Rank of Hands
Whichever type of poker game you play, the rank of hands remains the same.
Put simply, a poker hand comprises five cards. Poker hands form one of several types, such as a flush, a straight, or two pairs. The player with the highest-ranking hand is the winner.
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 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.
Straight
Five cards of sequential rank. Every possible straight will contain either a 5 or a 10.
Three of a Kind or 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.
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 pairs, 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 the Q kicker.
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 comprises five different cards inferior or equal to 8. Example: A- 2- 4- 7- 8
WPT Poker offers two games where the pot is split between the best high hand and the best low hand - Omaha Hi/Lo and 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo. 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 towards a low hand, and an Ace is regarded as the lowest card. Hands with five cards of equal rank share the low pot equally, regardless of suit.
In Hi/Lo games as played on WPT Poker, the best possible low hand is a 5-high straight, called a wheel or a bicycle. If two or more players have wheels/bicycles, the low portion of the pot is split. Irrespective of suit, all wheels/bicycles are equal.
If none of the players has five different cards less than or equal to eight, then there is no low hand and only the highest hand is taken into account to decide the winner. In this case there is only one winner and the pot is not split.
