TEN HANDS TO KNOW
Poker hand rankings, best to worst
Every poker game uses the same ladder. Learn it once and you will never again wonder whether a flush beats a straight (it does). From the top:
The ladder
| # | Hand | What it is | Ties | In Poker Call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal flush | A, K, Q, J, 10, all one suit | The best hand there is. One in 649,740 deals of five cards; in Hold’em you will see a handful in a lifetime. | 25 Tumble balls |
| 2 | Straight flush | Five in a row, all one suit | Higher top card wins. A 5-high straight flush (A-2-3-4-5, the “steel wheel”) is the lowest. | 12 Tumble balls |
| 3 | Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank | Higher four wins; if the board holds the four, the higher kicker wins. | 6 Tumble balls |
| 4 | Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | Compare the three first, then the pair. Kings full of twos beats queens full of aces. | 3 Tumble balls |
| 5 | Flush | Five cards of one suit | Compare the highest card, then the next, down the line. Suits never break a tie. | 2 Tumble balls |
| 6 | Straight | Five in a row, mixed suits | Higher top card wins. The ace plays high (10-J-Q-K-A) or low (A-2-3-4-5), never around the corner. | 1 Tumble ball |
| 7 | Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank | Called a set when two are in your hand, trips when two are on the board. | None |
| 8 | Two pair | Two different pairs | Compare the higher pair, then the lower, then the kicker. | None |
| 9 | One pair | Two cards of one rank | Higher pair wins; kickers decide between equal pairs. | None |
| 10 | High card | None of the above | Ace high beats king high. The most common hand, and the one that wins more pots than beginners expect. | None |
How ties are broken
Poker compares hands rank by rank, then by the cards inside the rank, then by kickers, the unused cards that complete five. Suits never decide anything. If five cards are identical in rank the pot is split, which happens most often when the best hand is entirely on the board.
Why a flush beats a straight
Rarity. With five cards there are 10,200 ways to make a straight and only 5,108 ways to make a flush, so the flush ranks higher. Every step of the ladder follows the same logic: the harder the hand is to make, the more it beats.
What the ranks are worth in Poker Call
Make a straight or better at a Poker Call table and hold it to showdown, and you earn Tumble balls for the Tumble board: one for a straight, up to 25 for a royal flush. Crown Hand of the Day ranks the best qualifying hand each day and pays named chip prizes once enough players enter (see its page), and the Velvet Bandit’s cabinet pays the same ladder from a real 52-card deal. The ladder is the same everywhere in the house because it is the same ladder as poker.
Questions
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush (five of one suit) beats a straight (five in a row) because it is rarer. A straight flush, which is both, beats everything except a royal flush.
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes. Full house sits above flush and below four of a kind.
What is the best starting hand in Hold’em?
A pair of aces. Then kings, queens, ace-king suited, jacks. Starting hands are a separate question from the final ranking on this page.
Do suits rank in poker?
No. A flush in clubs ties a flush in spades with the same cards. Suits only ever decide who posts a blind or gets the button in some home games.