Remembering poker hand rankings can be as difficult as remembering the periodic table. But a hack always comes in handy. Remember that good old hack you used while remembering the periodic table? Well, there is also one for poker!
Understanding poker hand rankings is the first step in learning how to play poker card game. We at Red Shark Poker are here to teach you the right way to learn how to remember Texas poker hands chart! With a simple trick, you won’t be racking your brain to figure out the poker hand rankings. So, without any further delay, let’s jump right into the basics of understanding and remembering the poker hierarchy.
A Quick Overview of Poker Hand Rankings
If you have a good memory and want to learn the poker chart fast, here’s a basic snippet of poker sequence in the order of highest to lowest. Don’t worry, the hack to remember them follows right after it!
Rank #1 – Royal Flush: Cards from Ten to Ace only, all of the same suit
Rank #2 – Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit
Rank #3 – Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank
Rank #4 – Full House: Three cards of the same rank with a pair (two cards of another rank)
Rank #5 – Flush: Five cards of the same suit, but not in consecutive order
Rank #6 – Straight: Five cards in consecutive order, but not of the same suit
Rank #7 – Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank
Rank #8 – Two Pair: Two different pairs
Rank #9 – One Pair: It has only one pair
Rank #10 – High Card: When you don’t have any from the list of poker hands above, the highest card is counted. In the example below, Ten is the highest card and it is called Ten High.
Hacks to Understand and Remember Each Poker Hand
We are quite sure that you got a basic gist of the Texas Poker hands. Now let us understand what makes each hand so unique and the poker ranking different from each other.
#1 Poker Hand – Royal Flush
A Royal Flush is the highest hand in poker. It is a sequence of five cards from a Ten to an Ace of the same suit. There would be four different types of Royal Flush, as we have four different types of suit.
10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠
10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥
10♣ J♣ Q♣ K♣ A♣
10♦ J♦ Q♦ K♦ A♦
How to Remember this Poker Hand?
- Cards are from Ten to Ace Only.
- All Cards are of the Same Suit.
Probability: Ever wondered why Royal Flush is the highest hand in poker? That’s because it is almost impossible to get a Royal Flush poker hand. The probability of getting a Royal Flush poker hand would be around 0.000154%.
#2 Poker Hand – Straight Flush
Have you ever played rummy? In rummy, we need to form at least one pure sequence (run) in order to win. Straight Flush is quite similar to that. A straight flush in poker is a sequence of five consecutive cards of the same suit. This means that all the cards have to be of the same suit and in consecutive order.
6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥
A♣ 2♣ 3♣ 4♣ 5♣
7♠ 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠
9♦ 10♦ J♦ Q♦ K♦
How to Remember this Poker Sequence?
- All the five cards are in consecutive order.
- All the cards are of the Same Suit.
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have Straight Flush poker hands in a showdown, the player with the higher card will win the pot. For example,
Community Cards: 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ J♠ K♦
Player A’s Hand: 7♥ 8♥
Player B’s Hand: 2♥ 3♥
Who will win?
Player A will win because he has a Straight Flush of 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ with 8♥ as the highest card. Player B also has a Straight Flush of 2♥3♥ 4♥ 5♥ 6♥, but his highest card is 6♥.
Probability: Straight Flush, just like Royal Flush, is quite impossible to get as the poker hand probabilities of getting one is about 0.00139%.
#3 Poker Hand: Four of a Kind
Four of a Kind has four cards of the same rank. This means four of the five cards have to be of the same value with one other card (kicker) of a different rank.
A♥ A♣ A♦ A♠ 7 ♥
5♣ 5♥ 5♠ 5♦ K♣
J♦ J♣ J♥ J♠ 2♦
7♠ 7♦ 7♣ 7♥ 3♠
How to Remember this poker hand order?
It’s quite easy to remember – four cards of the same rank!
Showdown Comparison: If two players have Four of a Kind hands in a showdown, the player with the higher set of four cards will win the pot. For example,
Community Cards: 3♥ 3♣ 9♥ 9♠ K♦
Player A’s Hand: 9♦ 9♣
Player B’s Hand: 3♦ 3♠
Who will win?
Player A will win as he has a higher Four of a Kind with four Nines (9♦ 9♣ 9♥ 9♠ K♦).
Player B has a lower Four of a Kind with four Threes (3♦ 3♠ 3♥ 3♣ K♦).
Probability: It is quite rare to get a Four of a Kind as the poker hand probabilities of getting one is about 0.0240%.
#4 Poker Hand: Full House
A Full House has three cards of one rank and a pair. In other words, it has 3 cards of the same value and 2 cards (pair) of another value.
K♥ K♣ K♦ 5♠ 5♥
A♣ A♥ A♠ 3♦ 3♣
J♦ J♣ J♥ 9♠ 9♦
5♠ 5♦ 5♣ Q♥ Q♠
How to Remember this poker hand sequence?
This hand must have the following groups:
- Three cards of the same value, say three Queens.
- A pair of two cards of another value, say two Aces.
Showdown Comparison: If two players have Full House poker hands in a showdown, the player with the higher set of three cards will win the pot. For example,
Community Cards: 3♥ 7♥ 9♣ 9♠ K♦
Player A’s Hand: 7♦ 7♣
Player B’s Hand: K♥ K♣
Who will win?
Player B will win because he has a higher set of three Kings (K♥ K♣ K♦ 9♣ 9♠) also called as Kings Full of Nines while Player A has a lower set of three Sevens (7♦ 7♣7♥ 9♣ 9♠) also called as Sevens Full of Nines.
Probability: Full house is one of the best poker hands, and the probability of getting one is about 0.1441%.
#5 Poker Hand: Flush
A Flush contains five cards of the same suit. All the five cards are not in consecutive order but are of the same suit. If all the cards are in consecutive order, it will become a Straight Flush. Remember?
For example:
6♥ 2♥ 8♥ K♥ 10♥
A♣ 4♣ J♣ 9♣ 3♣
7♠ 3♠ A♠ 10♠ 2♠
9♦ 2♦ J♦ 4♦ 10♦
How to Remember these poker hand rules?
- All the cards are of the Same Suit.
- All five cards are NOT in a consecutive order.
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have flush hands in a showdown, the player with the higher card will win the pot. For example,
Player A’s Hand: A♥ 7♥
Player B’s Hand: K♥ 2♥
Community Cards: 3♥ 9♥ Q♥ J♠ 4♦
Who will win?
Player A will win because he has a flush of 3♥ 7♥ 9♥ Q♥ A♥ with A♥ as the highest card. Player B also has a flush of 2♥ 3♥ 9♥ Q♥ K♥, but Player A’s highest card A♥ outweighs K♥ of Player B.
Probability: Flush is one of the favourite Texas Holdem hands, and the probability of getting one is about 0.1965%.
#6 Poker Hand – Straight
A straight contains five consecutive cards of different suits. Here, all the five cards are in a sequence but not of the same suit.
6♥ 7♣ 8♥ 9♠ 10♦
A♣ 2♠ 3♣ 4♠ 5♣
9♦ 10♥ J♥ Q♦ K♥
7♠ 8♦ 9♥ 10♠ J♣
How to Remember this Poker Hands Chart?
- All the five cards are in a consecutive order.
- All the cards are of different suits.
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have Straight hands in a showdown, the player with the higher card will win the pot. For example,
Player A’s Hand: 4♥ 5♠
Player B’s Hand: 9♦ 10♥
Community Cards: 6♥ 7♣ 8♥ 9♠ K♦
Who will win?
Player B will win because he has a Straight of 6♥ 7♣ 8♥ 9♦ 10♥ with 10♥ as the higher card. Player A also has a Straight of 5♠ 6♥ 7♣ 8♥ 9♠, but Player B’s 10♥ outweighs 9♠ of Player A.
Probability: Straight is a strong hand, and the probability of getting one is about 0.3925%.
#7 Poker Hand – Three of a Kind
Three of a Kind has three cards of the same rank and two cards of different ranks. In other words, it has three cards of equal value with two other cards (kickers).
6♥ 6♣ 6♦ 4♠ 10♦
A♣ A♦ A♠ 10♥ K♣
9♦ 9♥ 9♠ 6♦ K♥
7♠ 7♣ 7♥ 10♠ J♣
How to Remember this Poker Hand Order?
- Three cards of the same rank
- Two cards of different ranks
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have Three of a Kind hands in a showdown, the player with the higher set of three cards will win the pot. For example,
Player A’s Hand: 8♦ 8♥
Player B’s Hand: 5♥ 5♠
Community Cards: 3♥ 8♣ 9♥ 5♣ A♦
Who will win?
Player A will win because he has a higher set of 8♦ 8♥ 8♣ while Player B has a lower set of 5♥ 5♠ 5♣.
In another example, if the community cards have a set of three cards of the same rank, the player with a higher kicker will win the game. For example, if the community cards are 5♥ 5♣ 5♥ 3♠ 9♦ and you have A♦ 2♣ while your opponent has K♠ 4♥, both have three Fives (5♥ 5♣ 5♥). However, you will win as your kicker A♦ is higher than your opponent’s kicker K♠.
Probability: It is quite possible for you to get a Three of a Kind as the probability of getting one is about 2.1128%.
#8 Poker Hand – Two Pair
A Two Pair can be explained as a hand having two different pairs. In other words, it has a pair (two cards) of one rank and another pair (two cards) of a different rank. The fifth card acts as a kicker.
A♣ A♦ K♠ K♥ 9♣
Q♥ Q♣ 9♦ 9♠ 6♦
9♦ 9♥ 6♠ 6♦ K♥
4♠ 4♣ 2♥ 2♠ J♣
How to Remember this Poker Hand?
- Two cards of one rank
- Two cards of another rank
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have Two Pair hands in a showdown, the player with the highest pair of cards will win the pot. For example,
Player A’s Hand: K♦ 9♥
Player B’s Hand: Q♥ J♠
Community Cards: K♥ Q♣ 2♥ 9♣ J♦
Who will win?
Player A has two pairs of K♦ K♥ and 9♥ 9♣; Player B also has two pairs Q♥ Q♣ and J♠ J♦. Out of these pairs, Player A has the highest pair – K♦ K♥. So, Player A wins the game with his pair of Kings.
Probability: It is quite easy for you to get a Two Pair, and the poker hand probabilities of getting one are about 4.7539%.
#9 Poker Hand – One Pair
One Pair is the easiest hand to get in Texas Holdem poker card game. If you have two cards of the same rank, you have One Pair.
A♣ A♦ K♠ 4♥ 2♣
K♥ K♣ 9♦ 5♠ 4♦
10♦ 10♥ 6♠ 3♦ 2♥
4♠ 4♣ 7♥ 3♠ 2♣
How to Remember this Poker Hand?
- One Pair Only (Two cards of the one rank)
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have One Pair hands in a showdown, the player with the higher pair of cards will win the pot. For example,
Player A’s Hand: Q♦ 9♥
Player B’s Hand: J♥ 8♠
Community Cards: K♥ Q♣ 4♥ 3♣ J♦
Who will win?
Player A’s pair of Queens (Q♦ Q♣) is higher than Player B’s Jacks (J♦ J♥). Therefore, Player A will win with one pair of Queens.
Probability: It is very easy for you to get One Pair as the probability of getting one is about 42.2569%.
#10 Poker Hand – High Card
If you don’t have any of the poker card rankings mentioned above, then the highest card in your hand is considered. For example,
K♥ Q♣ 4♥ 3♣ J♦
Here, there is no combination of the poker hands mentioned above. So, the highest card here is K♥, which is known as “King High”.
Showdown Comparison: In a given scenario, if two players have the same highest card in a showdown, the player with the second higher card will win the pot. For example,
Player A’s Hand: K♦ Q♥
Player B’s Hand: K♥ J♠
Community Cards: 2♥ 7♣ 4♥ 3♣ 9♦
Who will win?
Here, both the players have King High, but Player A’s second highest card is Q♥. Player B’s second highest card is J♠. So, Player A will win the pot.
Probability: The probability of getting a High Card poker hand is 50.1177%, which means that you either get a High Card or you get any of the poker hands mentioned above.
If you want to know the complex mathematics behind finding the probability, you can take a look at this: Mathematics for Poker Hand Probability
The Hack to Remember the Hand Strength
As you have seen, there are ten poker hand rankings in Texas Holdem Poker. The poker sequence can be remembered if you divide them into three main categories of poker hand rankings. These categories are based on their poker hand probabilities.
Let’s start the list of poker hands from the strongest to the weakest:
Premium Hands
These are the best poker hands to play that any player can ask for!
Royal Flush
10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥
Straight Flush
6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥
Four of a Kind
A♥ A♣ A♦ A♠ 7♥
Full House
K♥ K♣ K♦ 5♠ 5♥
Strong Hands
These hands can turn the table around if you hit any of these poker winning hands!
Flush
6♥ 2♥ 8♥ K♥ 10♥
Straight
6♥ 7♣ 8♥ 9♠ 10♦
Three of a Kind
6♥ 6♣ 6♦ 4♠ 2♦
Weak Hands
You need to play with caution if you have any of these hands!
Two Pair
Q♥ Q♣ 9♦ 9♠ 6♦
One Pair
A♣ A♦ K♠ 4♥ 2♣
High Card
K♥ Q♣ 10♥ 5♣ 2♦
If you have any doubts about the rules, you can have a look at the poker rules explained in a simple way. Each rule is explained in points so that you can recall them with ease.
As you can see, we have provided an extensive and complete analysis of Texas Holdem poker hands order for you! If you want to practice what you learnt, you can visit our online poker site review section and choose the best site to play online poker. If you appreciate our hard work, please comment below and share this article for others to benefit.
