Hand Rankings

The following is the ranking of hands from highest to lowest for MOST poker games.

Royal Flush
Straight Flush
4 of a kind
Full House
Flush
Straight
3 of a kind
2 pair
1 pair
High Card

Rankings of High Card (from Highest To Lowest)

The Ace may be used as a low in a straight for A 2 3 4 5 (or a 5 High Straight, also known as The Wheel in High/Low games)

Other Points Worth Mentioning

If 2 players have the exact same hand (say both of them have a pair of 7′s) look at their high card. If they both have Ace high, look at the next highest card. If they both have the same card for their 1st and 2nd highest cards look at their final card. If all 3 cards are the same you have a split pot.

J Q K A 2 is NOT a straight. (We know you’re saying to yourself “Duh!” but someone has actually claimed this in a game before while we were playing so its worth mentioning.)

There is no such thing as 3 pair. This is another thing we’ve heard a lot. In EVERY card game you play your best 5 cards. For example if someone has “3 pair” consisting of a pair of 2′s a pair of 3′s and a pair of 4′s they have 2 pair 4′s and 3′s (use the highest 2 pair) with a whatever their 7th card happens to be as a kicker (because it has to be 5 high or above in this example)

Hand Rankings In OTHER GAMES

Stud (when determining who brings in)

Suits Arranged From Highest To Lowest

A to 5 Lowball aka California Lowball (or the best hand you can have in a H/L aka 8b game)

Deuce To Seven Lowball aka Kansas City Lowball

Soko (Canadien Stud)

2 Pair
4 Card Flush
4 Card Straight
1 Pair

Everything else is exactly the same from the chart above.