Poker Cheat Sheets: Hand Ranks, Odds, & Table Positions

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Professional poker player Alec Torelli goes over the best hands to make and how to calculate your odds

Co-authored by Alec Torelli and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: April 9, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Hand Rankings
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• Best Starting Hands
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• Calculating Odds
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• Table Position & Strategy
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• Additional Resources
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• Video
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• Tips

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If you want to improve your poker game and have better chances at winning the pot, using a cheat sheet is perfect for beginners. Cheat sheets help you learn the different hand rankings and the best things to do based on your table position, and we’ve got everything you need to know all in one place! In an exclusive interview with wikiHow, a professional poker player explained all the different poker hands from highest to lowest, as well as how to calculate your odds for each hand. Keep reading to find out more!

Poker Hands Cheat Sheet

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Professional poker player Alec Torelli says the strongest poker hands are the Royal Flush, Straight Flush, and Four of a Kind, while the weakest hands are Pairs and High Cards. A hand is made up of the best 5 cards from the 2 cards you’re dealt and the 5 cards dealt to the table.

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Section 1 of 5:

Poker Hand Rankings & Probabilities

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   Royal Flush A Royal Flush is the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 all of the same suit, says Torelli. This hand is the rarest and highest possible hand in poker, so getting one is a guaranteed win.

   • Hand Probability: 0.000154%
   • According to Torelli, Royal Flush, Straight Flush, and Four of a Kind are considered “monster hands,” which you rarely see, but when you do, you’re virtually certain to win.
   • As an example, Torelli notes that he’s played several million hands of poker in his 20 year journey, and he can only count on one hand the number of Royal Flushes he’s made. So, in short, don’t wait around for one!

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Alec Torelli is a professional poker player and coach with over 20 years in the poker industry. He’s also the founder of Conscious Poker, a poker training platform.
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   Straight Flush A straight flush is when you have any 5 cards of the same suit in sequential order (such as a 5-6-7-8-9 of Clubs), explains Torelli. It’s strong, but definitely a “once in a lifetime” type hand. If multiple players have a Straight Flush, the highest card in the straight breaks the tie.

   • Hand Probability: 0.00139%
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   Four of a Kind Torelli explains that Four of a Kind is when you have 4 cards that are all the same rank (with any other card), such as Ace-Ace-Ace-Ace-King. You’re practically certain to win with this hand as well. If 2 players have a Four of a Kind, the one with the higher rank wins.

   • Hand Probability: 0.0240%
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   Full House A Full House is when you have a Three of a Kind of one rank and a pair of a different rank, says Torelli. For example, this could be 3 Queens and 2 Jacks. If more than one player has a Full House, the highest-ranked Three of a Kind breaks the tie.

   • Hand Probability: 0.1441%
   • This is almost always the best hand, notes Torelli, but when it’s not, you’re bound to lose all your chips!
   • Torelli adds that Full House, Flush, and Straight are strong hands that you see more often, but they’re not invincible.
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   Flush A Flush is a combination of any 5 cards that all share the same suit, explains Torelli. As a plus, it looks pretty and wins a lot. When 2 players have a Flush, the highest card breaks the tie.

   • Hand Probability: 0.1965%
   • The only problem with flushes, Torelli warns, is that sometimes you run into a bigger one.
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   Straight Torelli says a Straight is made up of 5 cards that are in sequential order, such as 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace. The cards can be a mix of any suits, and the highest rank in the straight breaks any ties.

   • Hand Probability: 0.3925%
   • In a Straight, Torelli explains that an Ace can play either high or low, but it cannot wrap around. For instance, Jack-Queen-King-Ace-2 is not a Straight.
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   Three of a Kind Three of a Kind is made up of 3 cards that all have the same rank, says Torelli, such as Queen-Queen-Queen-2-5. When multiple people have a Three of a Kind, the higher rank wins.

   • Hand Probability: 2.1128%
   • Torelli notes that from here down are all considered the lower-tiered hands.
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   Two Pair Torelli notes that a Two Pair is when you have two sets of pairs, such as two Jacks and two 4s, plus any fifth card. The highest-ranked pair breaks ties if more than one player has a Two Pair. If players have the same ranks for both pairs, check who has the highest 5th card in their hand to break the tie.

   • Hand Probability: 4.7539%
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   Pair A Pair is any set of 2 cards that have the same rank, explains Torelli, plus any 3 other cards. If multiple players have a Pair, the highest rank breaks the tie. If players have the same Pair rank, then the next highest card in their hand breaks the tie.

   • Hand Probability: 42.2569%
   • This is the hand that wins most often in 5-card poker games, adds Torelli!
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    High Card A High Card is the single highest-ranked card in your hand if you aren’t able to make any other poker hands. So, says it consists of 5 non-paired and non-connected cards (like Ace-Jack-8-7-2). If players are tied for the High Card, the next highest card in their hand breaks the tie.

    • Hand Probability: 50.1177%
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Section 2 of 5:

Best Starting Poker Hands

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1. 
   Pairs of high-ranked cards are the strongest starting poker hands. The first 2 cards you’re dealt during a game of poker are known as your “hole cards.” The strongest hole cards are high pairs, such as Aces or Kings, because you already have a scoring hand with one of the highest ranks. If you have any of these starting hands, it’s worth staying in the round.

   • Ace & Ace (Pocket Aces)
   • King & King (Pocket Kings)
   • Queen & Queen (Pocket Queens)
   • Jack & Jack (Pocket Jacks)
   • Ace & King of the same suit (Ace King Suited)
   • 10 & 10 (Pocket Tens)
   • Ace & King of different suits (Ace King Offsuit)
   • Ace & Queen of the same suit (Ace Queen Suited)
   • 9 & 9 (Pocket Nines)
   • Ace & Jack of the same suit (Ace Jack Suited)

Section 3 of 5:

How to Calculate Hand Equity & Poker Pot Odds

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1. 
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   Count how many cards could improve your hand. Any cards that help you make the best poker hand after the flop are called outs, explains Torelli. After the 3 flop cards are revealed, count how many different cards that are still in the deck would give you the strongest possible hand.

   • Example: Imagine you’re chasing a flush, says Torelli. You’ve got four hearts and need one more. There are 13 hearts in the deck and you can see 4 of them. That leaves 9 cards that help you, so you have 9 outs.
   • Example: If you have an 8 of Clubs and 9 of Hearts in your hand and the 3 flop cards are a 6 of Hearts, 7 of Clubs, and 2 of Spades, getting a 5 or 10 in any suit would make a Straight. There are 4 of each rank in a poker deck, so you’d have a total of 8 outs.
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   Multiply your outs by 4 on the flop or by 2 on the turn to find your equity. This is called the Four-Two Rule, notes Torelli. On the flop with two cards to come, multiply your outs by 4. And on the turn with one card to come, multiply your outs by 2. The result is your hand’s equity, or the percent chance that you’ll improve your hand.

   • Example: In Torelli’s previous example of chasing a flush with 9 outs:
     • 9 outs × 4 = about 36% chance of hitting a flush (by the river).
     • 9 outs × 2 = about 18% chance of hitting your flush.
   • Example: If you have 4 cards in sequence and need a 5th card to make a straight, you have a total of 8 outs.
     • To calculate your equity by the turn, multiply 8 × 2 ≈ 16%.
     • To calculate your equity by the river, multiply 8 × 4 ≈ 32%.
   • If you want a more precise way to calculate hand equity when you have more than 9 outs, use the formula Equity = (outs × 4) - (outs - 8).
     • Example: If you have 10 outs, then the formula would be (10 × 4) - (10 - 8) = 40 - 2 = 38%.
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   Divide the call by the pot’s total value to find the pot odds. The pot odds compare the size of the bet you need to make to stay in to the value that you’d win. Determining the pot odds helps you determine if it’s worth betting to stay in the game with your hand or if you should fold. As Torelli explains, “If your chances of winning (pot odds) are better than the price you’re getting, you call. If not, fold.”

   • Example: Imagine there’s $100 in the pot and your opponent bets $50, says Torelli. After the bet, there’s $150 total, and it costs you $50 to continue.
     • Divide $150 by $50 = 3. Therefore, you’re getting 3-to-1 odds on your call, explains Torelli.
     • Then, compare that to your chance to win. That’s about 36%, which is roughly 2-to-1, says Torelli.
   • Example: If the pot is $30 and your opponent bets $10, you would have to call $10 to stay in. If you call, the final pot size would be $50.
     • Divide 10/50 = 0.2.
     • Multiply 0.2 × 100 = 20% pot odds.
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   Call a bet if your hand equity is higher than the pot odds. Compare your hand equity percentage to the pot odds percentage. If your hand equity is higher, you have a good chance of getting a stronger hand and winning the pot. If the pot odds are higher, then it’s not worth betting on your hand.

   • Keep in mind that other players may also be getting cards to improve their hand, so a higher percentage doesn’t always mean you’ll win the pot.
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Section 4 of 5:

Poker Table Positions & Strategies

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1. 
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   Small blind The small blind is the player directly to the left of the dealer, and they have to add a small amount to the pot before the hole cards are dealt. While small blinds are the second-last to act before the flop, they go first after the flop is revealed.

   • Strategy: It’s usually best to play defensively and re-raise the bet only if you have a high pair or suited high cards. Otherwise, it’s often advantageous to fold.
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   Big blind The big blind is to the left of the small blind, and they add twice as much to the pot before the flop. Big blinds are the last to play before the flop, so they see how everyone else has reacted, but they’re the second to play after cards are revealed.

   • Strategy: Call bets most of the time when you play as the big blind because you’ll be able to see how other people bet before you.
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   Under the gun Torelli notes that the person who is “under the gun” is the person to the left of the big blind and first to act pre-flop. When you’re playing UTG, he says, “be very, very tight because you have the most amount of players left to act behind you, and therefore you have the least amount of information” now and in the future. He notes, “You typically want to play only 10% of hands.”

   • Strategy: High pairs or high cards with the same suit are usually the best hands to play while you’re under the gun.
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   Lowjack Lowjack is a middle position on the poker table, and it’s one of the tougher positions to play because you have to act before half of the other players.

   • Strategy: Raise if the players before you have all folded because it gives you a better opportunity of winning. If other players have raised before you, play more conservatively.
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   Hijack The hijack is 2 players to the right of the dealer, and they get their name because they can often hijack the bet before it reaches the last players. In the hijack position, you can act more aggressively and play a wider range of hands because you get to see how most of the other players react first.

   • Strategy: Raise often as the hijack to put more pressure on the last players at the table.
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   Cutoff The cutoff sits immediately to the dealer’s right, and it’s considered one of the best table positions in a poker game. Because you get to see how the majority of players react to the cards they’re dealt, you have the advantage of making a more informed decision on your turn.

   • Strategy: If no one else raises before the flop, then take the opportunity to raise as the cutoff to put pressure on the dealer. If other people raise before you, it might be better to call or fold because they may have a stronger hand.
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   Button The button is another name for the dealer, and it’s the best table position during a game of poker. The button gets the opportunity to see how everyone else acts before they have to make their decision, so they have the most information about what the other players might be holding.

   • Strategy: Call or raise when someone at the table raises before you because you’ll be last to act when the next cards are revealed.
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Section 5 of 5:

Additional Poker Resources

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1. Dive into our other poker articles to up the ante in your game. If you want to become a better poker player, there are tons of different strategies to try out. After looking over our cheat sheets, check out these pages to learn more about playing poker and increase your chances of winning.

   • How to Play Poker
   • How to Play Texas Hold'em
   • How to Use Strategy to Win Texas Hold'em
   • How to Play Under the Gun
   • How to Bluff in Poker
   • How to Have a Good Poker Face

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Tips

• Torelli notes that poker is an excellent training ground for the real world, as the process you use at the poker table, like determining your probability of winning and comparing that to the odds you’re getting, mimics life in so many ways. He says entrepreneurs and investors use a similar risk-reward analysis to make decisions.
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• Torelli also states that poker is not so much about what you have but rather how your hand compares to your opponent, as well as what hand you can represent you have.
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