Poker hand rankings chart
Ten categories, high to low — glance the card faces, then use kickers when the category matches.
Reviewed Oct 11, 2026
Answer first
90s- 01Rank order: royal flush → straight flush → quads → full house → flush → straight → trips → two pair → pair → high card.
- 02Suits are equal for ranking — spades do not beat hearts.
- 03Use any five-card mix of hole cards and board in Texas Hold’em.
- 04When categories match, kickers (side cards) break ties by high card.
- 05Ace plays high in a royal; Ace can play low only in A-2-3-4-5 straights.
- 06Room procedures settle disputes — cards speak at showdown.
Cheat sheet
Hand rankings (high → low)
Glance the faces — compare in one second.
1Royal flush
A-K-Q-J-10, one suit
2Straight flush
Five in a row, one suit
3Four of a kind
Four same rank
4Full house
Three + a pair
5Flush
Five same suit
6Straight
Five in a row, mixed suits
7Three of a kind
Trips / set
8Two pair
Two different pairs
9One pair
Single pair
10High card
No pair — ace high
Glance the faces — red = hearts/diamonds, black = spades/clubs. Category first; only then compare kickers.
Kickers & tie-breaks
| Situation | What compares | Example note |
|---|---|---|
| Same pair | Kickers high→low | A-K-9-4 vs A-K-8-7 → 9 wins |
| Same two pair | Fifth card kicker | Aces & fives + 9 vs + 8 |
| Same trips | Two kickers | Higher side cards win |
| Same straight | Top card of straight | J-high beats 10-high |
| Same flush | High flush cards | Compare suit ranks in order |
| Board plays | Split pot possible | Same five community cards |
If five-card hands are identical in rank order, the pot is split. Suits do not break ties in standard Hold’em.
Your turn
Quick category words
Wheel
A-2-3-4-5 straight (Ace plays low). The lowest straight; still beats any three of a kind.
Broadway
A-K-Q-J-10 straight (Ace high). Becomes a royal flush if all one suit.
Set vs trips
Set usually means a pocket pair that flops three of a kind; trips often means pairing the board with one hole card. Same rank category at showdown.
Full house
Three of one rank plus a separate pair. Higher trips win before comparing the pair.
Nuts
Rail slang for the best possible hand on this board. Not a ranking category — just table talk.
Progress
Hold’em: hole + board
- 1
Hole
Your two private cards
- 2
Flop
Three shared
- 3
Turn
+1 shared
- 4
River
+1 shared
- 5
Best five
Any mix of seven
You may use zero, one, or two hole cards. The ranking chart always judges the final five-card hand.
Sequence
Using the chart at the table
Step 01
Name the category
At showdown, identify the highest category you can make — do not stop at “I have an Ace.”
Step 02
Compare inside the category
Same pair? Walk kickers high to low. Same flush? Compare flush cards in order.
Step 03
Trust the cards
Table your hand face up when required. Verbal claims do not beat the ranking chart.
Step 04
Ask the dealer if tied visually
Busy boards confuse everyone. Let the dealer read the winner — that is their job.
Watch outs
Common ranking mistakes
01Thinking suits have rank
In standard casino Hold’em, suits do not break ties. Two equal flushes split (or kickers decide inside the flush).
02Playing the board wrong
If the board is the best five for everyone, the pot splits. Your Ace kicker only matters if it enters the five-card hand.
03Misreading a wheel
A-2-3-4-5 is a straight, not “Ace high mess.” It still loses to any higher straight.
04Calling two pair “a full house”
Full house needs three of a kind plus a pair. Two pair is its own lower category.
Go play
Where to play in Las Vegas
Tap a resort — each row opens that casino’s CasinoList page (hours, poker status, floor facts). Print poker rooms, sorted by published table count.
Open a casino page
Real listings · not adsRanked lists
Open a shortlist that matches this guide
Same intent, inventory first — tap through for the places we already publish for Las Vegas.
After the 90 seconds
Questions before and after you play
A 90-second guide cannot cover every table moment. Tap a group, then a question — answers are short paragraphs, not one-liners.
01Order of hands
Does a flush beat a full house?
No. A full house ranks above a flush. From the top: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, then high card. Memorize categories before you argue a pot.
Do suits matter for which hand wins?
Suits matter to make a flush or straight flush, but they do not rank against each other at showdown in standard Texas Hold’em. Two otherwise identical hands split the pot; spades are not “higher” than hearts for tie-breaks.
02Kickers
What is a kicker in poker?
A kicker is a side card used to break ties when players share the same main category — for example both have a pair of Aces. Compare the highest unpaired cards in order until one hand is higher or the pot splits.
Can the board make everyone the same hand?
Yes. If the five community cards are the best hand for every remaining player, the pot is split. Your hole cards only change the result when they improve that five-card combination.
03Where to play
Where can I use this chart in Las Vegas?
Use the poker-room venues below from our catalog. Confirm stakes and game type at the desk — this chart is for standard high-hand Hold’em rankings, not every pit side bet.
Sources
- Bellagio poker (operator page) · accessed Oct 11, 2026Land-based Las Vegas poker room — standard high-hand rankings apply at the table.
- Wynn poker (operator page) · accessed Oct 11, 2026