These are the traditional poker hand rankings, which are used in the most popular variants of poker (such as Texas Hold‘em).
- Best Hands In Texas Holdem Ranked
- Best Poker Hands Texas Holdem Preflop
- Best Hands At Texas Holdem Game
- Texas Holdem Best Hands Chart
- Best Hands At Texas Holdem Rules
Whether you’re looking to learn how poker hands rank or what beats what in poker, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get started.
Poker Hands from Highest to Lowest
Here are the top 10 starting hands in Texas holdem along with some suggestions for how to best play them. You can (and should) play other hands preflop, but these might be the most important hands to play preflop. It’s hard to go wrong when playing “rockets,” or “bullets,” as a pair of aces if often called. Looking for an easy-to-understand and printable list of poker hands to know what-beats-what in Texas hold'em? You've come to the right place. Learning the poker hand rankings and what are the best hands in poker is the number one thing you need to do before you sit down and play cards at the best UK online poker sites.
The following poker hand rankings relate to more traditional and popular game types, including:
- No Limit Hold’em
- Limit Hold’em
- Pot Limit Omaha
- 5 Card Draw
The hands are ranked from strongest to weakest.
1. Royal Flush
The best hand possible, a royal flush consists of A, K, Q, J and 10, all of the same suit (extremely rare).
2. Straight Flush
Also very rare, a straight flush consists of any straight that is all the same suit.
3. Four of a Kind
Four of a kind, or ‘quads’, consists of four cards of equal value along with another card known as a side card.
4. Full House
A full house consists of three cards of one value and two cards of another.
5. Flush
A flush is a hand which has all cards of the same suit.
If 2 or more players get to showdown with a flush, the flush with the highest card wins.
6. Straight
A straight has 5 cards of consecutive value that are not all the same suit.
Note that an Ace can be either the high or low end of a straight, but not both at once. So, A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is also known as the wheel, and it is the lowest possible straight.
Best Hands In Texas Holdem Ranked
7. Three of a Kind
Also known as ‘trips’, three of a kind is 3 cards of the same value and 2 side cards of different values.
8. Two Pair
Two pair consists of two cards of equal value, another two cards of equal value, and one extra card.
When two opposing players have two pair, the player with the highest pair wins the pot. For example, Aces and Threes beats Kings and Queens. If both players have the same highest pair, the player with the higher second pair wins. If both players have the exact same two pair, then the player with the higher extra card wins.
9. One Pair
One pair consists of two cards of the same value, and three extra cards. This is the lowest ranking “made” hand.
10. High Card
Five cards that do not interact with each other to make any of the above hands.
Tie-breakers and Kickers
In the event multiple players have the same poker hands, the extra cards come in to play. These cards are called ‘kickers’. The player with the higher kicker will take the pot in this event.
No Limit Hold’em Example: Player AandPlayer B
- Player A has K♥ 9♥
- Player B has A♠ K♦
- The flop, turn and river are K♠-T♣-T♦–4♠-2♣
This means the player’s final poker hands are:
- Player A: K♥ K♠ T♣ T♦ 9♥ for Two Pair, Kings and Tens with a Nine kicker
- Player B: K♦ K♠ T♣ T♦ A♠ for Two Pair, Kings and Tens with an Ace kicker
The winner of the pot is Player B because he has Player A ‘out-kicked’.
In a high card or one pair hand tie-breaker, both players can sometimes have the same kicker. In this case the second kicker is used, and then the third, and so on. If both players’ 5 card hands are identical, then they share the pot equally.
Top 20 Best Texas Hold’em Hands Rankings
I wanted to include something a bit more exciting in this article, so here’s the top 20 No Limit Hold’em starting hands in terms of raw all-in equity (or percentages).
Although the order of the best poker hands to start with is sometimes contested, this list will give you a rough idea of which hands are stronger than others.
I hope you enjoyed this list of poker hands rankings!
Read more:
Source:@Upswingpoker.com
Table Of Contents
Looking for an easy-to-understand and printable list of poker hands to know what-beats-what in Texas hold'em? You've come to the right place.
Learning the poker hand rankings and what are the best hands in poker is the number one thing you need to do before you sit down and play cards at the best UK online poker sites.
You want to know the strength of all poker hands and find out what is the best hand in poker before you begin to play with other players.
To help you learn everything about all the Texas hold'em hands and know what beats what in poker, we prepared a key page for all beginners: the official poker hands rankings.
In this page, you'll find:
- and lots more
In other words, if you are looking for a list of all poker hands ranked in order of strength and importance - you'll love this page.
Poker Hands Rankings: List of All Poker Hands
About to play your first poker hands? Let's see what beats what in Texas hold'em poker. This list of poker hands is essential to become a successful player and to know how to read the board in poker.
Royal Flush
This is the best hand in poker. The Royal Flush is a very difficult poker hand to get - but when you do, you have the hame in your hands.
A Royal Flush consists of five consecutive cards (10 through ace) of the same suit.
Example of a Royal Flush:
Straight Flush
The second-best hand in the list of all poker hands. Holding a straight flush is almost always sign that you will win the hand.
You don't have mathematical certitude, but it's really hard to be beaten when you have Straight Flush to support you. Why?
Because it beats all other poker hands except for the Royal Flush and a Straight Flush higher in value.
A Straight Flush consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit that are not 10 through ace.
Example of a Straight Flush:
Four-of-a-Kind
Another premium poker hand that will help you win a lot of pots.
A four-of-a-kind is a four-card poker hand consisting of the same card in all the four suits in the game.
Example of a four-of-a-kind:
Full House
This strong poker hand is the combination of two different hands: the three-of-a-kind and the pair.
A full-house poker hand is composed of three same cards in different suits and a pair of cards of the same ranks but (again) of different suits.
Example of a full house:
Flush
This is also a strong poker hand - even if it's not the best hand in poker and a large number of players tend to overestimate its strength.
The flush is a five-card poker hand composed by cards of the same suit. The cards' ranks are irrelevant.
Example of a flush:
Straight
A straight is a five-card poker hand composed by consecutive cards in different suits.
Remember: the flush beat the straight in poker. And the straight beat the three-of-a-kind.
While the Ace can be counted both as 1 or a K, you can't have a straight with two Aces.
Example of a straight:
Three-of-a-Kind
The three-of-a-kind is a poker hand composed of three cards of the same rank but different suits.
Example of a three-of-a-kind:
Two Pairs
A four-card poker hand made by two separate pairs, cards of the same rank but different suits.
Example of a two pair:
Pair
Best Poker Hands Texas Holdem Preflop
One of the most basic and weakest poker hands.
The pair is a two-card poker hand composed by two cards of the same rank but different suits.
Example of a pair:
Hight Card
The weakest hand in poker and the last one in our list of poker hands. In this case, your 'poker hand' is nothing but the highest-denomination card in your hand.
Example of a high card:
In the example above, the 'high card' is the King of hearts.
Poker Hands Cheat Sheet
Getting ready for a game? Print the free poker hands cheat sheet and bring it with you the next time you play poker!
Click on the image below to download the poker hands ranking in PDF and use it when you play poker. To help you hide your doubts about poker hands from your opponents, we grouped all poker hands in one cheat-sheet…they will never know what you are looking at!
What Beats What in Poker?
Did you go through the poker hands rankings but you are still not sure about what beats what in poker?
The table below is the answer to all your questions.
| Poker Hand | Beats | Doesn't beat |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | All poker hands | N/A |
| Straight Flush | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four-of-a-Kind | Royal Flush |
| Four-of-a-Kind | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House | Royal Flush, Straight Flush |
| Full House | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight, Flush | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind |
| Flush | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind, Straight | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House |
| Straight | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs, Three-of-a-Kind | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush |
| Three-of-a-Kind | High Card, Pair, Two Pairs | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight |
| Two Pairs | High Card, Pair | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind |
| Pair | High Card | Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pairs |
Poker Hand FAQs
Best Hands At Texas Holdem Game
The best hand in poker is the Royal Flush, a five-card poker hand made of consecutive cards (10 through Ace) of the same suit.
Most pros agree that beginners should only play premium hands, even if this means that most of the game will be spent folding preflop.
When two players have a four-of-a-kind each in the same hand, the winner is the player with the highest-ranking four cards.
Texas Holdem Best Hands Chart
Best Hands At Texas Holdem Rules
When two players have the same four-of-a-kind each in the same hand, the winner is the player with the highest 'kicker' — the fifth card in their hand.