The rank of hands in poker remains the same no matter which type of poker game you play.
In a nutshell, a poker hand consists of five cards. Poker hands fall into
one of several categories, such as flush, straight, or two pair. The player
whose hand is in the higher category wins.
Royal Flush
A royal flush is an ace high straight flush.
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 - Full Boat
A full house, or full boat, contains a set (three) cards of one
rank and
a pair of another rank.
Flush
A flush is any five cards, all of the same
suit.
Straight
Five cards of sequential rank. Every possible straight will contain either
a 5 or a 10.
Three of a Kind - A Set
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.
Some games are called Hi-Lo
Games (Seven 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
Hi/Lo
games are played with an 'eight qualifier' for the low hand, where a player
must have five unpaired cards lower than eight in order to win the low part
of the pot.
Straights and flushes do not count toward a low hand, and aces are treated
as the lowest card. Hands with five cards of equal rank share the low pot
equally, regardless of suit.
In Hi/Lo games, the best possible low hand
is a 5-high straight, called a wheel or a bicycle. Should two or more players
have wheels/bicycles, the low portion of the pot is split. All wheels/bicycles
are equal regardless of suit.
A Wheel - Bicycle
If nobody gets five different cards inferior or equal to eight, then there
is no low hand and only the highest hand is taken into consideration to
elect the winner. There will only be one winner and the pot won’t
be split.
