Poker Hand Rankings: Master FAQ

The Royal Flush is the highest possible hand in standard poker. It consists of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the exact same suit (e.g., A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠). It cannot be beaten by any other card combination.

Yes, a Flush always beats a Straight. A Flush consists of five cards of the same suit regardless of sequence, while a Straight consists of five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Flushes are mathematically rarer than straights.

Yes, a Full House beats a Flush. In standard 5-card poker, there are only 3,744 full houses compared to 5,108 flushes.

When two players have a Full House, the player with the higher three-of-a-kind wins. For example, 9-9-9-2-2 (Nines full of Deuces) beats 8-8-8-A-A (Eights full of Aces). If the three-of-a-kind is identical (such as when all three cards are on the community board in Texas Hold'em), the player with the higher pair wins.

A kicker is an unpaired high card that does not directly form the hand rank, but breaks ties between identical hands. For instance, if Player A holds A-K and Player B holds A-Q on a board of A-9-6-4-2, both make a pair of Aces, but Player A's King kicker beats Player B's Queen kicker.

The Wheel is the lowest possible straight: Ace-Two-Three-Four-Five (A-2-3-4-5). In this hand, the Ace plays as a 1 (low). The highest card of the wheel is the 5, so a 6-high straight (2-3-4-5-6) beats the Wheel.

No. In all standard poker formats, straights cannot wrap around from Ace to 2. An Ace can only be the highest card (10-J-Q-K-A) or the lowest card (A-2-3-4-5). Sequences like Q-K-A-2-3 or K-A-2-3-4 are invalid.

No. In standard poker games including Texas Hold'em and Omaha, all four suits (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs) are of completely equal value. If two players have identical numerical flushes in different suits, the pot is split equally.

In Texas Hold'em, you can use any combination: both of your hole cards, only one of your hole cards, or none of your hole cards (known as "playing the board"). Your hand is always the best five cards selected from the seven available.

Both refer to Three of a Kind. A "Set" is made when you hold a pocket pair in your hand and match one board card (e.g., 7-7 with a 7 on board). "Trips" is made when there is a pair on the board and you hold one matching card (e.g., board has 7-7-K and you hold a 7).

If the five community cards on the board represent the highest hand possible and neither player can improve upon it using their private hole cards, all active players "play the board" and split the pot equally.