Standard high-hand poker compares the best five-card combinations. The order below applies to Texas Hold’em and other usual high games. Lowball and some special variants use different rankings.
Hands from highest to lowest
Royal flush
The highest straight flush: ten through ace.
Straight flush
Five consecutive cards of one suit.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank.
Full house
Three of a kind and a pair. Compare the three first.
Flush
Five cards of one suit, not consecutive.
Straight
Five consecutive ranks, not all of one suit.
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank.
Two pair
Two distinct pairs and a fifth card.
One pair
Two cards of the same rank.
High card
When there is no pair or higher combination.
How to compare matching hand types
Compare the main ranks first: a pair of aces beats a pair of kings. For equal pairs, compare remaining cards, or kickers, in descending order until they differ. Full houses compare the three of a kind, then the pair; two-pair hands compare the higher pair, lower pair, then fifth card.
In standard Texas Hold’em, suits have no ranking advantage. If the best five cards have identical poker value, the pot is split under the game’s rules. A sixth card cannot serve as an extra kicker.
The ace in a straight
An ace can end 10–J–Q–K–A or begin the low straight A–2–3–4–5. Q–K–A–2–3 is not a straight: the sequence cannot wrap around the ace.
A common Hold’em mistake
Players receive two hole cards but need not use both. Choose the best five of seven available cards, using two, one or neither hole card. A strong board can therefore give every remaining player the same hand.
This reference helps check a hand’s result. It does not automatically tell you which starting cards to play; the situation and table rules matter.
Rules and sources
References for checking the rules. Explanations and worked examples were prepared by the VmireCasino editorial team.
