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There are many variants of the game poker, but nearly all of them rank combinations of cards as outlined below. Poker games should specify if any variations of these hand rankings are used. (See Poker/Game play for how to play the game itself and Poker for more information). |
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There are many poker variants, but unless otherwise specified in the rules of the variant being played, hands are evaluated using the traditional set of five-card hands. These are, from worst to best: |
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Readers note: This pages uses card suit symbols that may not appear correctly on your web browser. If that is the case, go to [this page]? which uses letters to represent suits. |
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* /No pair (for example, A-Q-10-5-2) * /One pair (for example, 10-10-K-7-4) * /Two pair (for example, K-K-9-9-J) * /Three of a kind (for example, 4-4-4-K-9) * /Straight (for example, 9-8-7-6-5) * /Flush (for example, K-J-8-7-4 of one suit) * /Full house (for example, 2-2-2-Q-Q) * /Four of a kind (for example, J-J-J-J-6) * /Straight flush (for example, Q-J-10-9-8 of one suit) * /Five of a kind (for example, 6-6-6-6-(Wild), only possible in /Wild card games) |
General rules* A poker hand consists of five cards. :Even in games where more than five cards are available to each player, hands are ranked by choosing some five-card subset according to the rules of the game, and comparing that five-card hand against the five-card hands of the other players. Whatever cards remain after choosing the five to be played are of no consequence in determining the winner. * Hands are ranked by category first. :That is, even the minimum qualifying hand in a certain category below defeats all hands in all lower categories. The smallest two-pair hand, for example, defeats all hands with just one pair or no pair. * The order in which cards are dealt is unimportant :For ease of explanation, hands are shown here neatly arranged, but a poker hand is the same no matter what order the cards are received in. * Suits have no value. :The suits of the cards may be used in determining a hand (specifically the "flush" and "straight flush" hands), but never does a card or hand of cards rank above another solely because of suit. If two players have hands that are identical except for suit, then they are tied and split the pot. :Sometimes it is convenient to assign relative values to the suits for special purposes such as when drawing a card to decide who deals first. In this case it is traditional to rank the suits in alphabetical order, with clubs lowest and spades highest (this is also the order of suits in bridge), though cards are always valued by rank first, only then by suit (for example, the Ace of clubs ranks higher than any King, but lower than the Ace of diamonds. This ranking of cards is called "high card by suit", and can be used for determining who is required to pay a bring-in, who gets the odd chip in a split pot, and other uses, but never to break ties between poker hands themselves. * Individual cards are ranked. :Individual card ranks are often used to evaluate hands that contain no special combinations, or that contain equal combinations and extra cards (called kickers) used to break ties. In these cases, the Ace is the highest ranking card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, and then the spot cards in order from 10 (highest) to 2 (lowest). "High" handsNo Pair: K♥ J♣ 8♣ 7♦ 3♠Also known as "nothing" or "garbage". A hand in which no two cards have the same rank, the five cards are not in sequence, and the five cards are not all the same suit. Two such hands are ranked by comparing the highest ranking card; if those are equal, then the next highest ranking card; if those are equal, then the third highest ranking card, etc. For example, A♦10♦ 9♠ 5♣ 4♣ defeats K♣ Q♦ J♣ 8♥ 7♥, and A♣ Q♣ 7♦ 5♥ 2♣ defeats A♦ 10♦ 9♠ 5♣ 4♣. No-pair hands are often referred to by the one or two highest cards in the hand, such as "king high" or "ace-queen high". One Pair: 4♥ 4♠ K♠ 10♦ 5♠Two cards of the same rank, plus three unmatched cards. Between two such hands, the hand with the higher ranking pair wins. If two hands have the same rank of pair, the extra cards (called kickers) are compared in the manner of no-pair hands. For example, 10♣ 10♠ 6♠ 4♥ 2♥ defeats 9♥ 9♣ A♥ Q♦ 10♦, and 10♥ 10♦ J♦ 3♥ 2♣ defeats 10♣ 10♠ 6♠ 4♥ 2♥. In some games, kickers become very important (typically community card games like Texas holdem), while in other games (such as draw poker) they are almost never significant. Nonetheless, they are always used if needed. Two Pair: J♦ J♣ 4♣ 4♠ 9♠Two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of another rank (that match each other but not the first pair), plus one unmatched card. Between two such hands, the higher ranking pair of each is first compared, and the higher pair wins. If both have the same top pair, then the second pair of each is compared. Finally, if both hands have the same two pairs, the kicker determines the winner. The hand above could be referred to as "jacks and fours" or "jacks over fours" or just "jacks up" (the smaller pair is rarely needed to break ties, so it doesn't even need to be mentioned most of the time). For example, K♥ K♦ 2♣ 2♦ J♥ defeats J♦ J♠ 10♠ 10♣ 9♠ , 9♣ 9♦ 7♦ 7♠ 6♥ defeats 9♥ 9♠ 5♥ 5♦ K♣, and 4♠ 4♣ 3♠ 3♥ K♦ defeats 4♥ 4♦ 3♦ 3♣ 10♠. Note in particular here that the general rule about poker hands having only five cards often comes into play. If you are playing a seven-card game and have, for example, 10♣ 10♦ 8♦ 8♥ 4♣ 4♠ Q♦, the highest poker hand you can make is two pair: 10♣ 10♦ 8♦ 8♥ Q♦. The extra 4♣ 4♠ are of no consequence because you can't squeeze them into a five-card hand. Three of a Kind: 2♦ 2♠ 2♥ K♠ 6♠Three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. Also called "trips", or "a set" (the latter term is more specific to community card games, where two of the set are in your hand and one in the community cards). Between two such hands, the hand with the higher ranking matched set wins. If both have the same matched set (this is possible only in games with wild cards or community cards), then the kickers are compared as usual. For example, 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 5♠ 3♣ ("three eights" or "trip eights") defeats 5♣ 5♥ 5♦ Q♦ 10♣ ("three fives"), and 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ A♣ 2♦ ("three eights, ace kicker") defeats 8♠ 8♥ 8♦ 5♠ 3♣ Straight: Q♣ J♠ 10♠ 9♥ 8♥Five cards of sequential rank, of varying suits. Often described by the highest card, as in "queen-high straight" or "straight to the queen". Two straights are ranked by comparing the high card of each. Two straights with the same high card are of equal value, and split any winnings (straights are the most commonly tied hands, especially in community card games). For example, 8♠ 7♠ 6♥ 5♥ 4♠ defeats 6♦ 5♠ 4♦ 3♥ 2♣, and 8♠ 7♠ 6♥ 5♥ 4♠ ties 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♣ 4♥. Aces are a special case here: the hand A♣ K♣ Q♦ J♠ 10♠ is an ace-high straight (or "broadway"), and ranks above a king-high straight such as K♥ Q♠ J♥ 10♥ 9♦. But the ace may also be played low in a hand such as 5♠ 4♦ 3♦ 2♠ A♣, called a "wheel" or "bicycle" or five-high straight, which ranks below the six-high straight 6♠ 5♣ 4♣ 3♥ 2♥. The Ace may not "wrap around", or play both high and low in the same hand: 3♣ 2♦ A♠ K♠ Q♣ is not a straight (just ace-high no pair). When "wild" cards are used (cards, often the joker, that may be designated as another card of the player's choice according to the rules of the game), the wild card becomes whichever rank is necessary to complete the straight. If two different ranks would complete a straight, it becomes the higher. For example, in the hand J♦ 10♠ 9♣ (Wild) 7♠, the wild card plays as an 8-spot (of any suit; it doesn't matter). In the hand (Wild) 6♥ 5♦ 4♥ 3♦, it plays as a 7-spot (even though a 2-spot would also make a straight). The five-card rule applies here: if playing a seven-card game you end up with K♠ K♣ K♥ Q♠ J♦ 10♦ 9♣, and your opponent has K♦ Q♦ J♥ 10♥ 9♠ 8♠ 7♣, your hands are tied: the best five-card poker hand you can make is a king-high straight, and the best hand he can make is also a king-high straight. The fact that you also have three kings and he also has a seven-card-long straight are both irrelevant. Of course, if his hand were instead A♥ K♦ Q♦ J♥ 10♥ 9♠ 8♠, his ace-high straight would defeat your king-high. Flush: Q♣ 10♣ 7♣ 6♣ 4♣ |
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These hands are called the traditional hands or high hands. |
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Five cards of the same suit, not in rank sequence. Two flushes are compared as if they were no-pair hands. In other words, the highest ranking card of each is compared to determine the winner; if both have the same high card, then the second-highest ranking card is compared, etc. The suits have no value: two flushes with the same five ranks of cards are tied. For example, A♥ Q♥ 10♥ 5♥ 3♥ defeats K♠ Q♠ J♠ 9♠ 6♠ , A♦ K♦ 7♦ 6♦ 2♦ defeats A♥ Q♥ 10♥ 5♥ 3♥, and Q♥ 10♥ 9♥ 5♥ 2♥ ties Q♠ 10♠ 9♠ 5♠ 2♠. |
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Some games called lowball or low poker are played where players strive not for the highest ranking of the above combinations but for the lowest ranking hand. There are three methods of ranking low hands, called /Ace-to-five low, /Deuce-to-seven low, and /Ace-to-six low. The ace-to-five method is most common. |
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When wild cards are used, a wild card contained in a flush is considered to be of the highest rank not already present in the hand. For example, in the hand (Wild) 10♥ 8♥ 5♥ 4♥, the wild card plays as A♥, but in the hand A♣ K♣ (Wild) 9♣ 6♣, it plays as Q♣. |
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Certain variants use hands of only three cards, either high or low. Three-card low hands can be ranked by any of the three methods above, although with three cards they become ace-to-three (rather than ace-to-five), deuce-to-five, and ace-to-four. The ace-to-three method is the most common, just as the ace-to-five method is most common method for five cards. Three-card high hands are ranked in one of two ways: either with or without straights and flushes. Without (which is the most common, and used such games as [Chinese poker]?), the hands are simply no pair, one pair, and three of a kind. If you add straights and flushes, the order of hands should be changed to reflect the correct probabilities: no pair, one pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, straight flush. This order is used, for example, in [Mambo stud]?. |
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Some home games and some casinos play the "double ace" rule, in which a wild card in a flush always plays as an ace, even if one is already present. In such a game, the hand A♠ (Wild) 9♠ 5♠ 2♠ would defeat A♦ K♦ Q♦ 10♦ 8♦ (the wild card playing as an imaginary second A♠), whereas by the standard rules it would lose (because even with the wild card playing as a K♠, the latter hand's Q♦ outranks the former's 9♠). This rule is rare, and is an exception to standard practice, so it should be announced clearly if you intend to use it. |
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Some poker games are played with a deck that has been stripped of certain cards, usually low-ranking ones. For example, the Australian game of /Manila? uses a 32-card deck in which all cards below the rank of 7 are removed, and [/Mexican stud]? removes the 8s, 9s, and 10s. In both of these games, a flush ranks above a full house, because having fewer cards of each suit available makes flushes rarer. |
Full House: 3♣ 3♠ 3♦ 6♣ 6♥ |
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Some games add one or more [/Unconventional hand]?s, or have special exceptions to the rules above. For example, in the game of [Pai Gow Poker]? as played in Nevada, a /Wheel (5-4-3-2-A) ranks above a king-high straight, but below an ace-high straight. This is not the case in California, where the nearly identical game is played under the name [Double-hand poker]? using traditional hand values. |
| Three matching cards of one rank, plus two matching cards of another rank. Also called a "boat" or "tight". Between two full houses, the one with the higher ranking set of trips wins. If two have the same set of trips (possible in wild card and community card games), the hand with the higher pair wins. For example, 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ 4♠ 4♦ defeats 9♥ 9♣ 9♠ A♥ A♣ , | K♠ K♣ K♥ 3♦ 3♠ defeats 10♠ 10♥ 10♦ 4♠ 4♦, and Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 8♥ 8♣ defeats Q♥ Q♦ Q♣ 5♠ 5♥.Four of a Kind: 9♣ 9♠ 9♦ 9♥ J♥Four cards of one rank, and an unmatched card. Also called "quads". Higer ranking quads defeat lower ranking ones. Between two equal sets of quads (possible in wild card and community card games), kicker determines the winner. For example, 10♣ 10♦ 10♥ 10♠ 5♦ defeats 6♦ 6♥ 6♠ 6♣ K♠, and 10♣ 10♦ 10♥ 10♠ Q♣ defeats 10♣ 10♦ 10♥ 10♠ 5♦. Straight Flush: Q♠ J♠ 10♠ 9♠ 8♠Five cards in rank sequence, all of the same suit. Two such hands are compared in the same way as are straights, and the same wild-card rules apply as for straights. The ace rule also applies: 5♦ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦ A♦ is a 5-high straight flush. An ace-high straight flush A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣ is often called a "royal flush", and is the highest ranking poker hand possible without wild cards. For example, 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ 4♥ 3♥ defeats 5♠ 4♠ 3♠ 2♠ A♠, and J♣ 10♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ ties J♦ 10♦ 9♦ 8♦ 7♦. Five of a Kind: A♠ A♣ A♥ A♦ (Wild)Five cards of the same rank (only possible in wild card games). Higher ranking sets of five defeat lower ranking sets. (If this ever comes up in your game, you're playing with way too many wild cards). "Low" handsSome games called "lowball" or "low poker" are played where players strive not for the highest ranking of the above combinations but for the lowest ranking hand. Some games are also played "high/low" or "high/low split", in which the high hand and the low hand split the pot upon showdown. There are three methods of determining low hands. The "Ace to Five" method is most common, especially in high/low games. "California" or "ace to five" lowIn all lowball games, pairs and trips are bad: that is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the "high" hand loses. In ace to five low, straights and flushes are ignored, and aces play as the lowest card. For example, the hand 8♥ 5♣ 4♣3♠ 2♦ defeats 9♠7♣ 6♥ 4♥ 3♣, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7♥ 6♦ 5♠ 4♦ 3♥ defeats both, because seven-high is lower still, even though it would be a straight if played for high. Aces are low, so 8♠ 5♣ 4♣ 3♦ A♦ defeats 8♥ 5♠ 4♥ 3♠ 2♦. Also, A♠ A♣ 9♦ 5♦ 3♣ (a pair of aces) defeats 2♣ 2♦ 5♠ 4♠ 3♥ (a pair of deuces), but both would lose to K♠ J♥ 8♠ 6♥ 4♦. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3♦ 3♣ 6♠ 4♠ 2♥ defeats 3♥ 3♠ 6♦ 5♥ A♣. This is called ace to five low, because the lowest (and therefore best) possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A (suits irrelevant), called a "wheel" or "bicycle". The next best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-A, then 6-5-4-2-A, etc. When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called "a nine", and is defeated by any "eight". Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8♠ 6♠ 5♣ 4♦ 2♦ can be called "an eight-six" and will defeat "an eight-seven" such as 8♣ 7♠ 5♦ 4♥ A♠. In games where the high and low hands split the winnings, some hands (particularly small straights and flushes) may be both the low hand and the high hand, and are particularly powerful (or particularly dangerous if they are mediocre both ways). Winning both halves of the pot in a split-pot game is called "scooping" or "hogging" the pot. The perfect hand in such a game is 5♥ 4♥ 3♥ 2♥ A♥ (of any suit), called a "steel wheel", which plays both as perfect low and a straight flush high. Note that it is possible--though astronomically unlikely--to have this hand and still lose money! If the pot has three players, and one other player has a 5♠ 4♦ 3♦ 2♣ A♠, and another has 10♣ 9♣ 8♣ 7♣ 6♣ for a higher straight flush, the higher straight flush wins the high half of the pot, and you and the other wheel split the low half, so you have won only a quarter of a three-way pot. Strange things can happen at poker tables. Ace to five lowball is often played with a joker added to the deck. The joker always plays as the lowest card not already present in the hand: in 7♥ 5♠ 4♥ (Joker) A♦, for example, the joker plays as a 2-spot. This can cause some interesting effects for high/low split games. Let's say that Alice has 6♣ 5♠ 4♥ 3♣ 2♠--a good hand for both high and low. Burt has (Joker) 6♥ 5♥ 4♣ 3♠. By applying the rule for wild cards in straights, Burt's joker plays as a 7-spot for high, giving him a seven-high straight to defeat Alice's six-high straight. For low, the joker plays as an ace--the lowest card not in Burt's hand--and his hand also defeats Alice for low, because his ace is lower than her deuce, with all other cards equal. Jokers are very powerful in high/low split games. "Kansas City" or "deuce to seven" lowKansas City low poker is almost the direct opposite of standard high poker: high poker hand loses. Aces are always high, and straights and flushes count for high (and are therefore bad). It's called deuce to seven low because the best possible hand is 7♣ 5♠ 4♦ 3♠ 2♣ (of any mixed suits). Otherwise, hands rank as for California low. The one exception is that A♣ 5♣ 4♦ 3♦ 2♥ is not considered a straight in this game---it is just an ace-five high, and would therefore defeat, for example, a pair or an ace-ten high, but lose to any king-high or lower. "Chicago" or "ace to six" lowThis played in the eastern United States and elsewhere (and is the traditional hand ranking of "London" lowball, a stud poker game). Aces are low cards, but straights and flushes count for high (and are threfore bad). Therefore, the best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-1, etc. Wild cardsPoker games may contain one or more cards designated as "wild". These may be jokers, or they may be normal ranked and suited cards pressed into wild card duty ("deuces wild" is a common variant). There are two rules in common use regarding wildcards: fully "wild" cards and the "bug". A card that is fully wild can be designated by its holder to play as any card he chooses with no restrictions. Under this rule, for example, a hand with any natural pair and a wild card becomes trips. This is common in low-stakes home games. The more common rule in casinos is that a wild card plays as a "bug", which is given the rank of ace unless designating it as a different card would complete a straight, flush, or straight flush. Under this rule, a pair of kings with a bug is still just a pair of kings (with an ace kicker), but four clubs and a bug make a flush, and 7♥ (Joker) 5♣ 4♣ 3♠ is a straight. Two exceptions to standard practice sometimes seen in home games are the double-ace flush rule mentioned above (in the section on flushes), and the "natural wins" rule. The latter rule states that between hands that would otherwise tie, the hand with fewer wild cards wins. This is not common in casinos and should be treated as an exception to standard practice (as is the double-ace flush). There is a tendency among some players to regard wild cards as "impure" or treat wild card games as silly or amateurish. While it is certainly true that a game with too many wild cards can become so random that all skill is lost, the occasional use of wild cards is a good way to add variation to a game and add opportunities for skillful play. In particular, 5-card draw, whether for high or low, is traditionally played with a Joker in California (which plays as a bug for high). Seven-Card Stud plays well with one or two bugs, especially when played high/low. Five-Card Draw and Stud even play well with deuces fully wild. Other games like Texas Holdem and Omaha do not play well with wild cards. |
General rules |
Exceptions |
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The following general rules apply to evaluating poker hands, whatever set of hand values are used. |
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In certain games, special exceptions may be made. In particular, some places play poker with a deck that has been stripped of certain cards, usually low ones. For example, the Australian game of Manila uses a 32-card deck in which all cards below the rank of 7 are removed, and [Mexican stud]? removes the 8, 9, and 10-spot cards. In both of these games, a flush ranks above a full house, because with fewer cards of each suit available it is more difficult to get. Other hands retain their normal values. Also in Mexican stud, because the 8, 9, and 10-spot cards are removed, a hand such as 6♥ 7♦ J♣ Q♣ K♠ counts as a straight. |
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* Individual cards are ranked A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (low). :Individual card ranks are often used to evaluate hands that contain no pairs or other special combinations, or to rank the /Kickers of otherwise equal hands. The Ace is ranked low in ace-to-five and ace-to-six lowball games. |
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There is a variant called Canadian stud in which a four-card straight ranks above one pair, a four-card flush above that, followed by two pair. |
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* Suits have no value. :The suits of the cards may be used in determining whether a hand fits a certain category (specifically the /Flush and /Straight flush hands), but never does one poker hand rank above another solely because of suit. If two players have hands that are identical except for suit, then they are tied and split the pot. |
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In the game of [Pai Gow Poker]? as played in Nevada, a wheel (5-4-3-2-A) ranks above a king-high straight, but below an ace-high straight. This is not the case in California, where the nearly identical game is played under the name [Double-hand poker]?. |
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:Sometimes a ranking called /High card by suit is used for things like randomly selecting a player to deal, but never to break ties between poker hands themselves. |
Three-card hands |
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* A poker hand consists of five cards. :In games where more than five cards are available to each player, hands are ranked by choosing some five-card subset according to the rules of the game, and comparing that five-card hand against the five-card hands of the other players. Whatever cards remain after choosing the five to be played are of no consequence in determining the winner. |
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Certain poker variants use only three cards. Low hands can be ranked by any of the three methods, which therefore become ace-to-three (rather than ace-to-five), deuce-to-five, and ace-to-four. The ace-to-three method is the most common, just as the ace-to-five method is most common for five cards. When adapting a five-card ace-to-five high/low split game in which an 8-high hand or lower is required to win low, the rough equivalent three-card low is a 6-high. |
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* Hands are ranked first by category, then by individual card ranks. :That is, even the minimum qualifying hand in a certain category defeats all hands in all lower categories. The smallest /Two pair hand, for example, defeats all hands with just /One pair or /No pair. Only between two hands in the same category are card ranks used to break ties. |
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High hands are ranked in one of two ways: either with or without straights and flushes. Without (which is the most common, and used in games like [Chinese poker]?), the hands are simply no pair, one pair, trips. If you add straights and flushes, the order of hands should be changed to reflect the correct probabilities: no pair, one pair, flush, straight, trips, straight flush. This order is used, for example, in [Mambo stud]?. |
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* The order in which cards are dealt is unimportant. :For ease of explanation, hands are shown here neatly arranged, but a poker hand is the same no matter what order the cards are received in. |
These hands are called the traditional hands or high hands.
Some games called lowball or low poker are played where players strive not for the highest ranking of the above combinations but for the lowest ranking hand. There are three methods of ranking low hands, called /Ace-to-five low, /Deuce-to-seven low, and /Ace-to-six low. The ace-to-five method is most common.
Certain variants use hands of only three cards, either high or low. Three-card low hands can be ranked by any of the three methods above, although with three cards they become ace-to-three (rather than ace-to-five), deuce-to-five, and ace-to-four. The ace-to-three method is the most common, just as the ace-to-five method is most common method for five cards. Three-card high hands are ranked in one of two ways: either with or without straights and flushes. Without (which is the most common, and used such games as [Chinese poker]?), the hands are simply no pair, one pair, and three of a kind. If you add straights and flushes, the order of hands should be changed to reflect the correct probabilities: no pair, one pair, flush, straight, three of a kind, straight flush. This order is used, for example, in [Mambo stud]?.
Some poker games are played with a deck that has been stripped of certain cards, usually low-ranking ones. For example, the Australian game of /Manila? uses a 32-card deck in which all cards below the rank of 7 are removed, and [/Mexican stud]? removes the 8s, 9s, and 10s. In both of these games, a flush ranks above a full house, because having fewer cards of each suit available makes flushes rarer.
Some games add one or more [/Unconventional hand]?s, or have special exceptions to the rules above. For example, in the game of [Pai Gow Poker]? as played in Nevada, a /Wheel (5-4-3-2-A) ranks above a king-high straight, but below an ace-high straight. This is not the case in California, where the nearly identical game is played under the name [Double-hand poker]? using traditional hand values.
The following general rules apply to evaluating poker hands, whatever set of hand values are used.
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