The order never changes and almost everyone knows it. The arguments are always about the same three edge cases, which are covered underneath.
| Hand | Example | Odds of five cards |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ | 1 in 649,740 |
| Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | 1 in 72,193 |
| Four of a kind | 9♣ 9♦ 9♠ 9♥ K♥ | 1 in 4,165 |
| Full house | 9♣ 9♦ 9♠ K♥ K♦ | 1 in 694 |
| Flush | A♥ 9♥ 7♥ 5♥ 3♥ | 1 in 509 |
| Straight | 9♥ 8♠ 7♦ 6♣ 5♥ | 1 in 255 |
| Three of a kind | 9♣ 9♦ 9♠ K♥ 2♦ | 1 in 47 |
| Two pair | 9♣ 9♦ K♥ K♠ 2♦ | 1 in 21 |
| One pair | 9♣ 9♦ K♥ Q♠ 2♦ | 1 in 2.4 |
| High card | A♥ 9♦ 7♠ 5♣ 3♦ | 1 in 2 |
A-2-3-4-5 is a straight, the lowest one, and it loses to 2-3-4-5-6. Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight at all. This is the rule that costs people money.
Two flushes are compared on their highest card, then the next, and so on. Suits never break a tie in Hold'em — if all five cards match in rank, the pot is chopped.
The board plays if it beats both hands. A pair of kings on the board with an ace-high kicker on the table means everyone still in has the same hand, and the pot splits regardless of what is in anybody's hand.
Yes. A flush is roughly twice as rare, and the rankings follow rarity exactly.
Yes, the five-high straight, known as the wheel. It is the lowest straight and the ace counts as low.
Not in Texas Hold'em. Identical hands split the pot.