Yes, a flush beats a straight in standard poker hand rankings.

That one question is where thousands of new poker players start.

And honestly, it makes sense.

Poker can look simple from the outside: get cards, make a hand, win the pot. But the moment two players reach showdown, small details suddenly matter. Does three of a kind beat two pair? Does a full house beat a flush? What happens if both players have the same pair? Do suits matter? Can an ace be low? What is a kicker?

These questions are not “beginner only” questions. They are the foundation of every poker decision you will ever make.

If you do not understand poker hand rankings clearly, you cannot value bet correctly, bluff confidently, call rivers properly, or even know when your hand is actually strong.

This guide explains poker hands from strongest to weakest, shows what beats what, explains kickers and ties, and covers the common mistakes that make beginners lose pots they should understand before the chips go in.

The Poker Hands Ranked from Best to Worst

Here is the standard poker hand ranking order used in Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and most high-hand poker games.

If you remember nothing else, remember this:

Flush beats straight. Full house beats flush. Four of a kind beats full house.

Royal Flush

A royal flush is the best possible poker hand.

It is made of:

A-K-Q-J-10 all in the same suit.

Exemplo:

A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥

No normal poker hand beats a royal flush.

In Texas Hold’em, if the royal flush is entirely on the board, all remaining players split the pot because everyone uses the same five-card hand.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit.

Exemplo:

9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ 5♣

A straight flush beats four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, and every weaker hand.

If two players have a straight flush, the player with the higher top card wins.

Por exemplo:

• J♥ 10♥ 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ beats 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ 5♣

The suit itself does not matter. Hearts do not beat clubs. Spades do not beat diamonds. Only the hand strength matters.

Quadra

Four of a kind means four cards of the same rank.

Exemplo:

Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 3♠

Four of a kind is also called “quads.”

If two players somehow both have four of a kind, the higher quads win. Quad kings beat quad tens. Quad sevens beat quad fours.

If the four of a kind is on the board, the kicker can decide the winner.

Example board:

9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ 2♠

Player A has A♣ K♣.

Player B has Q♦ J♦.

Both players use the four nines from the board, but Player A has the ace kicker, so Player A wins.

Casa cheia

A full house is three cards of one rank plus two cards of another rank.

Exemplo:

8♠ 8♦ 8♣ K♥ K♣

This is called “eights full of kings” or “eights over kings.”

A full house beats a flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card.

When two players have a full house, the three-of-a-kind part decides first.

Exemplo:

• J-J-J-4-4 beats 9-9-9-A-A

Even though the second hand has aces as the pair, the first hand wins because trip jacks beat trip nines.

If both players have the same three-of-a-kind part, then the pair decides.

Flush

A flush is five cards of the same suit that are not in consecutive order.

Exemplo:

A♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 3♦

A flush beats a straight.

This is one of the most common beginner questions, so it is worth repeating:

A flush beats a straight because flushes are ranked higher in standard poker hand rankings.

If two players have a flush, the highest card in the flush decides the winner. If the highest card is the same, compare the second highest card, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth.

Exemplo:

• A♣ 10♣ 8♣ 6♣ 2♣ beats K♣ Q♣ J♣ 9♣ 5♣

The ace-high flush wins.

Again, suits do not break ties. An ace-high flush in hearts does not beat an ace-high flush in spades just because of the suit.

Reto

A straight is five consecutive cards that are not all the same suit.

Exemplo:

10♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ 6♠

A straight beats three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card.

A straight loses to a flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.

The highest card in the straight decides its strength.

Exemplo:

• Q-J-10-9-8 beats 10-9-8-7-6

Can an Ace Be Low in a Straight?

Sim.

An ace can be high in:

A-K-Q-J-10

And an ace can be low in:

5-4-3-2-A

The second hand is called a wheel or five-high straight.

But the ace cannot wrap around.

This is not a straight:

K-A-2-3-4

That is one of the most common beginner mistakes.

Trinca

Three of a kind means three cards of the same rank.

Exemplo:

7♠ 7♦ 7♣ A♥ 4♠

Three of a kind beats two pair, one pair, and high card.

It loses to a straight or better.

In Texas Hold’em, there are two common types of three of a kind:

• Set: you have a pocket pair and hit a third card on the board.
• Trips: the board pairs and you have the third matching card.

Example of a set:

You hold 8♠ 8♥ and the board comes 8♦ K♣ 3♠.

Example of trips:

You hold A♣ 8♣ and the board comes 8♦ 8♥ K♠.

Sets are usually more hidden and often more powerful because opponents are less likely to put you on them.

Dois pares

Two pair means you have two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

Exemplo:

K♠ K♦ 6♣ 6♥ 2♠

Two pair beats one pair and high card.

When two players both have two pair, the highest pair decides first.

Exemplo:

• A-A-4-4-9 beats K-K-Q-Q-J

The aces win because the highest pair is stronger.

If both players have the same top pair, compare the second pair. If both pairs are the same, the kicker decides.

Um par

One pair means two cards of the same rank.

Exemplo:

J♠ J♥ A♣ 8♦ 3♣

One pair beats high card.

If both players have one pair, the higher pair wins.

Exemplo:

• Q-Q-7-5-2 beats 10-10-A-K-9

The queens win because the pair itself matters before the kickers.

If both players have the same pair, kickers decide.

Carta alta

High card is what you have when you do not make any pair, straight, flush, or stronger hand.

Exemplo:

A♠ Q♦ 9♣ 6♥ 2♣

This is ace-high.

If both players have high card, compare the highest card first. If that is the same, compare the next highest card, and so on.

High card wins only against weaker high-card hands.

It is the weakest category in standard poker hand rankings.

What Is a Kicker in Poker?

A kicker is a side card used to break ties when players have the same type of hand.

Exemplo:

Player A has:

A♠ K♣

Player B has:

A♦ Q♣

Quadro:

A♥ 9♠ 6♦ 3♣ 2♠

Both players have one pair of aces.

Player A wins because the king kicker beats the queen kicker.

Kickers are extremely important in Texas Hold’em because many players make the same pair using the board.

Do Suits Matter in Poker Hand Rankings?

No, suits do not matter for breaking ties in standard Texas Hold’em poker.

A flush must be made of one suit, but one suit is not stronger than another suit.

Isso significa:

• A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 9♠ does not beat A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 9♥ because it is spades.
• If the five-card hand is exactly equal in rank, the pot is split.

This is a common beginner misunderstanding because some home games use suit rankings for dealing or random decisions. But in normal poker hand rankings, suits do not decide the winner at showdown.

The Best Five-Card Hand Rule

In Texas Hold’em, each player makes the best five-card hand using any combination of their two hole cards and the five community cards.

This means you do not always need to use both cards in your hand.

You can use:

• both hole cards
• one hole card
• zero hole cards if the board plays

Exemplo:

Quadro:

A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠

Everyone still in the hand has a royal flush using the board.

The pot is split because everyone’s best five-card hand is the same.

Why “Board Plays” Confuses Beginners

“Board plays” means the best five-card hand is already on the table, and your hole cards do not improve it.

Exemplo:

Quadro:

10♠ 10♥ 8♦ 8♣ A♠

Player A has K♣ Q♣.

Player B has 7♦ 6♦.

Both players use the same two pair on the board: tens and eights with an ace kicker.

The pot is split.

Player A’s king does not matter because the board already provides the best five-card hand.

Common Beginner Mistakes with Poker Hands

• Thinking a straight beats a flush: it does not. Flush beats straight.
• Thinking suits break ties: suits do not decide winners in standard showdown rules.
• Forgetting kickers: same pair does not always mean split pot.
• Misreading ace-low straights: A-2-3-4-5 is a straight, but K-A-2-3-4 is not.
• Overvaluing one pair: top pair can be strong, but it is still only one pair.
• Ignoring the board: sometimes the board already makes the best hand.
• Not noticing paired boards: flushes and straights become more vulnerable when the board pairs because full houses are possible.

Why Hand Rankings Are Not Enough to Win

Knowing poker hand rankings tells you what wins at showdown.

But poker is not only about showdown.

You also need to understand how likely each player is to have certain hands.

That is where strategy begins.

For example, having a flush is strong. But if the board is paired and your opponent suddenly raises huge on the river, you need to ask whether they can have a full house.

Having top pair can be good. But if your opponent’s range is full of overpairs, sets, and two pair, top pair may not be good enough.

This is why the next step after learning hand rankings is learning ranges.

Read our Ranges de Pôquer Explicados guide when you are ready to stop thinking only about your own hand.

Hand Rankings and Pot Odds

Hand rankings tell you how strong your hand is right now.

Pot odds help you decide whether it is worth continuing when you are behind but drawing.

Exemplo:

You have four cards to a flush on the turn.

You do not have a made hand yet, but you may improve on the river.

The question is not only:

“Can I hit my flush?”

A melhor pergunta é:

“Am I getting the right price to call?”

That is why poker hands and poker math belong together.

If this part feels unclear, use the free Calculadora de Odds de Poker and read our Pot Odds in Pokerguiar.

Hand Rankings in Texas Hold’em vs Omaha

The hand ranking order is mostly the same in Texas Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha.

A flush still beats a straight.

A full house still beats a flush.

Four of a kind still beats a full house.

But Omaha has a major rule difference:

In PLO, you must use exactly two cards from your hand and exactly three cards from the board.

This is where many Hold’em players get confused.

In Hold’em, you can use one, two, or none of your hole cards.

In Omaha, you must use exactly two.

If you are moving from Hold’em into Omaha, read our Pot-Limit Omaha Poker guide before assuming the rules work the same way.

Hand Rankings in Tournaments

The hand rankings do not change in tournaments.

But the value of risking your stack with certain hands does change.

For example, one pair may be strong enough to call off in some short-stack situations, but not strong enough to risk a healthy stack near a final-table pay jump.

This is where ICM and tournament pressure matter.

If you are playing freerolls, satellites, mystery bounty events, or re-entry tournaments, you still need hand rankings — but you also need tournament context.

Useful guides:

• Poker Freerolls
• Poker Satellites
• Mystery Bounty Poker
• Calculadora ICM

How to Practice Reading Poker Hands Faster

The fastest way to improve is to review real hands after your sessions.

Do not only ask whether you won or lost.

Pergunte:

• What was my best five-card hand?
• What stronger hands were possible?
• Did the board pair?
• Was a flush possible?
• Was a straight possible?
• Did my kicker actually play?
• Was I overvaluing one pair?

If your hand history is messy, use the Formatador de Histórico de Mãos de Poker to clean it up before reviewing.

Then track your results and notes with the Rastreador de Sessão de Poker .

Why Good Players Still Misread Hands

Even experienced players can misread hands when they are tired, tilted, multi-tabling, or under pressure.

Common causes include:

• not noticing a backdoor flush completed
• missing a wheel straight
• forgetting the board paired
• thinking a kicker plays when the board already decides
• playing too fast online
• being emotionally attached to a strong-looking hand

This is why slowing down matters.

Before calling a big river bet, ask:

What hands beat me, what hands do I beat, and does my kicker actually matter?

If you are losing focus often, use the Medidor de Tilt de Poker to check whether your mental state is hurting your decisions.

How Hand Rankings Help You Avoid Bad Calls

Many bad calls happen because players know their hand is strong but do not compare it properly to the board.

Exemplo:

You have a queen-high flush.

The board is paired.

Your opponent check-raises all-in on the river.

A flush is strong, but a full house beats it.

The question is not:

“Do I have a good hand?”

The question is:

“Is my hand good against the range that takes this action?”

That is the difference between knowing hand rankings and playing real poker.

Hand Rankings Cheat Sheet

Use this simple memory version:

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Quadra
4. Casa cheia
5. Flush
6. Reto
7. Trinca
8. Dois pares
9. Um par
10. Carta alta

And use this short reminder:

Flush beats straight. Full house beats flush. Four of a kind beats full house.

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Considerações Finais

Poker hand rankings are the first language of poker.

Before you study solvers, ranges, rakeback, ICM, or advanced bluffing, you need to know what beats what.

A flush beats a straight.

A full house beats a flush.

Four of a kind beats a full house.

Kickers matter when players have the same type of hand.

Suits do not break ties.

The ace can be high or low in a straight, but it cannot wrap around.

And in Texas Hold’em, your best five-card hand is all that matters.

Once hand rankings become automatic, you stop wasting mental energy on basic confusion and start focusing on the real game: ranges, odds, position, pressure, and player tendencies.

That is when poker starts to make sense.