Does a royal flush beat two pair?

Yes. A royal flush beats two pair in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, royal flush is #1 and two pair is #8. Categories are compared first: the royal flush is the single best hand in poker — nothing beats it, and every two pair loses to it.

#1
Royal Flush — wins

A-K-Q-J-10, all one suit. The unbeatable hand.

A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
#8
Two Pair — loses

Two different pairs.

A♠A♦9♣9♥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 royal flush shows up in 0.000154% of them (4 combinations), while two pair appears in 4.75% (123,552 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.

Does two pair ever beat a royal flush?

No — never. The category comparison is absolute: the highest possible two pair still loses to the lowest possible royal flush. 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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