According to the Poker hand rules, there are ten hand rankings that determine the ultimate winner against the others. Learning about Poker hands and Texas Holdem winning hands will make you efficient enough to play your best hand and emerge as a champion. According to the Poker hand rules, there are ten hand rankings that determine the ultimate winner against the others. Learning about Poker hands and Texas Holdem winning hands will make you efficient enough to play your best hand and emerge as a champion. Pocket Aces – statistically the best starting hand in Hold’em – are less than a 75% favorite against 2 or more opponents according to my Texas Hold’em hand rankings. If you’ve ever played Texas Hold’em you already know how important starting hand selection is. Most of the time in Texas holdem you’ll still have the best hand with a flush in these situations, but you always need to know what the best possible hand is before deciding how much to risk in the pot. Other hands to watch out for include possible straights and boards that have a high likelihood of having two pair.

A pair of aces, also known as 'pocket rockets' (and sometimes 'American Airlines') is the best starting hand for Texas Hold 'em. Be wary of how many other players enter the pot, as more players increase the likelihood of someone beating your aces.

These are the traditional poker hand rankings, which are used in the most popular variants of poker (such as Texas Hold‘em).

Whether you’re looking to learn how poker hands rank or what beats what in poker, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s get started.

Poker Hands from Highest to Lowest

The following poker hand rankings relate to more traditional and popular game types, including:

No Limit Hold’em
Limit Hold’em
Pot Limit Omaha
5 Card Draw

The hands are ranked from strongest to weakest.

1. Royal Flush
The best hand possible, a royal flush consists of A, K, Q, J and 10, all of the same suit (extremely rare).

2. Straight Flush
Also very rare, a straight flush consists of any straight that is all the same suit.

3. Four of a Kind
Four of a kind, or ‘quads’, consists of four cards of equal value along with another card known as a side card.

4. Full House
A full house consists of three cards of one value and two cards of another.

5. Flush
A flush is a hand which has all cards of the same suit.

If 2 or more players get to showdown with a flush, the flush with the highest card wins.

6. Straight
A straight has 5 cards of consecutive value that are not all the same suit.

Note that an Ace can be either the high or low end of a straight, but not both at once. So, A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is also known as the wheel, and it is the lowest possible straight.

7. Three of a Kind
Also known as ‘trips’, three of a kind is 3 cards of the same value and 2 side cards of different values.

8. Two Pair
Two pair consists of two cards of equal value, another two cards of equal value, and one extra card.

When two opposing players have two pair, the player with the highest pair wins the pot. For example, Aces and Threes beats Kings and Queens. If both players have the same highest pair, the player with the higher second pair wins. If both players have the exact same two pair, then the player with the higher extra card wins.

9. One Pair
One pair consists of two cards of the same value, and three extra cards. This is the lowest ranking “made” hand.

10. High Card
Five cards that do not interact with each other to make any of the above hands.

Tie-breakers and Kickers

In the event multiple players have the same poker hands, the extra cards come in to play. These cards are called ‘kickers’. The player with the higher kicker will take the pot in this event.

No Limit Hold’em Example: Player AandPlayer B

Player A has K♥ 9♥
Player B has A♠ K♦
The flop, turn and river are K♠-T♣-T♦–4♠-2♣

Best Hands In Texas Hold'em In Order

This means the player’s final poker hands are:

Player A: K♥ K♠ T♣ T♦ 9♥ for Two Pair, Kings and Tens with a Nine kicker
Player B: K♦ K♠ T♣ T♦ A♠ for Two Pair, Kings and Tens with an Ace kicker

Best Hands In Texas Holdem Chart

The winner of the pot is Player B because he has Player A ‘out-kicked’.

In a high card or one pair hand tie-breaker, both players can sometimes have the same kicker. In this case the second kicker is used, and then the third, and so on. If both players’ 5 card hands are identical, then they share the pot equally.

Top 20 Best Texas Hold’em Hands Rankings

I wanted to include something a bit more exciting in this article, so here’s the top 20 No Limit Hold’em starting hands in terms of raw all-in equity (or percentages).

Although the order of the best poker hands to start with is sometimes contested, this list will give you a rough idea of which hands are stronger than others.

I hope you enjoyed this list of poker hands rankings!

Read more:

Best Hands In Texas Holdem Preflop

Source:@Upswingpoker.com