Does a straight flush beat three of a kind?

Yes. A straight flush beats three of a kind in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, straight flush is #2 and three of a kind is #7. Categories are compared first: even a five-high straight flush beats three aces — the category always decides first.

#2
Straight Flush — wins

Five cards in a row, all one suit.

9♥8♥7♥6♥5♥
#7
Three of a Kind — loses

Three cards of the same rank ("trips").

8♠8♥8♦K♣2♥

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 straight flush shows up in 0.00139% of them (36 combinations), while three of a kind appears in 2.11% (54,912 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.

Does three of a kind ever beat a straight flush?

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

Prove it to yourself

Which hand wins? Tap it.

More matchups