Boosted Poker
Poker Hand Rankings: A Beginner's Cheat Sheet
Memorizing poker hand rankings is the only homework required to start playing. Once you know what beats what, you can sit at any table — physical or virtual — and not embarrass yourself. This cheat sheet runs from best to worst, with examples and the rules for breaking ties.
The List (Best to Worst)
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Royal Flush
10-J-Q-K-A, all the same suit. The single best hand in poker. You'll see one roughly once every 30,000 hands, so don't hold your breath. Tiebreaker: there is none — if two players somehow both have a Royal Flush, they tie and split the pot. Practically impossible in standard Hold'em.
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Straight Flush
5 cards in a row, all the same suit. Example: 5-6-7-8-9 of hearts. Tiebreaker: highest top card wins (10-J-Q-K-A is technically a Straight Flush — but we call it a Royal). 5-6-7-8-9 of hearts beats 4-5-6-7-8 of spades.
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Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank. Example: K-K-K-K-3. Tiebreaker: higher rank of the four-of-a-kind wins (four Kings beats four 5s). If both players have the same four (only possible when those four are on the board), the kicker — the fifth card — decides.
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Full House
Three of one rank, two of another. Example: Q-Q-Q-7-7 ("Queens full of 7s"). Tiebreaker: the rank of the three-of-a-kind first, then the pair. K-K-K-2-2 beats Q-Q-Q-A-A because the trip kings outrank the trip queens.
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Flush
5 cards of the same suit, not in sequence. Example: A-J-8-5-3 of spades. Tiebreaker: highest card, then next highest, etc. — basically compare the hands like you'd compare numbers digit by digit. A flush with an Ace high beats one with a King high.
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Straight
5 cards in sequence, any suits. Example: 5-6-7-8-9. Tiebreaker: highest top card. Note that an Ace can be high (10-J-Q-K-A — the "Broadway" straight) or low (A-2-3-4-5 — the "wheel"). The wheel is the LOWEST straight, despite containing an Ace.
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Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. Also called "trips" or "a set." Example: 8-8-8-K-3. Tiebreaker: rank of the three-of-a-kind first, then highest kicker, then second kicker.
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Two Pair
Two cards of one rank, two of another, plus a kicker. Example: K-K-7-7-3. Tiebreaker: highest pair first, then second pair, then kicker. K-K-7-7-3 beats Q-Q-J-J-A because Kings outrank Queens (the kicker doesn't matter when the higher pairs differ).
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One Pair
Two cards of the same rank. Example: A-A-K-7-3. Tiebreaker: rank of the pair, then highest kicker, then second kicker, then third. Two players with pairs of Kings? Compare kickers in order.
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High Card
None of the above — your highest card decides. Example: A-J-8-5-3 (no pair, no flush, no straight). Tiebreaker: compare cards in descending order until one differs. A-J-8-5-3 beats A-J-8-5-2 because of the last card.
Tiebreaker Quick Reference
The general rule: when two hands are the same type (both Two Pair, both Flush, etc.), compare ranks in descending order until they differ. The tiebreakers below the rank of the made hand are called kickers.
One specific weirdness: in Texas Hold'em, your final hand is the best 5 cards out of your 2 hole cards plus the 5 community cards. So your "kicker" might come from the community board, not your hand. If the kicker is the same for both players (because both are using a board card), the pot is split.
The Order Memorization Trick
Most beginners trip on whether a Flush beats a Straight. The trick is to think about how rare each hand is — rarer hands beat more common hands. There are way more straights than flushes in a standard 52-card deck, so flushes win.
The rough mnemonic: "Royals, Straights & Flushes (combined), Quads, Boats, Flushes, Straights, Trips, Two Pair, Pair, Highs." A Straight Flush is the rarest "combined" hand; a Full House is a "boat."
Common Beginner Mistakes
Mistake: thinking three of a kind beats a straight
It doesn't, in standard Hold'em. A straight is rarer because it requires specific consecutive ranks, while three of a kind just needs three of any rank.
(Note: in Boosted Poker, one of our table modifiers — "Trips Trump Straights" — flips this for one hand. But that's the variant, not the rule.)
Mistake: thinking a Flush has to be in sequence
A Flush is just 5 cards of the same suit, in any rank order. If you also have them in sequence, that's a Straight Flush, which is much better.
Mistake: thinking the wheel (A-2-3-4-5) is the highest straight
The Ace plays as a 1 in the wheel. Wheel is the LOWEST straight. The HIGHEST straight is "Broadway" — 10-J-Q-K-A.
Mistake: forgetting kickers
If you and your opponent both have a pair of Aces, the next highest card decides. People often think "I have aces, I win" without checking the kicker. In tournament poker the kicker is what gets you eliminated.
How Many Cards Make Each Hand?
In Texas Hold'em, your final hand is always 5 cards — the best 5 out of 7 (your 2 hole + 5 community). Even if your "made hand" is just one pair, the other 3 cards are kickers and they matter for tiebreakers.
You don't have to use both your hole cards. If the best 5-card hand uses just one of yours plus 4 from the board, that's your hand. (Some variants — like the "All or Nothing" modifier in Boosted Poker — change this rule, requiring you to use both hole cards.)
Bonus: Five of a Kind
Five of a Kind is impossible in standard Hold'em (only 4 of each rank exist in a 52-card deck). It only appears in games with wild cards or — in Boosted Poker — when power-ups create duplicate cards. When it does happen, it ranks above a Royal Flush and is the absolute strongest possible hand.
FAQ
Does suit matter for tiebreaking?
No. Suits are equal in all standard poker games — there's no "spades beats hearts" rule. If two players have the same hand value, they split the pot.
What if both players have the exact same hand?
Split the pot. Happens fairly often when most of the hand uses board cards.
What's a kicker?
Any card in your 5-card hand that isn't part of the "made hand." For example, if you have a pair of Kings, the other 3 cards are kickers. They break ties when both players have the same pair.
Is there a hand that beats a Royal Flush?
Not in standard poker. In Boosted Poker, "Five of a Kind" beats a Royal Flush — but that's only possible because power-ups can create duplicate cards.
For more on hand rankings, modifiers that change them, and strategy, see our guide to poker variants and modifiers and the comparison of Boosted Poker vs Texas Hold'em.