Before anything else, every poker player needs to know which hands beat which. Here's the complete ranking for Texas Hold'em, from strongest to weakest, followed by simple advice on which starting hands to play.
Poker hand rankings
- Royal flush — A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit.
- Straight flush — five cards in sequence, same suit (e.g. 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥).
- Four of a kind — four cards of the same rank.
- Full house — three of a kind plus a pair.
- Flush — any five cards of the same suit.
- Straight — five cards in sequence, mixed suits. An ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A).
- Three of a kind — three cards of the same rank.
- Two pair — two different pairs.
- One pair — two cards of the same rank.
- High card — none of the above; the highest card plays.
In Hold'em you make the best five-card hand from your two hole cards and the five community cards. Suits never break ties: if two players have the same five-card hand, they split the pot.
How often are you dealt premium hands?
| Starting hand | Odds |
|---|---|
| Pocket aces | 1 in 221 (0.45%) |
| Any pocket pair | 1 in 17 (5.9%) |
| Ace-king (any suits) | 1 in 83 (1.2%) |
| Two suited cards | 23.5% |
A simple starting-hand guide
- Raise from any position: AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, AK, AQ.
- Add in middle position: 99–77, AJ, KQ, ATs, KJs.
- Add on the button and cutoff: small pairs, suited aces, suited connectors (e.g. 87s, 76s), KT, QJ.
- Usually fold: weak offsuit hands like K7, Q5, J3 — they make second-best hands too often.
Position changes everything — read why position matters.
Beginner habits that pay off
- Play fewer hands, but play them aggressively.
- Don't call big bets with one pair just because you've "already put money in".
- Use a bankroll calculator to choose stakes you can afford.
- Track your results from day one so you know whether you're improving.
Want to see how hands match up? Try them in the free poker odds calculator.
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