Poker Hand Rankings & Probabilities

From strongest to weakest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. In Texas Hold'em, where you make the best five of seven cards, a pair or better shows up about 82.6% of the time, and a straight or better only about 10.4%.

#	Hand	Example	5-card odds	7-card (Hold'em) odds	7-card chance
1	Royal flush	A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠	0.0002% 1 : 649,739	4,324	0.0032% 1 : 30,939
2	Straight flush	9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥	0.0014% 1 : 72,192	37,260	0.028% 1 : 3,590
3	Four of a kind	K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 4♠	0.024% 1 : 4,164	224,848	0.168% 1 : 594
4	Full house	Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 8♠	0.144% 1 : 693	3,473,184	2.60% 1 : 38
5	Flush	A♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 3♦	0.197% 1 : 508	4,047,644	3.03% 1 : 32
6	Straight	9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠	0.392% 1 : 254	6,180,020	4.62% 1 : 21
7	Three of a kind	7♠ 7♥ 7♦ K♣ 2♠	2.11% 1 : 46	6,461,620	4.83% 1 : 20
8	Two pair	J♠ J♥ 4♦ 4♣ A♠	4.75% 1 : 20	31,433,400	23.50% 1 : 3
9	One pair	T♠ T♥ A♦ 7♣ 3♠	42.26% 1 : 1	58,627,800	43.82% 1 : 1
10	High card	A♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 2♠	50.12% 1 : 1	23,294,460	17.41% 1 : 5

Five-card columns assume a fresh five-card deal (2,598,960 combinations). Seven-card columns are the best five-card hand from seven cards (133,784,560 combinations), which is what you actually make in Hold'em. Straight flush excludes the royal flush.

Preflop odds worth memorizing

Dealt a pocket pair	5.9% (1 in 17)
Dealt pocket aces	0.45% (1 in 221)
Dealt any specific two-card combo such as AK offsuit	1.2% for AK of any suits, 0.9% offsuit
Dealt two suited cards	23.5% (about 1 in 4)
Pocket pair flops a set or better	11.8% (about 1 in 8.5)

Draw odds (outs to hit)

Draw	Outs	Next card	Flop to river
Gutshot straight draw	4	8.5%	16.5%
Open-ended straight draw	8	17.0%	31.5%
Flush draw	9	19.1%	35.0%
Flush draw + open-ended straight draw	15	31.9%	54.1%
Two overcards	6	12.8%	24.1%

Next card = outs ÷ 47 (flop to turn). Flop to river = 1 − (47−outs)/47 × (46−outs)/46. Shortcut: multiply outs by 4 on the flop, by 2 on the turn. Use the pot odds calculator to compare these numbers with the price you are asked to pay.

FAQ

What beats what in poker?

The ranking from best to worst is royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. Within the same category the higher cards win, and kickers break ties.

How often do you make a flush in Texas Hold'em?

A flush as your best hand is made about 3.03% of the time over seven cards, roughly 1 in 33. If you hold two suited cards, you finish a flush by the river about 6.4% of the time; if you flop four to a flush, about 35%.

Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes. A flush ranks above a straight, and a full house ranks above a flush. The order tracks rarity: over seven cards a straight is made 4.62% of the time and a flush 3.03%, so the flush is the rarer hand and ranks higher.

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