Online Poker Hand Rankings Explained

Standard Poker Hand Rankings from Highest to Lowest

The hierarchy of online poker hands starts with unbeatable monsters and ends with high-card garbage that barely qualifies as a hand.

Royal Flush

The absolute best hand in poker. A-K-Q-J-10, all of the same suit. It's a straight flush specifically from ten to ace.

Royal flushes are incredibly rare. You might play thousands of hands without seeing one. When it happens, you're winning the pot unless someone else has the same royal flush and you split.

Straight Flush

Five consecutive cards of the same suit that aren't specifically ten through ace. Examples: 9-8-7-6-5 of hearts, or 6-5-4-3-2 of spades.

The higher the top card, the better your straight flush. An ace can count as high (A-K-Q-J-10) for a royal, or low (5-4-3-2-A) for the lowest possible straight flush called a "wheel."

Four of a Kind (Quads)

Four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card. Four aces is the best possible four of a kind. Four twos is the worst.

If two players both have four of a kind (rare but possible with community cards), the higher set of four wins. If those are identical, the fifth card (the kicker) determines the winner.

Full House

Three of a kind plus a pair. Example: three kings and two eights, or three fives and two queens.

The three-of-a-kind part matters more than the pair. A full house with three nines beats one with three eights, regardless of what the pairs are. These are sometimes called "boats."

Flush

Any five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Example: A-J-9-5-3 all hearts.

If two players have flushes, the one with the highest card wins. If those match, compare the second-highest, then third, and so on. Suit ranks don't matter in standard poker rules.

Straight

Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Example: 10-9-8-7-6 with different suits.

Aces can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A), but not both in the same hand. An ace-high straight beats a king-high straight. The lowest straight is the wheel (5-4-3-2-A).

Three of a Kind (Trips or Set)

Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated cards. Example: three jacks with a 9 and a 4.

"Trips" typically means you have one of the three in your hand and two on the board. A "set" means you have a pocket pair and one more on the board. Same hand strength, different terminology based on how it's made.

Two Pair

Two different pairs plus a fifth kicker card. Example: two aces, two sevens, and a queen.

The highest pair determines strength first. Aces and twos beats kings and queens. If both players have the same top pair, the second pair breaks the tie. If both pairs match, the kicker decides.

One Pair

A single pair plus three unrelated cards. Example: two tens with an ace, eight, and five.

Higher pairs beat lower pairs. If two players have the same pair, compare kickers from highest to lowest until someone has a better card.

High Card

No pairs, no straights, no flushes. Just five unrelated cards. Your best card determines your hand strength.

If multiple players have high-card hands, compare the highest cards. If those match, move to the second-highest, then third, and so on. Ace-high beats king-high, which beats queen-high, etc.

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How Online Poker Software Evaluates Hands

Online platforms handle all the hand evaluation automatically in the background. When cards go to showdown, the system compares everyone's best five-card combination and awards the pot accordingly.

This automation has benefits:

• No misreads or dealer errors
• Instant pot awards without disputes
• Side pots calculated correctly when players are all-in with different stack sizes
• Kickers compared automatically when primary hands tie

But don't rely solely on the software to tell you who wins. You should know the poker hand rankings yourself so you can make better decisions throughout the hand.

If you wait until showdown to discover you were drawing dead, you're losing money on every street. Understanding hand strength in real time lets you fold when you're beaten, bet when you're ahead, and calculate pot odds accurately.

The software also prevents illegal actions. You can't accidentally fold out of turn, bet less than the minimum raise, or make sizing errors that would cause disputes in live games. Everything is enforced through the interface.

Common Beginner Mistakes About Hand Rankings

New players mess up hand evaluation constantly. These mistakes cost chips fast.

1. Confusing straights and flushes. Many beginners think flushes beat straights because suits sound fancier than sequences. Nope. A straight beats three of a kind but loses to a flush.
2. Overvaluing two pair. Two pair feels strong, especially if you hit both on the flop. But it's still a medium-strength hand that loses to sets, straights, flushes, boats, and quads. Don't go broke with two pair against aggressive betting.
3. Underestimating full houses. Full houses are stronger than most beginners realize. They beat flushes and straights, which surprises people initially. Once you remember the ranking list, this becomes obvious.
4. Misreading the board in community card games. You see three cards to a straight on the board and think you have it, forgetting you need cards in your hand that actually complete it. Or you have one spade in your hand, four spades on board, and think you have a flush (you do, barely, but it's weak).
5. Not considering kickers. You have top pair with a weak kicker, someone bets big, and you call thinking "I have top pair." But if they also have top pair with a better kicker, you're crushed. Kickers matter more than beginners expect.
6. Thinking all straights and flushes are equal. An ace-high flush beats a king-high flush. An ace-high straight beats a queen-high straight. The rankings apply within each hand category too.

Learning poker rules includes understanding these nuances. Flashcards, reference charts, and repeated practice make hand rankings automatic so you don't have to think about them mid-hand.

Quick Drills and Tools to Memorize Rankings

Poker hand rankings need to become instinctive. You shouldn't be pausing to remember whether a flush beats a straight.

Use these methods:

• Print a hand ranking chart and keep it visible. Glance at it between hands until you don't need it anymore. Most poker sites let you pull up hand rankings in the client too.
• Run flashcard drills. Have someone (or an app) show you two hands and ask which wins. Do 50 reps. Then another 50. Speed and accuracy improve fast.
• Play free poker online specifically to practice hand recognition. Don't worry about winning. Just focus on correctly identifying your hand strength and comparing it to possible opponent holdings based on the board.
• Watch poker on Twitch or YouTube with hand rankings visible. See how quickly experienced players evaluate hands and make decisions. You'll start recognizing patterns faster.
• Use poker hand calculators and equity tools. Input different hands and boards to see which wins. Run enough scenarios and the hierarchy becomes second nature.

The goal is reaching a point where you see a board and instantly know the possible hands that beat you, which you beat, and how strong your actual holding is relative to realistic opponent ranges.

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FAQ: Online Poker Hand Rankings Explained

What is the highest hand in poker?

A royal flush: A-K-Q-J-10 all of the same suit. It's the absolute best hand possible and cannot be beaten, only tied if another player also has a royal flush.

Does a straight beat a flush in poker?

No. A flush (five cards of the same suit) beats a straight (five consecutive cards of mixed suits). This confuses beginners, but flush is higher in the poker hand rankings.

What beats a full house in poker?

Four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush all beat a full house. Full houses are very strong but not unbeatable. They beat flushes, straights, and everything below.

How do kickers work in poker?

Kickers are the remaining cards in your five-card hand that break ties. If two players have the same pair, the highest kicker wins. If those match, compare the next highest kicker, and so on.

What's the worst possible hand in poker?

7-5-4-3-2 of mixed suits (not all the same suit). This is the lowest possible high-card hand with no pairs, straights, or flushes. Some players call it "the hammer" but that usually refers to 7-2 specifically.

Are poker hand rankings the same in all games?

Almost all poker variants use standard hand rankings. Some niche games like Deuce-to-Seven Lowball or Badugi have different rules, but Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, and most common games all use the same hierarchy.

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