Poker hand calculator: which hand wins?

How the winner is decided

Every Texas Hold’em hand is settled by one rule: each player makes the best possible five-card hand from their two hole cards and the five community cards. You can use both of your cards, one of them or none; if the board itself is the best hand, you “play the board”.

The calculator does exactly that for each player. It finds the strongest five cards out of seven, puts the hands side by side using the official hand rankings and compares them from the top: first the type of hand, then its rank, then the side cards (kickers). Suits never decide a hand, and a sixth or seventh card never plays.

If the best five cards of two or more players are identical in rank, the pot is split between them. This is the only way to tie in Hold’em.

Texas Hold’em hands in order

From strongest to weakest. Any hand higher in this table beats any hand below it, whatever the cards. Highlighted cards make the hand; the dimmed ones are kickers, which only matter when the hands are otherwise equal.

Texas Hold’em hand rankings, strongest first

Hand	Example	How it is decided
1. Royal flush	A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠	A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit. The best possible hand; two royal flushes split.
2. Straight flush	9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥	Five cards in a row, all one suit. Higher top card wins.
3. Four of a kind	Q♣ Q♦ Q♥ Q♠ 3♦	Four cards of one rank. Higher four wins, then the kicker.
4. Full house	K♠ K♥ K♦ 7♣ 7♦	Three of a kind plus a pair. The three of a kind is compared first, then the pair.
5. Flush	A♦ J♦ 8♦ 5♦ 2♦	Five cards of one suit, not in a row. Highest card wins, then the next.
6. Straight	10♣ 9♥ 8♠ 7♦ 6♣	Five cards in a row, mixed suits. Higher top card wins. Ace can be high or low.
7. Three of a kind	8♠ 8♥ 8♦ A♣ 4♦	Three cards of one rank. Higher three wins, then the kickers.
8. Two pair	J♠ J♥ 4♣ 4♦ K♥	Two different pairs. Higher top pair wins, then the second pair, then the kicker.
9. One pair	A♠ A♥ 9♦ 6♣ 2♠	Two cards of one rank. Higher pair wins, then the three kickers in order.
10. High card	K♦ 10♠ 7♥ 4♣ 2♦	No combination. Highest card wins, then the next, down to the fifth.

Need the full picture with card examples? See the poker hand rankings guide, or start with the Texas Hold’em rules.

Common showdown situations

Most “who won?” arguments come from the same handful of spots. Here is how each one is decided; the calculator explains the same reasoning under the result.

Same pair, different kickers

Both players hold a pair of Kings on a King-high board. The player whose next card is higher wins: Ace-King beats King-Queen, because the Ace kicker outranks the Queen. Only five cards count, so a sixth or seventh card never matters.

Two pair against two pair

The top pair is compared first, then the second pair, then the kicker. Aces and Threes beat Kings and Queens. When both players share the same two pair from the board, the kicker in their hand decides, and identical kickers split the pot.

Flush against flush

The highest card in each flush is compared. If the board holds four hearts and one player has the Ace of hearts, the Ace-high flush beats any other heart flush. When the top cards match, the second, third, fourth and fifth cards are compared in turn.

Straight against straight

The higher top card wins: a Queen-high straight beats a Jack-high straight. Two straights with the same top card are identical and split the pot. Suits play no part.

Full house against full house

The three of a kind decides first. Kings full of Twos beats Queens full of Aces. If both players share the same three of a kind from the board, the higher pair decides.

Everyone plays the board

When the five community cards form the best hand for every player, for example a straight on the board that nobody can improve, all remaining players tie and the pot is split equally. Hole cards do not have to be used at all.

Same hand, different suits

Two Ace-high straights, one with hearts and one with clubs, are the same hand. Suits never rank one hand above another in Texas Hold’em, so the pot is split.

Worked examples

Player 1

Player 2

Flop

Turn

River

Both players make two pair, Kings and Nines, from the board. Player 1’s best five cards are K♥ K♦ 9♠ 9♦ A♥, Player 2’s are K♣ K♥ 9♠ 9♦ J♠. The two pair is identical, so the kicker decides: the Ace beats the Jack and Player 1 wins.

Player 1

Player 2

Flop

Turn

River

Both players have a flush in hearts. Player 2 holds two high hearts, but a flush is judged by its single highest card first: Player 1’s A♥ 9♥ 7♥ 5♥ 2♥ is Ace high, Player 2’s K♥ Q♥ 9♥ 7♥ 2♥ is King high. Player 1 wins with the nut flush.

Player 1

Player 2

Flop

Turn

River

The board is a Nine-high straight, 5-6-7-8-9, and neither player can improve it: an Ace does not extend a straight that ends with a Nine, and a King does not fit either. Both play the board, the hands are identical and the pot is split.

Odds to win, tie or lose

As long as the board is not complete, the calculator also shows each player’s chances of winning the pot by the river. On the flop and the turn every possible remaining card is dealt out and counted, so the numbers are exact. Before the flop there are too many runouts to list, so the calculator samples thousands of random boards and the percentages may move by a fraction of a point between runs.

“Win” means taking the whole pot, “Tie” means sharing it and “Lose” means getting nothing. On a complete board the result is final: 100% for the winner, or a tie for everyone who splits.

Poker hand calculator FAQ