Rank of Poker Hands

(1) Normal Games

The normal games use 52 cards. The Rank of Cards from highest (Ace) to lowest (Two) is:

Note: There is no ranking of Suits in Poker. For example, an Ace of Spades does not outrank an Ace of Clubs. They are of equal rank

The rank of hands from highest to lowest:

Royal Flush

A royal flush is an ace high straight flush.

A straight flush is a five-card straight, all in the same suit .

Four of a Kind - Quads

Quads, or four of a kind, are four cards of equal rank.

Full House or Full Boat

A full house, or full boat, contains a set (three) of cards of one rank

and a pair of another rank.

Flush

A flush is any five cards, all of the same suit.

Five cards of sequential rank.

Three cards of the same rank.

Two Pair

A two pair is two cards of one rank and another two cards of another rank.

One Pair

One pair is two cards of the same rank.

High Card

The hand with the highest card(s) wins.

In the event of a tie with either four of a kind, three of a kind, two pair, or one pair, the highest unpaired side card or 'kicker' in a player's hand wins the pot.

For example: Player A: Kc, Kh, 6s, 6h, Qh
                     Player B: Ks, Kh, 6s, 6h, 9d
Player A wins the hand with Q kicker.

(2) Games Using Wild Cards

Poker 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).

With wild cards in play, the best possible hand is a five of a kind, not royal flush. So the highest hand in a wild game is 5 Aces, that beats royal flush.

5 Aces

the highest hand

(Wild card Joker as an A)

There are two rules in common use regarding wild cards: "fully wild" cards and the "bug".

A card that is fully wild can be designated by its holder as any card he chooses with no restrictions. Under this rule, for example, a hand with any natural pair and a wild card becomes three of a kind.

The 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 hand such as K-K-Joker-5-2 is just a pair of kings (with an ace kicker), but any four same-suit cards with a bug make a flush, and a hand such as 7-Joker-5-4-3 makes a straight

(3) High Low Split games

Some games are called Hi/Lo Games (7 Card Stud Hi/Lo and Omaha Hi/Lo) because to win the pot, not only do you need to consider the rank of hands explained above (Hi) but also the lowest hand (Lo). The pot is then split between two winning hands: the high one and the low one.

We've covered the high hands above. A low hand is a hand that contains five different cards inferior or equal to 8. Ex: A- 2- 4- 7- 8

Note that suits and sequences are irrelevant for low. A flush or straight does not "break" a low poker hand. Aces are the lowest card when considering a low.

Five High, or Wheel

The Five, Four, Three, Deuce and Ace.

In the event of a tie: All Five-high hands split the pot.

Six High

Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being a Six.

In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. Thus 6, 4, 3, 2, A defeats 6, 5, 4, 2, A. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.

Seven High

Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being a Seven.

In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.

Eight High

Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being an Eight.

An Eight High is the weakest hand that qualifies for low.

In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.