What beats what in poker? Quick answers

Here are quick answers to the hand questions beginners ask most. The full order, from strongest to weakest, is: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. See poker hand rankings.

Quick answers

Question	Answer
Does a flush beat a straight?	Yes.
Does a full house beat a flush?	Yes.
Does a straight beat three of a kind?	Yes.
Does three of a kind beat two pair?	Yes.
Does four of a kind beat a full house?	Yes.
Does a straight flush beat four of a kind?	Yes.
Do suits matter (is a heart flush better than a club flush)?	No. In standard poker all suits are equal.
Is A-2-3-4-5 a straight?	Yes, the lowest one (the “wheel”).
Is Q-K-A-2-3 a straight?	No. Straights can’t wrap around.
Two flushes: who wins?	The one with the highest card, then the next, and so on.
Two players with the same two pair?	The kicker decides. See kicker.

Exception: short deck

In short deck (6+) a flush beats a full house, and in some versions three of a kind beats a straight.

Why stronger hands are rarer

Hands are ranked by how rare they are. A flush is harder to make than a straight, so it ranks higher. See hand probabilities.

Two common confusions

“I have a pair and an ace.” That’s still one pair; the ace is a kicker.
“My hand uses both my cards.” It doesn’t have to. In Hold’em your best five cards can use two, one or none of your hole cards. In Omaha you must use exactly two.

FAQ

Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes. A flush ranks higher than a straight.

Does a full house beat a flush?

Yes, except in short deck poker, where a flush beats a full house.

Do suits matter in poker?

No. In standard poker all suits are equal.

Is A-2-3-4-5 a straight?

Yes. It’s the lowest straight, called the wheel.