Texas Hold’Em Hand Rankings

So, now you know the rules of Texas Hold’Em, it’s time to find out exactly what hands are the best to hold. As you already know, a Texas Hold’Em hand consists of exactly five cards. These cards are a combination of none, one, or both of your hole cards and the five community cards.

To keep it simple, just remember that the higher it is, the better it is! If you have a pair, the higher it is the better. If you have a straight, the higher it is the better. Got a flush, the higher the… Well, you get the point. But, does a flush beat a straight? Is a full house better than a flush? Here you will find out exactly what hands beat what.

High Card

High card hands are the worst type of hands, they rank below any other. The premise is simple, if you don’t have any of the other completed hands; you have a high card hand. If a showdown is reached where none of the players have a pair or better, the one with the highest card wins. If both players have the same high card, each player’s kicker comes into play. In the example below, it is an Ace high hand with a King kicker.

Pair

A pair hand is comprised of two cards of the same value, and three other cards that are used as kickers. In the example below, the hand is a pair of Aces, with ­a King, Eight, and Six kickers. If two players have the same value pair, then the kickers come into play.

Two-Pair

The next hand up from a pair is two-pair. As the name suggests, this hand consists of two pairs and one remaining card that is the kicker. If both players have the same higher pair in a two-pair hand, the value of the second pair is used, if this is the same then the kicker comes into play.

Three-of-a-Kind

Three-of-a-kind, or trips, consists of three cards of the same value, such as three Aces. The remaining two cards are used as kickers.

Straight

The next hand ranking is called a Straight, and consists of five consecutive cards. If multiple players have a straight, the one with the highest card in the straight wins. The example below shows a five high straight.

Flush

A flush consists of five cards that all have the same suit. As usual, if more than one player has a flush, the one with the highest value card in that flush wins the hand. The example below shows an Ace high spade flush.

Full House

A Full House consists of a combination of three-of-a-kind and a pair. If multiple players have a full house, then the highest three-of-a-kind wins, if they have the same then the highest pair wins.

Four-of-a-Kind

Four-of-a-kind, sometimes called Quads, is a hand that consists of four cards of the same value. If both players have the same four-of-a-kind (such as when there is quads on the board) then the one with the highest kicker wins.

Straight Flush

The straight flush is the second strongest hand ranking in poker, and consists of a combination of a straight and a flush. That is, you must have a straight, but with all cards being comprised of the same suit.

Royal Flush

This is the strongest hand in the game of poker, the Royal Flush. This hand is the highest straight flush available. A straight flush that consists of a Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace all of the same suit.