What Beats What in Poker
A higher kind of hand always beats a lower one: a flush beats a straight, and a full house beats a flush. When two players hold the same kind, a short set of tie-breaking rules decides who wins, or whether the pot is split.
Learn what beats what in QuadsFree, five minutes.
The Ladder, and How Each Kind Breaks a Tie
The full ladder with an example of each is on poker hand rankings. Here is what to compare when two hands are the same kind.
- 1. Royal flushAlways a tie: there is no higher royal flush, so the pot is split.
- 2. Straight flushThe higher top card.
- 3. Four of a kindThe higher four of a kind, then the fifth card.
- 4. Full houseThe higher three of a kind, then the higher pair.
- 5. FlushThe highest card, then the next down. Suits never break a tie.
- 6. StraightThe higher top card. The wheel, ace-two-three-four-five, is the lowest straight, five-high.
- 7. Three of a kindThe higher three of a kind, then the two other cards in order.
- 8. Two pairThe higher pair, then the lower pair, then the fifth card.
- 9. One pairThe higher pair wins; if they match, the best of the three other cards (the kickers), in order.
- 10. High cardThe highest card wins; if they match, the next highest, down to five cards.
Seven Worked Examples
In Texas Hold’em your hand is the best five of your two cards and the five on the table, as in how to play poker. Each example below is checked against the same hand-ranking code that Quads uses in its lessons.
A Flush Beats a Straight
Hand A K♠J♠9♠5♠2♠
Hand B 9♥8♦7♣6♠5♥
Hand A wins. A flush ranks above a straight, however high the straight.
Two Pairs: The Higher Pair Wins
Hand A K♥K♦4♣4♠9♦
Hand B Q♥Q♦J♣J♠A♦
Hand A wins. Kings and fours beat queens and jacks. The top pair is compared first, and the ace in the other hand does not matter.
Same Pair: The Kicker Decides
Board K♣9♦5♠4♥2♣
Hand A A♥K♦
Hand B Q♠K♥
Hand A wins. Both players have a pair of kings from the board. Ace-king plays an ace as its kicker, queen-king only a queen, so the ace wins.
The Wheel Is the Lowest Straight
Hand A A♥2♦3♣4♠5♥
Hand B 2♥3♦4♣5♠6♥
Hand B wins. The ace counts low here, so the wheel is five-high. A six-high straight beats it.
Full House: The Three of a Kind Comes First
Hand A 9♥9♦9♣2♠2♦
Hand B 8♥8♦8♣A♥A♦
Hand A wins. Nines full of deuces beat eights full of aces. Compare the three of a kind first; the pair only matters when those match.
Flush Against Flush: The Highest Card
Hand A A♥9♥7♥4♥2♥
Hand B K♦Q♦J♦9♦8♦
Hand A wins. Both are flushes, so the highest card decides: ace beats king.
The Board Plays: A Split Pot
Board A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
Hand A 2♣3♦
Hand B 4♠5♦
The pot is split. The best five cards are all on the board, a royal flush, and neither player’s cards improve it. Each player’s best five is the same, so they split the pot.
Three Rules That Settle Most Arguments
- Suits never rank.See suit: hearts do not beat spades, and two hands that differ only by suit split the pot.
- Five cards only.A hand is the best five, so a kicker matters only when the five cards you play differ.
- The board can play.If the best five are all on the table, everyone can use them. This is the board plays, and the pot is split.
Does a Flush Beat Three of a Kind?
Yes. A flush beats three of a kind, and a straight does too: the ladder runs flush, straight, three of a kind. Even a low flush beats trips of any rank.
A Low Flush Beats Three Nines
Hand A K♥9♥7♥4♥2♥
Hand B 9♦9♣9♠A♣3♦
Hand A wins. Three of a kind is the weaker kind, so the flush wins whatever the ranks.
Flush vs Flush: Who Wins?
The flush with the highest card wins. If those match, compare the next highest card, and so on down all five. Suits never break a tie: if the five ranks are the same, the pot is split.
The Second Card Decides
Hand A A♥9♥7♥4♥2♥
Hand B A♦Q♦J♦5♦3♦
Hand B wins. Both flushes start with an Ace, so compare the next card: the Queen beats the Nine.
Does a Flush Beat a Full House (a Boat)?
No. A full house, often called a boat, beats a flush. The full house is the rarer hand and ranks one rung higher.
A Boat Beats a Flush
Hand A K♥9♥7♥4♥2♥
Hand B 8♣8♦8♠3♣3♦
Hand B wins. Eights full of threes is a full house, which ranks above any flush.
Questions
What beats what in poker?
From best to worst: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, a pair and high card. A higher kind always beats a lower one.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush is rarer than a straight, so it ranks higher.
Do suits matter in poker?
No. No suit is higher than another. Two hands that differ only by suit split the pot.
What is a kicker?
The extra card that breaks a tie between two hands of the same kind, such as the fifth card beside a pair.
Is the ace high or low?
Both in a straight: ace-king-queen-jack-ten is the highest straight and ace-two-three-four-five, the wheel, is the lowest. Anywhere else the ace is high.
Learn what beats what in QuadsFree, five minutes.
Quads is for adults, 18 and over. It teaches with play chips only: there is no real money, ever.