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What beats what in poker?
Each hand beats every hand below it. Counts are for five cards dealt from a 52-card deck, from Wizard of Odds:
| Hand | What it is | Hands of 2,598,960 | Chance in five cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit | 4 | 1 in 649,740 |
| Straight flush | Five in a row, one suit | 36 | 1 in 72,193 |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank | 624 | 1 in 4,165 |
| Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | 3,744 | 1 in 694 |
| Flush | Five of one suit, not in a row | 5,108 | 1 in 509 |
| Straight | Five in a row, mixed suits | 10,200 | 1 in 255 |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank | 54,912 | 1 in 47 |
| Two pair | Two different pairs | 123,552 | 1 in 21 |
| One pair | Two cards of one rank | 1,098,240 | 1 in 2.4 |
| High card | None of the above | 1,302,540 | 1 in 2.0 |
The "1 in" figures are the total hands divided by the count, rounded.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush beats a straight because it is rarer: 5,108 five-card hands make a flush and 10,200 make a straight. A full house beats both, with 3,744 hands.
How are ties broken?
When two players have the same kind of hand, the higher cards win. These rules apply in hold'em and most other games:
- Pairs and three of a kind: the higher rank wins, so a pair of kings beats a pair of queens.
- Two pair: compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.
- Straights and flushes: the highest card wins.
- Full house: the three of a kind decides it.
- If every card that counts is equal, the pot is split. Suits never break a tie in standard poker.
Is an ace high or low?
Both, in a straight. A-K-Q-J-10 is the highest straight, and 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest. A straight cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
Do video poker hands rank the same way?
Mostly, but video poker pays from a pay table rather than comparing hands with other players. A full house and a flush pay set amounts. See our video poker guide for how the pay table changes the return.
What are the rules in your state?
Each state sets its own online casino rules. Pick a state to see its status, its regulator and the date we last checked it.
Read next: Starting hands
Sources
Checked November 5, 2026. Regulator rules were read through the sources listed, and they can change. How we research.
- Wizard of Odds: poker probabilities
- Wizard of Odds: video poker