Texas Hold’em hand rankings and showdowns

Hold’em is decided by the best five-card hand. This guide explains the rankings and how showdowns are settled, as on our Texas Hold’em rules page.

The rankings

From strongest to weakest:

Rank	Hand	Example
1	Straight flush	9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥
2	Four of a kind	8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 8♣ K♠
3	Full house	Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 4♣ 4♠
4	Flush	A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦
5	Straight	10♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠
6	Three of a kind	7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠
7	Two pair	J♠ J♥ 4♦ 4♣ A♠
8	One pair	9♠ 9♥ A♦ 7♣ 3♠
9	High card	A♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 3♠

An ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (5-4-3-2-A). A straight cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.

Use exactly five cards

You choose the best five from your two hole cards and the five community cards. You may use both hole cards, one or none. If the best hand is on the board, you may “play the board”.

Kickers

If two players have the same kind of hand, compare the ranks that make it, then the leftover cards, or kickers, from highest to lowest.

Example. The board is A♣ K♦ 8♠ 8♥ 2♣. You hold A♦ Q♠ and an opponent holds K♣ Q♥.

• You: A-A-8-8-Q (two pair, aces and eights, queen kicker).
• Opponent: K-K-8-8-Q (two pair, kings and eights).

Your higher top pair wins.

Ties and split pots

Suits do not break ties. If two players have the same five-card hand, they split the pot as evenly as possible. An odd chip goes according to the house procedure.

Showdown

After the last betting round, the players still in the hand reveal their cards. The best hand wins the pot. If everyone else folds, the last player wins without showing.

Side pots

A player who is all-in can win only the part of the pot they matched. The rest forms a side pot for the players who kept betting, and it is awarded separately, with hands compared among those players only.

Common ranking mix-ups

• A flush beats a straight.
• A full house beats a flush.
• Three of a kind is not a full house.
• A wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the lowest straight.