Poker Hands

The traditional or ‘high’ hand rankings apply to Texas Hold’em and various other games. The poker hands are listed below from highest to lowest:

Straight Flush: Five cards in numerical order, all of identical suits.

If two or more players hold straight flushes, the highest ranking card at the top of the straight will win the pot. Therefore, the highest possible straight flush is ten to ace and is called a Royal Flush. This hand is simply unbeatable.

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Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same ranking and one other card (called a ‘kicker’). Four of a Kind is also referred to as ‘Quads’).

If more than one player holds four of a kind, the player holding the highest ranking four cards will win the pot. If two players hold the same four of a kind (in a flop game where the four cards are on the board), the player with the highest ranking kicker will win the pot.

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Full House: Also called a ‘Full Boat’ (or simply a ‘Boat’), a full house consists of three of a kind in addition to one pair.

This example would be referred to as ‘Kings full of tens’ (the three of a kind is always ‘full’ of the pair). When a player hits a card to make their full house, they will often say that they ‘filled up’.

If two or more players hold a full house, the player with the higher ranking three of a kind portion of the hand is the winner. If players in a community card game hold the same three of a kind card portion of the hand, the winner is decided by who holds the highest ranking pair portion of the full house.

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Flush: Five cards of identical suits.

If more than one player holds a flush, the highest ranking card in the hand will determine the winner. If necessary, the 2nd highest ranking card (or 3rd, 4th or 5th) will be used to break a tie. Suits have no ranking in flushes, therefore if any players hold flushes with identical ranking cards, the pot will be split.

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Straight: Five cards in numerical sequence, not of the same suit.

If more than one player holds a straight, the winner is determined by the highest-ranking card at the top of the straight.

It should be noted that aces can be used as the highest or lowest ranking card when creating a straight. In an A, 2, 3, 4, 5 straight, the ace is the lowest card, but it can also appear in a T, J, Q, K, A straight as the highest card.

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Three of a Kind: As the name suggests, three cards that are of the same ranking, plus two kicker cards that are not paired.

If more than one player holds this hand, the highest ranking three of a kind will win the pot. In Flop games, if two players hold the same three of a kind (appearing on the board) then the player holding the highest ranked kicker (or 2nd kicker if there is a tie) will be the winner.

Three of a kind is also commonly called a ‘set’. If a pair appears on the board in a Flop game and a player holds a hole card to complete the three of a kind, this is called ‘trips’.

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Two Pair: Two cards of identical ranking plus two more cards that are of different identical ranking, and one kicker.

If more than one player at the table holds two pair, the winner is determined by the highest ranking pair, regardless of the other pair’s rank. For example, the hand shown would beat a hand of 9, 9, 7, 7, A, because the tens are of higher rank than the nines, no matter that the sixes are of lower ranking than the sevens. If two players hold the same two pair, then the higher ranking kicker will determine the winner.

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One Pair: Two cards of the same rank, and three kicker cards of different ranks.

The highest ranking pair will win the pot, unless two or more players hold the same ranking pair. In this scenario, the winner will be determined by the highest ranking kicker (or 2nd or 3rd kicker if necessary).

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High Card: If no player holds any hand listed above, the winner will be determined by comparing high cards. A high card is the highest ranked card in a player’s hand.

This example hand is simply high card king. If another player held the same high card, the next highest card would be compared (and the next if those tied, and so on).

In split pot games, like Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo, players are trying to achieve both a high hand (explained in the traditional poker hand rankings above) and an Ace to Five Low hand. In Razz (Stud Low), players are only competing for an Ace to Five Low Hand.

Straights and flushes are ignored when creating Ace to Five Low Hands, and aces are always low. However, pairs do count against your hand. The low hands are listed below from best to worst:

Five Low (Wheel)

This is the best possible low hand. Therefore, if two or more players hold a Wheel, the pot is split evenly among them.

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Six Low: Any five unpaired cards, with the highest card being a six.

If two or more players hold a six low, then the next highest ranking cards are compared to determine a winner. This continues until the tie is broken.

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Seven Low: Any five cards that are unpaired with a seven being the highest card.

If more than one player holds a seven low, then the next highest cards are compared until the tie is broken.

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Eight Low: All cards are unpaired and the highest ranking card is an eight.

If more than one player holds an eight low, the next highest ranking cards are compared to determine a winner.

An Eight Low is the worst hand that will qualify for a low in Eight or Better games like Stud Hi/Lo and Omaha Hi/Lo. In Razz, there is no qualifier, which means that you can even be holding a pair and still win the pot as long as it is the lowest hand.

Simply put, 2-7 Lowball hands are ranked the opposite of traditional high hands. Unlike Ace to Five Low Hands, straights and flushes are counted in 2-7 Lowball Hands, and are damaging. Also, aces are always high. Therefore, the best holding in 2-7 Lowball is a seven low:

The hand shown is merely an example of a Seven Low, which can be any five cards that are unpaired with a seven being the highest card. The next best hand is an Eight Low, and so on. Kickers are compared when ties occur.

There are no qualifying hands for a low in 2-7 Lowball games, so the lowest hand always wins! It’s possible to win with a pair (or worse).

Hand rankings in Badugi can be a little confusing at first because they are different than those in other poker games. However, once you get the rules down, you will find the hands quite simple.

In Badugi, each player receives only four cards so straights are not an option (four cards in numerical sequence do not count as a straight), and aces are always low.

The best hand in Badugi is one that contains four cards of different suits and different ranks. If you hold cards that are identical in suits or ranking, then only one of them counts.

These are the Badugi hand rankings, from best to worst:

Badugi: Four cards that are all different suits and different rankings.

If two or more players have a Badugi, then the lower Badugi wins the pot. This is determined by the highest ranking card in a hand. If that card is the same, then the next lowest card is compared, and so on until the tie is broken. The example shown (4, 3, 2, A) is the best possible Badugi hand.

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Three Card Hand: Any hand in which two cards either share the same rank or the same suit, along with two other cards that are unique in their ranks and suits. Only the lowest three cards that are unpaired and of different suits will play.

In this example, one of the fours will not play because it is paired with another four. The hand is now 4, 2, A.

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In the three card hand shown, the four will not play because its suit matches that of the three, and the lower of the two always plays. The hand is now 3, 2, A.

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Two Card Hand: Any hand that contains only two cards that are unique in suit and rank. Again, the lowest two cards will play.

In this example, only two cards will play because there are two pairs present. The hand is now 5, A.

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In this two card hand, the 4 and 3 are removed because they are the same suit as the 2 (the higher cards are always removed). The hand is now 2, A.

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One Card Hand: All cards are of either the same suit or the same ranking, making only one card (the lowest one) playable.

In this hand, all cards are aces so only one card will be played. This hand is now simply an ace.

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Because all of these cards share the same suit, only the lowest card will be played and the hand is a 3.