Texas Hold'em Hand Rank

Learning the rank of hands in Texas Hold'em is just as important as learning the rules themselves. Be sure to know what beats what, so you won't be surprised the next time that flush beats your straight. Check out the hand rank FAQ to help answer questions you might have about the ranking of hands in Texas Hold'em.

The hands are in order from top to bottom, decreasing in value as you move down.

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Rank of hands.

#1 Royal flush.

An ace high straight flush. This is the best possible hand in the game of Texas Hold'em. You will rarely (if ever) see this hand.

#2 Straight flush.

5 cards of the same suit in sequential order. This is essentially the best hand in the game, only coming second to it's older brother; the royal flush.

#3 Four of a kind.

4 cards of the same value. This is always a nice hand to pick up, but unfortunately you never really win as much money with it as you would like.

#4 Full house.

3 of one and 2 of another. This is the most common out of the "big hands" you will see in Texas Hold'em. If you think your opponent has a weaker full house than you, take advantage of Zeebo's theorem.

#5 Flush

4 cards of the same suit. Beginner players love to chase flushes, and it usually results in losing money. Make sure you learn about pot odds before you chase your next flush.

#6 Straight.

5 cards in sequential order. This hand is actually beaten by a flush, so don't make the rookie mistake of over-valuing the straight when there are a number of cards of the same suit on the board.

#7 Three of a kind.

3 cards of the same value. A "set" is when you have 3 of a kind whilst holding a pocket pair. A set tends to be one of the most profitable hands in Texas Hold'em.

#8 Two pair.

Two pairs of course. Don't make the mistake of thinking that this hand is stronger than 3 of a kind. It's actually easier to pick up two pair than it is to get 3 of a kind.

#9 Pair.

Two cards of the same value. Almost like "two of a kind" really. A very common hand that can actually win a fair number of pots for you. The higher the pair the better.

#10 High card.

This is not really much of a hand, but occasionally the winner of the hand will be decided on who holds the card of highest value. Don't expect to win any big pots with this one.

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