what beats what in poker

In standard poker, hands rank from highest to lowest like this, and any hand higher on the list “beats” all below it.

Quick Scoop: What Beats What in Poker

Full ranking (best to worst)

Royal flush – A‑K‑Q‑J‑10 all of the same suit (e.g., 10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠). It’s the absolute top hand and can’t be beaten by anything else.

Straight flush – Five cards in a row, all the same suit (e.g., 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ 10♠). Any straight flush loses to a higher straight flush, and all lose to a royal flush.

Four of a kind – Four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card (e.g., Q♥ Q♠ Q♣ Q♦ 10♠). Higher quads beat lower quads.

Full house – Three of one rank plus a pair of another rank (e.g., K♠ K♥ 10♠ 10♣ 10♦). First compare the trips, then the pair if needed.

Flush – Any five cards of the same suit, not in sequence (e.g., K♦ J♦ 10♦ 8♦ 7♦). If two players have a flush, you rank them by highest card, then next highest, and so on.

Straight – Five cards in sequence of mixed suits (e.g., 8♠ 9♥ 10♠ J♣ Q♦). A higher top card makes a better straight; A‑2‑3‑4‑5 is the lowest straight.

Three of a kind – Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated side cards (kickers), like 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ 7♥ K♣.

Two pair – Two different pairs plus one kicker (e.g., K♣ K♦ 7♠ 7♥ 3♣). Compare the higher pair first, then the lower pair, then the kicker if needed.

One pair – One pair plus three kickers (e.g., J♠ J♥ 9♦ 5♣ 2♠). Higher pair wins; if equal, compare kickers in order.

High card – No pair or better; just your highest card and then the next ones as tiebreakers (e.g., A‑high beats K‑high).

Simple “beats what” cheat notes

A flush beats a straight.

A full house beats a flush.

Three of a kind does not beat a straight; a straight is higher.

Any made hand (even a tiny pair) beats high card.

Tiny example story

You’re in a friendly Texas Hold’em game in 2026, and the board is: 9♠ 10♠ J♠ Q♠ 2♦.

You hold A♠ K♠ → that gives you a royal flush, the dream hand.

Your friend holds 8♠ 7♠ → that’s only a straight flush to 10, which still loses to your royal flush.

HTML table of hand rankings

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Rank</th>
      <th>Hand</th>
      <th>Example</th>
      <th>Beats</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>1</td>
      <td>Royal Flush</td>
      <td>10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠</td>
      <td>All other hands</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>2</td>
      <td>Straight Flush</td>
      <td>5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥</td>
      <td>Four of a Kind and below</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>3</td>
      <td>Four of a Kind</td>
      <td>Q♥ Q♠ Q♣ Q♦ 10♠</td>
      <td>Full House and below</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>4</td>
      <td>Full House</td>
      <td>K♠ K♥ 10♠ 10♣ 10♦</td>
      <td>Flush and below</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>5</td>
      <td>Flush</td>
      <td>K♦ J♦ 10♦ 8♦ 7♦</td>
      <td>Straight and below</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>6</td>
      <td>Straight</td>
      <td>8♠ 9♥ 10♠ J♣ Q♦</td>
      <td>Three of a Kind and below</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>7</td>
      <td>Three of a Kind</td>
      <td>10♠ 10♥ 10♦ 7♥ K♣</td>
      <td>Two Pair, One Pair, High Card</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>8</td>
      <td>Two Pair</td>
      <td>K♣ K♦ 7♠ 7♥ 3♣</td>
      <td>One Pair, High Card</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>9</td>
      <td>One Pair</td>
      <td>J♠ J♥ 9♦ 5♣ 2♠</td>
      <td>High Card</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>10</td>
      <td>High Card</td>
      <td>A♠ 9♦ 7♣ 4♥ 2♣</td>
      <td>Nothing</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.