What Beats What in Poker — Complete Hand Hierarchy
Last updated: May 15, 2026
The poker hand hierarchy from highest to lowest is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card. A Royal Flush beats every other hand. A Flush beats a Straight. A Full House beats a Flush. Suits never break ties — kickers and rank do. This page covers the complete hierarchy with examples, probabilities, and tie-breaker rules.
The Complete Poker Hand Hierarchy
All 10 hand categories in order. Higher hands beat lower hands. Within the same category, higher rank beats lower (a pair of aces beats a pair of kings). Suits do not break ties.
Royal Flush
Example
A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 30,940 (7-card)
The A-K-Q-J-T straight, all the same suit. The strongest possible hand in poker — and unbeatable. Can only tie with another Royal Flush at the same table.
Beats: Everything
Loses to: Nothing — only ties with another Royal Flush (extremely rare)
Straight Flush
Example
9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 3,590 (7-card)
Five consecutive cards of the same suit. A higher Straight Flush (J-high) beats a lower one (5-high). The Royal Flush is technically the highest Straight Flush.
Beats: Four of a Kind and below
Loses to: Royal Flush, higher Straight Flush
Four of a Kind (Quads)
Example
K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣ 7♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 595 (7-card)
Four cards of the same rank plus any kicker. Higher Quads beat lower Quads — four aces beats four kings. The kicker only matters if both players have the same four of a kind (rare).
Beats: Full House and below
Loses to: Straight Flush, Royal Flush, higher Four of a Kind
Full House (Boat)
Example
Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 8♣ 8♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 36 (7-card)
Three of a kind plus a pair. Read as 'three over pair' — Q-Q-Q-8-8 is 'queens full of eights.' Higher trips win first; if equal, higher pair breaks the tie.
Beats: Flush and below
Loses to: Four of a Kind and above
Flush
Example
A♠ J♠ 9♠ 6♠ 3♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 32 (7-card)
Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Tie-breaker: the highest card wins — A♠-high beats K♠-high. Suits never break ties; A♠-9♠-7♠-5♠-3♠ ties A♥-9♥-7♥-5♥-3♥.
Beats: Straight and below
Loses to: Full House and above
Straight
Example
T♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 21 (7-card)
Five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-T) or low (5-4-3-2-A wheel) but not 'around the corner.' Higher straight beats lower straight.
Beats: Three of a Kind and below
Loses to: Flush and above
Three of a Kind (Trips/Set)
Example
J♠ J♥ J♦ 7♣ 4♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 47 (7-card)
Three cards of the same rank. 'Set' means using both hole cards plus one on board (8♠8♥ on 8♦-Q-7); 'Trips' means using one hole card plus pair on board (8♠X on 8♦8♥-Q).
Beats: Two Pair and below
Loses to: Straight and above
Two Pair
Example
A♠ A♥ 8♦ 8♣ K♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 4.3 (7-card)
Two different pairs plus a kicker. Higher pair wins first (A-A-8-8 beats K-K-Q-Q? No — K-K-Q-Q beats A-A-8-8). Then lower pair, then kicker.
Beats: One Pair and below
Loses to: Three of a Kind and above
One Pair
Example
Q♠ Q♥ 7♦ 4♣ 2♠
Frequency (7-card)
1 in 2.4 (7-card)
Two cards of the same rank plus three unrelated cards. Higher pair wins; if pairs are equal, kickers break ties in order (best 3 kickers count).
Beats: High Card
Loses to: Two Pair and above
High Card
Example
A♠ J♥ 8♦ 5♣ 2♠
Frequency (7-card)
Very common — most hands without a pair
Five unrelated cards. Highest card wins. Almost all 'busted' poker hands at showdown are high-card vs high-card battles — the ace-high or king-high usually wins.
Beats: Nothing in standard ranking
Loses to: One Pair and above
Quick Reference: Most-Asked Beat Questions
Definitions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest hand in poker?
The Royal Flush is the highest hand in poker — A-K-Q-J-T all of the same suit. It is unbeatable; only another Royal Flush at the same table can tie it. The Royal Flush appears about 1 in 30,940 hands in 7-card Texas Hold'em — most poker players never see one at the table in their lifetime. The Royal Flush is technically the highest Straight Flush.
Does a Flush beat a Straight?
Yes — a Flush beats a Straight. This is the most common confusion among beginners. A Flush (5 cards of the same suit) is harder to make than a Straight (5 consecutive cards of any suit), so it ranks higher. The exact probabilities in 7-card Hold'em: Flush appears 3.03%, Straight appears 4.62% — the Flush is 50% rarer, which is why it wins.
Does a Straight beat a Flush?
No — a Flush beats a Straight. Always. There is no variant of standard poker where the Straight outranks the Flush. The order from lowest to highest: One Pair → Two Pair → Three of a Kind → Straight → Flush → Full House → Four of a Kind → Straight Flush → Royal Flush.
Does a Full House beat a Flush?
Yes — a Full House beats a Flush. A Full House is three of a kind plus a pair (for example, Queens full of Eights: Q-Q-Q-8-8). It is rarer than a Flush (Full House appears 2.60% in 7-card Hold'em vs Flush's 3.03%) and therefore beats it. Common confusion: many beginners think Flush is rarer because of the 'matching color' requirement, but the math says Full House wins.
Does a Straight Flush beat Four of a Kind?
Yes — a Straight Flush beats Four of a Kind. A Straight Flush (5 consecutive same-suit cards like 9-8-7-6-5 all hearts) is rarer than Four of a Kind. In 7-card Hold'em, Straight Flush appears 0.0279% and Four of a Kind appears 0.168%. The Straight Flush is roughly 6× rarer, so it ranks higher.
Do suits break ties in poker?
No — suits do not break ties in standard poker (including Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud). All four suits are equal in rank. If two players have an Ace-high Flush with the same secondary cards, the pot is split. Suits only matter in determining 'who acts first' in stud games and a few specific casino procedures, never for hand strength.
What hand beats Three of a Kind?
Three of a Kind is beaten by Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush — six categories of hands. Among these, the most common 'next level up' that beats Three of a Kind is a Straight (1 in 21 hands in 7-card Hold'em). The most common situation where Trips loses: an opponent hits a higher Three of a Kind (set over trips with better kicker).
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