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Crabs
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Ducks
High Card
While the high card is the lowest possible hand in poker (every poker hand automatically has a 'high card' in it-- the card with the greatest value), it comes into play in some poker variants more than others. Poker rookies often underestimate the value of the high card.
Texas Hold'em, for instance, is frequently referred to as a game of high cards because a player with higher cards always has an advantage. If player 1 holds K-Q and player 2 holds J-10, there are three possible outcomes:
Poker Hands Flush Beats A Straight Razor
- The flop makes player 1's hand, and player 1 wins.
- The flop makes player 2's hand, and player 2 wins.
- The flop doesn't make either player's hand, and player 1 wins again.
The player with high cards has a statistical advantage and will win 63% of the time.
Well known nicknames given to pocket hands are:
- Ace of Clubs King of Diamonds - Big Slick, Anna Kournikova (looks great, never wins!)
- Ace of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Big Chick
- Ace of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Black Jack, Jack-Ass
- King of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Royalty, Marriage
- King of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Kojak
- Jack of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five
- Queen of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Gay Waiter
- 9 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Dolly Parton
- Ace of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (player Wild Bill Hickok was shot in 1876 after winning with it!)
- King of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Canine
- Jack of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Flat Tire
Knowing what beats what in poker or Texas Hold'em is an important early step in learning the game. To help you out, I have provided for you an attractive printable or downloadable 'cheat sheet' for both 5 card hand rankings as well as top 24 pre-flop starting hands.
Poker hands ranked 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
A Full House is sometimes called a boat or a full boat. When called a Boat/Full Boat, the hand is announced as 'X full of Y' (e.g., the same A-A-A-Q-Q hand would be called a 'Full Boat, Aces full of Queens'). Some Full House hands have special nicknames:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Marksman (bows and arrows)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Sailing rednecks
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Nits and Lice, Mites and Lice
Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
Any five cards, all of which are in the same suit. A Flush all in hearts is referred to as 'Valentine's' while a flush all in clubs is known as a 'Golf Bag'.
Straight
Five consecutive cards.
Five cards in sequential order (but not all in the same suit, or it would be a Straight Flush). Also known as a Run (in many melding/counting games, such as gin and its variants, cribbage, and canasta, a Straight is referred to as a Run, and the name has carried over into poker).
- 6 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 3 of Spades 2 of Clubs - Rabbit (the lowest Straight Flush if Aces are high)
- 5 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 2 of Spades Ace of Clubs - Wheel, Bicycle, Bike, Spike, First Street, Little Wheel (the lowest run if Aces are low or high/low)
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. Also known as Trips, a Set, or Triplets. Three-card combinations that have special names include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds Ace of Hearts - Beatles reunion
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts - Three Wise Men, Christmas Special (both references to 'Three Kings'), Alabama Night Riders, Ku Klux Klan (KKK is an abbreviation for the Ku Klux Klan, and 'Alabama Night Riders' is a colloquial term used to refer to this group, which has a history of carrying out their acts at night in rural ateas)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts - Six Tits
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds Jack of Hearts - Hart, Schaffner, and Marx (Three Jacks)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts - Dallas to Fort Worth (the I-10 connects these two Texas Cities), San Jose to Gilroy, Gilroy, Thirty Miles of bad road (the distance between San Jose and Gilroy, California, used to be 30 miles, although the two cities are now adjoining)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Hearts - 21, Slot Machine, Jackpot (all named after results in other casino games like Blackjack and Slots)
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds 6 of Hearts - The Devil, The Beast, Lucifer, Devil's Area Code
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 5 of Hearts - Washington Monument, Pork Chop Sandwiches
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Grand Jury
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Huey, Dewey, and Louie (three ducks)
Two Pairs
Two pairs, each with two cards of the same rank. Notable named two pair combinations include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (Arrows and Nooses)
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Mommas and Poppas
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Pair of Dogs (because it's K9K9-- two canines)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - San Francisco Waiters (Queens with Trays/Treys)
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five (Jacks and Fives), Motown, Rock and Roll
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Hookers with Crabs (because the Jacks hook and the 3 is like a sideways crab)
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Oldsmobile
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Dinner for Four
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Socks and Shoes, Mites and Lice, Mits and Mites, Nits and Lice
One Pair
Two cards of the same rank. The poker hand that contains a single pair that is the most worth noting is the Princess Leia (an A-A-2-3), so called because the room in which Leia was imprisoned in Star Wars was room A-A-2-3. The best known names given to (pocket) pairs include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds - Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds - Cowboys, King Kong
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Bitches, Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Fish Hooks
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - German Virgin (no, we don't know why.)
- 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Snowmen
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds - Sunset Strip, Hockey Sticks
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Route 66
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Speed limit
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Magnum, Sail Boat
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Crabs
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Ducks
High Card
While the high card is the lowest possible hand in poker (every poker hand automatically has a 'high card' in it-- the card with the greatest value), it comes into play in some poker variants more than others. Poker rookies often underestimate the value of the high card.
Texas Hold'em, for instance, is frequently referred to as a game of high cards because a player with higher cards always has an advantage. If player 1 holds K-Q and player 2 holds J-10, there are three possible outcomes:
Poker Hands Flush Beats A Straight Razor
- The flop makes player 1's hand, and player 1 wins.
- The flop makes player 2's hand, and player 2 wins.
- The flop doesn't make either player's hand, and player 1 wins again.
The player with high cards has a statistical advantage and will win 63% of the time.
Well known nicknames given to pocket hands are:
- Ace of Clubs King of Diamonds - Big Slick, Anna Kournikova (looks great, never wins!)
- Ace of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Big Chick
- Ace of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Black Jack, Jack-Ass
- King of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Royalty, Marriage
- King of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Kojak
- Jack of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five
- Queen of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Gay Waiter
- 9 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Dolly Parton
- Ace of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (player Wild Bill Hickok was shot in 1876 after winning with it!)
- King of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Canine
- Jack of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Flat Tire
Knowing what beats what in poker or Texas Hold'em is an important early step in learning the game. To help you out, I have provided for you an attractive printable or downloadable 'cheat sheet' for both 5 card hand rankings as well as top 24 pre-flop starting hands.
Poker hands ranked 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
To make things easier on you, I have included some handy charts that can be used to reference during play or even printed out.
Poker Hand Rankings Chart
Never forget what beats what again. Feel free to save this to your phone/tablet/computer or print the chart out.
Click below to download a high-quality PDF that includes a printable copy of both the showdown and pre-flop hand rankings.
The Top 24 Hold'Em Starting Hand Rankings
To help you out, I have also included the top 24 no-limit hold'em starting hands to give you a further idea of what beats what in poker. I based this list on both raw equities as well as post-flop playability.
I have used over 10 years of experience in both tournaments and cash games to compile this info. You get to benefit from my hard work!
How These Hands Were Determined
I took a look at a few of the pre-flop hand ranking charts out there and, while most appeared to get it right for the most part, there seemed to be something off.
The thing is, everyone always does pretty well on the top 5 or 6 hands. However, after that things get a bit murkier.
So, what really matters when it comes to weighing hand strength? I decided to take a close look at the problem. Using the knowledge I've gained over the past few years, I tried to come up with a better way of codifying hand rankings.
Determining the Overall Playability of Each Hand
I decided to go about it from a logical standpoint. When deciding whether to play a hand or not, what are the factors a strong player considers before acting?
So, I decided that there are basically two main factors to consider in determining the strength of a particular pre-flop hand. And, since equity is the tool we use to rank the value of hands I just had to figure out what type of equities matter most and then apply it to each factor.
Once I was able to define which equities to consider, it just took a bit of math.
1. Pre-Flop EquityThe first equity I decided to factor in is a hand's raw pre-flop equity. I mean, sometimes you need to get all-in before the flop, right?
Of course, some hands will get all-in more frequently than others but for the sake of simplicity, raw equity against a strong range will give us a decent enough metric to come up with a comparative ranking.
2. Post-Flop EquitySecondly, we need to factor in how a hand does post-flop. There's no doubt, that certain hands play much better after the flop than others.
To calculate how well a hand does after the flop I looked at what post-flop hands tend to get all-in most of the time in a post-flop scenario. This includes the strongest made hands, including top pair and better, as well as strong draws.
Once I was able to figure out what hands are likely to get all-in, I just had to figure out the equity of every hand versus that range on a random flop.
Compiling the Final List
Doing these kinds of calculations by hand would be extremely difficult and time-consuming. Luckily, there is a software program called Cardrunner's EV that does the math for me.
After I figured out both the raw pre-flop equity and the likely flop equity of each hand, I just used excel to average them. That data was used to compile the rankings.
Here are the final equity percentages:
Which Poker Starting Hand Ranges Should I Use?
Knowing which hands to open raise is important to your success. Don't worry, I've got you covered.
Free Basic Poker Strategy Charts
I have built charts that provide you profitable opening ranges from every position. As a bonus, the charts also include what to do at every decision point possible for playing a 20 to 40 big blind stack.
Just provide the following info, subscribe to my spam-free newsletter, and I will email you the charts along with the comprehensive 10-page strategy guide for free!
The guide will give you an excellent starting point for playing No-Limit Texas Hold'em and will get you off on the right foot by allowing you to play fundamentally sound poker right now!
FAQ
What if my opponent and I have the same hand at showdown?
If more than one player has the same hand then you have to follow the tie-breaker rules to determine the winner.
If two or more players have a flush or straight
In the case where two players have a flush or straight, the person who has the highest card in their hand wins. For example, T9876 beats 76543.
If two or more players have a full house
In the case of multiple full houses, the player with the highest 'trips' as part of their full house wins. For example, TTT22 beats 555AA.
What if two or more players have the same pair or two pair?
If multiple players have exactly the same two pair, the highest kicker is used to determine the winner. For example, JJ66Q beats JJ66T.
The same process is used for one-pair. The next highest kicker is used. If that is the same, you use the next highest kicker. So on and so forth until the tie is broken. For example, AAK85 beats AAK84.
Who wins if more than one person has the same high card?
Similarly to one pair and two-pair hands, you use the next highest kicker to determine the winner. You keep moving on to the next kicker until a winner is determined. For example, KT763 beats KT753.
Which is better, trips or two-pair?
Three of a kind beats two-pair. It also beats a pair and high card.
Which is better, a flush or a straight?
A flush beats a straight. It also beats three of a kind, two pair, a pair, and high card.
What is the worst hand in poker?
The worst hand against multiple players is 72 offsuit. The worst hand heads-up is 32o.
What are the odds of getting a Royal Flush in Texas Hold'em?
A royal flush is extremely rare. You can only expect to get a royal flush once every 650,000 hands. That doesn't mean it's guaranteed. Personally, I have played well over 5 million hands and have only had one royal using both cards.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article has helped you learn more about how hand rankings work in poker. If you want to learn about basic poker strategy, be sure to check out my detailed no-limit hold'em basic tutorial.