Understanding the ranking of poker hands

Texas Hold’em is one of the most popular poker variants, both in casinos and home games. It’s exciting, social, and while skill plays a big role, there’s also a healthy dose of luck involved. This guide will equip you with the basics of Texas Hold’em to start playing like a pro (well, almost!).

1. Royal Flush

  • The ultimate hand in poker, consisting of A-K-Q-J-10, all in the same suit
  • It’s unbeatable & extremely rare
  • The chances of getting it are about 1 in 649,740

2. Straight Flush

  • Any five consecutive cards of the same suit
  • If two players have a Straight Flush, the one with the highest top card wins
  • The odds of hitting are approximately 1 in 72,193

3. Four of a Kind (Quads)

  • Four cards of the same rank.
  • If two players have Quads, the higher set wins.
  • Getting Four of a Kind has odds of about 1 in 4,165

4. Full House (Boat)

  • A combination of Three of a Kind and a Pair.
  • If two players have a Full House, the one with the higher Three of a Kind wins.
  • The chances of making a Full House are around 1 in 694

5. Flush

  • Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
  • The player with the highest top card wins if multiple players have a Flush.
  • Odds: A Flush occurs on average once every 508 hands

6. Straight

  • Five consecutive cards of different suits.
  • An Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A) but not both in the same hand.
  • Odds: Striking a Straight happens about once every 255 hand

7. Three of a Kind (Trips or Set)

  • Three cards of the same rank.
  • Higher ranking Trips beat lower ones.
  • Odds: You’ll find Three of a Kind once in every 47 hands on average

8. Two Pair

  • Two different pairs in the same hand.
  • The highest pair is compared first; if it’s a tie, the second pair is considered.
  • Odds: Two Pair appears once every 21 hands

9. One Pair

  • Two cards of the same rank.
  • The highest pair wins if multiple players have a pair; if it’s a tie, kickers are used to determine the winner.
  • Odds: A Pair is found in almost every other hand (1.37:1 odds)

10. High end

  • If no one has any of the above hands, the highest card wins.
  • This is often called “no pair” or “nothing.”
  • Odds: High Card is essentially the default hand and has no specific odds since it’s what you hold when you have nothing else