You've flopped aces full of eights. Only the two eights left in the deck can make someone four of a kind.
He bets. You call to let him keep going.
He goes all-in with eight-seven for three eights. You call, and aces full win.
Pokeriad / Learn / What beats a full house
What beats a full house in poker?
Updated November 2026
Only three hands beat a full house: four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush. Everything else on the list loses to it.
So when you make a full house you're nearly always ahead. Nearly.
- Four of a kind1 in 595 by the river.
- Straight flush1 in 3,591 by the river.
- Royal flush1 in 30,940 by the river.
How rare are those three hands?
Very. A full house comes up about 1 time in 39 by the river. The hands that beat it are far rarer.
How often each hand comes up by the river
1 in this many deals, on a log scale
What if two players both have a full house?
Compare the three of a kind first. Kings full of eights beat queens full of aces, even though aces are higher than eights. If the three of a kind matches, as it can with three of them on the board, the pair decides.
When should you worry?
When the board has a pair and someone has been betting hard. Four of a kind needs a pair or trips on the board. A straight flush needs three connected cards of one suit on the board.
If neither is possible, your full house may be the very best hand.
Can anything beat you?
Pair on boardQuads possible
3 connected, 1 suitStraight flush possible
What does a big full house look like?
What does a full house beat?
- FlushA full house beats it.
- StraightAnd the straight.
- Three of a kindAnd three of a kind.
- Two pairAnd everything below it.
Do you know what beats what?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask
Does four of a kind beat a full house?
Yes.
Does a straight flush beat four of a kind?
Yes. Only a royal flush is higher.
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes, a full house ranks higher.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
We counted all 133,784,560 seven-card deals. The totals match the tables on Wikipedia's poker probability page.
Know someone who thinks a full house can't lose?
Send them this page.