Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes. A flush ranks fifth in poker; a straight ranks sixth. Any flush, even a seven-high one, beats any straight.

Does a full house beat a flush?

Yes. A full house ranks fourth; a flush ranks fifth. A full house beats a flush, a straight, three of a kind, and everything below.

Does three of a kind beat two pair?

Yes. Three of a kind is rarer than two pair (roughly once every 47 hands versus every 21), so it ranks higher — even three deuces beats aces and kings.

Poker · Beginner guide

Poker Hand Rankings — What Beats What

Ten hands, strongest to weakest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. Every higher-ranked hand beats every hand below it, regardless of suits.

Updated 2026-07-21 · Written by the DailyStash Editors · Applies to Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and every standard variant that uses the 52-card deck.

The 10 poker hands, ranked

#	Hand	What it is	Example	Odds (5-card deal)
1	Royal flush	Ace-high straight flush — A, K, Q, J, 10, all one suit.	A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠	1 in 649,740
2	Straight flush	Five cards in sequence, all the same suit (but not ace-high).	9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥	1 in 72,193
3	Four of a kind	Four cards of the same rank plus any fifth card (the kicker).	Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 7♦	1 in 4,165
4	Full house	Three of a kind plus a pair.	K♠ K♥ K♦ 4♣ 4♦	1 in 694
5	Flush	Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.	A♣ J♣ 8♣ 6♣ 3♣	1 in 508
6	Straight	Five cards in sequence, mixed suits.	9♠ 8♦ 7♣ 6♥ 5♠	1 in 254
7	Three of a kind	Three cards of the same rank, two unrelated kickers.	9♠ 9♥ 9♦ K♣ 4♦	1 in 46
8	Two pair	Two cards of one rank, two of another, plus a kicker.	J♠ J♦ 6♣ 6♥ Q♠	1 in 21
9	One pair	Two cards of the same rank plus three unrelated kickers.	10♠ 10♥ K♣ 7♦ 3♠	1 in 2.37
10	High card	No pair, no straight, no flush — just the top card.	A♠ J♦ 8♣ 5♥ 2♠	1 in 2.00

Each hand, in one paragraph

1. Royal flush

The unbeatable hand in standard poker. Two players can technically tie with royal flushes of different suits — the pot splits.

Read the full royal flush explainer →

2. Straight flush

Any five-in-a-row of one suit. Beaten only by a higher straight flush or a royal.

3. Four of a kind

Also called "quads." Beaten only by a straight flush or royal. Ties break on rank of the quads, then the kicker.

4. Full house

Named by the three-card rank first: "kings full of fours." Ties break on the trips first, then the pair.

5. Flush

Suits don't rank each other — an ace-high flush of spades ties an ace-high flush of hearts with matching kickers.

6. Straight

Ace plays both high (10-J-Q-K-A) and low (A-2-3-4-5, called the "wheel"). Doesn't wrap around the deck.

7. Three of a kind

Also called "trips" (when two cards come from the board) or a "set" (when a pocket pair hits a third on the board). Sets are more disguised.

Read the full three of a kind explainer →

8. Two pair

Read the higher pair first: "jacks and sixes." Two-pair loses to three of a kind — a common beginner surprise.

9. One pair

The most common made hand you'll see at showdown. Kickers matter — a pair of tens with a king beats a pair of tens with a queen.

10. High card

About half of five-card hands are "just" a high card. Ace-high beats king-high; ties break on the next card down.

Frequently asked

From strongest to weakest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, high card. Higher-ranked hands beat every hand below them.