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Poker Strategy
What are the poker hand rankings?
Poker Hands
Poker is usually played with a 52-card deck, but a joker or
other wild cards may be added. The ace normally plays high,
but can sometimes play low, as explained below. At the showdown,
those players still remaining compare their hands according
to the following rankings:
1. Straight flush: five cards of the same suit in sequence,
such as 76543 of hearts. Ranked by the top card, so that AKQJT
is the best straight flush, also called a royal flush. The ace
can play low to make 5432A, the lowest straight flush.
2. Four of a kind: four cards of the same rank accompanied
by a "kicker", like 44442. Ranked by the quads, so
that 44442 beats 3333K.
3. Full house: three cards of one rank accompanied by two of
another, such as 777JJ. Ranked by the trips, so that 44422 beats
333AA.
4. Flush: five cards of the same suit, such as AJ942 of hearts.
Ranked by the top card, and then by the next card, so that AJ942
beats AJ876. Suits are not used to break ties.
5. Straight: five cards in sequence, such as 76543. The ace
plays either high or low, making AKQJT and 5432A. "Around
the corner" straights like 32AKQ are usually not allowed
in casinos.
6. Three of a kind: three cards of the same rank and two kickers
of different ranks, such as KKK84. Ranked by the trips, so that
KKK84 beats QQQAK, but QQQAK beats QQQA7.
7. Two pair: two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank
and a kicker of a third rank, such as KK449. Ranked by the top
pair, then the bottom pair and finally the kicker, so that KK449
beats any of QQJJA, KK22Q, and KK445.
8. One pair, two cards of one rank accompanied by three kickers
of different ranks, such as AAK53. Ranked by the pair, followed
by each kicker in turn, so that AAK53 beats AAK52.
9. High card: any hand that does not qualify as one of the
better hands above, such as KJ542 of mixed suits. Ranked by
the top card, then the second card and so on, as for flushes.
Suits are not used to break ties.
Suits are not used to break ties, nor are cards beyond the
fifth; only the best five cards in each hand are used in the
comparison. In the case of a tie, the pot is split equally among
the winning hands.
Several variations are possible when playing for low. Some
games permit the ace to play low and ignore straights and flushes,
making 5432A the best possible low, even if it makes a straight
flush. Other games just reverse the order used for high hands,
making 75432 of mixed suits the best possible low. Still others
count straights and flushes against you but let the ace play
low, making 6432A best. Note that in most games in which the
ace plays low, a pair of aces is lower than a pair of deuces,
just as an ace is lower than a deuce.
When a joker is in play, it usually can only be used as an
ace or to complete a straight or flush. It cannot be used as
a true wild card, for example, as a queen to make QQ43X play
as three queens. When playing for low, the joker becomes the
lowest rank not already held, so 864AX is played as 8642A, with
the joker used as a deuce.
Although true wild cards are rarely seen in a casino, they
are a popular way to add excitement to a home game. Wild cards
introduce an additional hand, five of a kind, which normally
ranks above a straight flush. They can also cause confusion
when two players hold the same hand composed of different wild
card combinations. The standard rules of poker do not distinguish
between such hands, but some players prefer to rank hands using
fewer wild cards above less "natural" versions of
the same hand.
