Poker hand rankings and how often each one comes up
There are ten hand ranks, ordered so that the rarer hand wins. Every probability below is an exact count over all five-, six- and seven-card combinations (2,598,960, 20,358,520 and 133,784,560 of them). In Hold'em your two cards plus the flop make five, the turn makes six and the river seven, and you play the best five.
At the flop (five cards) 50.1% of hands have nothing, but by the river only 17.4% do, and the most common result is one pair (43.8%). With seven cards a straight (4.62%) is almost as common as three of a kind (4.83%), but the ranking is the five-card one and does not change.
The ten hands, and how ties are broken
When two players make the same hand, compare as in the last column; if all five cards match, the pot is split.
| # | Hand | Example | What it is | Tie-break |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ | A, K, Q, J, T of one suit | Suits have no rank, so two royals split |
| 2 | Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five in a row, all one suit | Highest top card wins |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♠ | Four cards of one rank | Rank of the four, then the kicker |
| 4 | Full house | 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ K♣ K♠ | Three of a kind plus a pair | Rank of the three, then of the pair |
| 5 | Flush | A♦ J♦ 8♦ 6♦ 2♦ | Five cards of one suit | Compare from the top card down |
| 6 | Straight | T♣ 9♦ 8♠ 7♥ 6♣ | Five in a row, any suits. A-2-3-4-5 counts, K-A-2 does not | Highest top card; in A-2-3-4-5 the top card is the 5 |
| 7 | Three of a kind | 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠ | Three cards of one rank | Rank of the three, then two kickers |
| 8 | Two pair | J♠ J♥ 4♦ 4♣ A♠ | Two different pairs | Top pair, then bottom pair, then kicker |
| 9 | One pair | T♠ T♥ A♦ 8♣ 3♠ | Two cards of one rank | Rank of the pair, then three kickers |
| 10 | High card | A♠ Q♦ 9♥ 5♣ 3♠ | None of the above | Compare from the top card down |
Chance that each hand is your best hand on the flop, turn and river
"Flop" is your two cards plus three on board; "river" is all seven. Hands made by the board alone are included.
| Hand | Flop (5 cards) | Turn (6 cards) | River (7 cards) | River count | At the river |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 0.0002% | 0.0009% | 0.0032% | 4,324 | 1 in 30,940 |
| Straight flush | 0.0014% | 0.0081% | 0.0279% | 37,260 | 1 in 3,591 |
| Four of a kind | 0.0240% | 0.0720% | 0.168% | 224,848 | 1 in 595 |
| Full house | 0.144% | 0.815% | 2.60% | 3,473,184 | 1 in 38.5 |
| Flush | 0.197% | 1.01% | 3.03% | 4,047,644 | 1 in 33.1 |
| Straight | 0.392% | 1.78% | 4.62% | 6,180,020 | 1 in 21.6 |
| Three of a kind | 2.11% | 3.60% | 4.83% | 6,461,620 | 1 in 20.7 |
| Two pair | 4.75% | 12.4% | 23.5% | 31,433,400 | 1 in 4.3 |
| One pair | 42.3% | 47.8% | 43.8% | 58,627,800 | 1 in 2.3 |
| High card | 50.1% | 32.5% | 17.4% | 23,294,460 | 1 in 5.7 |
Totals: 2,598,960 five-card, 20,358,520 six-card and 133,784,560 seven-card combinations. Odds for a specific kind of starting hand are on the probability page and each hand page.
Four things beginners get wrong
- Only five of the seven cards play. A sixth card is never a kicker.
- The ace plays high or low (A-K-Q-J-T and A-2-3-4-5), but straights never wrap around, so K-A-2-3-4 is nothing.
- If the board already has two pair, a third pair in your hand still leaves you with two pair — the top two play.
- Flushes are compared from the top card down. Suits carry no rank.
FAQ
What is the best hand in poker?
A royal flush — A, K, Q, J, T of one suit. From the seven cards available in Hold'em it comes up 0.0032% of the time, once every 30,940 deals.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. From seven cards a flush comes up 3.03% of the time and a straight 4.62%; the rarer hand ranks higher. A full house beats both and appears 2.60% of the time.
Are some suits stronger than others?
Not in Texas Hold'em. Identical hands split the pot. Suit rankings belong to other games or house rules.
How often do you make at least a pair by the river?
82.6% of seven-card hands are a pair or better; only 17.4% are high card. One pair is the most common (43.8%), then two pair (23.5%). These include hands made entirely by the board, so they are not the odds of holding a hand nobody else shares.