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.
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