Poker Hand Rankings
PokerStars offers many different poker games, including Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Seven Card Stud. As well as these more traditional games, we also spread Hi/Lo variants of Stud and Omaha. We even offer low-only games, such as Razz and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.
Poker Hand Values
Royal Flush: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all the same suit.
The highest possible hand in poker, statistically a royal flush is dealt once every 650,000 hands.
Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Very occasionally, two players may make a straight flush. If this occurs, the player with the highest straight flush wins the pot.
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank. Also commonly known as 'quads'.
Very occasionally, a four of a kind may develop on the board (in games with community cards, like Hold'em). If this occurs, the player with the highest 5th card wins the pot. If both have the same high 5th card, the pot is split between them.
Full House: Three cards of the same rank, and a pair.
Occasionally, two players may have a full house. If this occurs, the player with the higher three cards of the same rank wins the pot.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, in any order.
If two players make a flush, the player with the higher flush wins the pot. If both have the same highest ranking card, then go to the second highest ranking card, and so on.
Straight: Five cards in consecutive order, in any suit.
If two players make a straight, the player with the higher straight wins the pot.
Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same matching rank.
If two players make a three of a kind, the player with the higher ranking three cards wins the pot. If a three of a kind develops on the board (in games with community cards, like Hold'em), the player with the next highest card wins. The pot is split if both have the exact same five-card hand.
Two Pair: A hand with two different pairs.
If more than one player has two pair, the player with the highest-ranking pair wins the pot. If two players have the same highest-ranking pair, the player with the highest second pair wins.
One Pair: A hand with one pair (two cards of a matching rank).
If more than one player has a pair, the player with the higher ranking pair wins the pot. If two players have the same pair, the player with the highest kicker or side card wins.
High Card: A hand with nothing of value, except for a high card.
If two players showdown hands with just a high card, the player with the highest card wins the pot.
Low Poker Games
Ace to Five Format
Low poker games are usually played either Ace to Five (A-5) or Deuce to Seven (2-7). In A-5 games, aces count as low, and straights and flushes do not count against you. The best hand is therefore A, 2,3,4,5.
The best low hand can be determined by starting with the worst (i.e. the highest card) in a player's hand. For example, 7,6,5,4,3 beats 8,4,3,2,A. If two players have the same highest card, compare the second highest card, and so on. For example 8,6,5,4,3 beats 8,7,3,2,A.
Qualifying for a Low: Split pot (or hi/lo) games are played in an Eight or Better format. This means a player must make a low hand with five unpaired cards, eight or lower in value, in order to qualify for the low hand. If there is no qualifying hand, the player with the high hand wins the full pot.
Deuce to Seven Format
In games like 2-7 Triple Draw, straights and flushes count against you, and aces are considered high. The best possible hand therefore is 7, 5,4,3,2 in cards of different suits.
