Does a full house beat a straight?

Yes. A full house beats a straight in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, full house is #4 and straight is #6. Categories are compared first: even deuces full of threes beats broadway (10-to-ace) — the category always decides first.

#4
Full House — wins

Three of a kind plus a pair.

J♠J♥J♦4♣4♠
#6
Straight — loses

Five cards in a row, mixed suits.

9♠8♦7♣6♥5♠

How rare is each hand?

Rarity is exactly why the order is what it is. Out of 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, a full house shows up in 0.144% of them (3,744 combinations), while a straight appears in 0.392% (10,200 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.

Does a straight ever beat a full house?

No — never. The category comparison is absolute: the highest possible straight still loses to the lowest possible full house. Ranks inside a category only matter when both players hold the same category.

Prove it to yourself

Which hand wins? Tap it.

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