Poker Hand Rankings: Traditional Hierarchy Explained

Traditional Classification of High Hands in Poker

Straight Flush

Five cards of the same suit in sequence.

• Tiebreaker: The highest straight wins.
• The highest possible straight flush is the Royal Flush: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten, all of the same suit. A Royal Flush is the hand to beat.

Four of a Kind (Kind)

Four cards of the same rank and one different card (the kicker).

• Tiebreaker: The higher four-of-a-kind wins. In community card games where players have the same four-of-a-kind, the highest fifth side card (kicker) wins.

Full House

Three cards of the same rank and two cards of a different, matching rank (a set and a pair).

• Tiebreaker: The hand with the highest three matching cards wins the pot. In community card games where players have the same three matching cards, the hand with the highest pair wins.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.

• Tiebreaker: The player with the highest card wins. If necessary, the second, third, fourth, and fifth highest cards can break the tie. If all five cards have the same value, the pot is shared. In poker, the suit of the cards is never used to break a tie.

Straight

Five cards in sequence, but not all of the same suit.

• Tiebreaker: The highest straight wins.
• Note: The Ace is the only card that can be used at the top or bottom of the sequence. The combination A-K-Q-J-10 (Ace high) is the highest straight, while 5-4-3-2-A (Five high) is the lowest.

Three of a Kind (Set or Trips)

Three cards of the same rank and two cards of different values.

• Tiebreaker: The highest trio wins. In games with community cards where more than one player has the same trio, the highest unmatched side card wins; and if necessary, the second highest unmatched card breaks the tie.

Two Pair

Two cards of one equal value, combined with two other cards of the same rank, and a fifth card of a different rank.

• Tiebreaker: The highest pair wins. If players have the same highest pair, the highest second pair wins. If both players have identical pairs, the rank of the fifth card (kicker) determines the winner.

Pair (One Pair)

Two cards of the same rank, and three cards of different values.

• Tiebreaker: The highest pair wins. If players have the same pair, the highest side card wins, and if necessary, the second and third side cards can be used to break the tie.

High Card

Any hand that does not belong to any of the above categories.

• Tiebreaker: The highest card wins, and if necessary, the second, third, and fourth cards can be used to break the tie.