Poker Hands - Official Poker Hand Ranking

Comment(s) on this article

DaRee Feb 29, 2008

This is a great site to help individuals with the hand rankings. The best I have found. Thank you and this will help in teaching my friends how to play!

paul egan Mar 22, 2008

is it possible to open with an open ended flush 6 7 8 9 of hearts in draw poker

Felipe Mar 23, 2008

Hello. I am a begginer and have two questions:

1) I was playing with some friends and we had a situation where two of them had a flush, using an ACE from the table. We decided that the winner was the one with the second highest card of the same suit. Was that correct or the only card that matters on a flush is the highest?

2) When two players have one pair, the card that decides the winner (kicker) is the highest on players' hand or including the cards on the table? For 1-pair games, if the kicker is the same for both players should we decide based on the next better card?

Erik Winkler Mar 25, 2008

Hey guys, I have a simple question. If at the end of the hand I have K 9 and another dude has K 8 who would win if the community cards held a queen or does that even matter?

Fionn Mar 29, 2008

Erik Queen doesnt matter but k9 would win because 9 is a higher kicker

Fionn Mar 29, 2008

Felipe 1) that should have been a 'split pot'
2) split pot also

Giovanni Mar 30, 2008

Hey guys. IF i have Ace,10 the other guy has 7 10.

The flop is 6,7,8,9 and Q.
Who is winning.We almost had a fight over this last nite because the guy said he had a straight plus the pair 7 and he has winning hand.So can you please clear this up for me.And also can you refer me to an official rule to explain this.This is my cuzin and he is still upset so i just want to convince him that he was wrong.
thank you guys.

piyi Apr 1, 2008

giovanni,
'split pot' since u both have straight with 10 as top card.

Shannon from Oz Apr 1, 2008

Giovanni, The Ace and Queen are irrelevent in this hand - tell your cousin .. .its the "best five cards" including one or two from your own hand plus up to the five community cards - you can't use six cards ..... this is a "split pot" ...

my webiste has some official rulings for you ... will be live in a couple of days - check it out then.

regards

shannon

Shannon from Oz Apr 1, 2008

Felipe - i do not agree with Erik Winkler's reply ...(1) he assumes that on a board showing (for instance) 4 hearts with Ace as the highest ... that we split the pot if you have a 2 hearts and i have the King of hearts .... i clearly win.
The correct answer to your query is the next highest heart in a players hand is the winner - unless the board holds the next highest and then it is a split pot.

(2) Assuming the board has the next highest card outside of the two pair then it is a split pot. If one of the players has a higher "kicker" than the other player - or the board then he/she wins.

regards

Shannon

bruce Apr 1, 2008

hey im bruce tonight i was beatin with a hand ace 2 3 4 5. is that a straight i wasnt sure.

vador Apr 6, 2008

Hello, everybody
I'm a beginner and I have a little question:

my friends and I where playing a texas hold'em last week, and we had a fight about a hand.
I had a five full of two's
My friend had a Two full of sixes

My friend argued that his hand was better than mine since his highest card was a 6 whereas mine was a 5. But I think I win because I have three 5's whereas he have three 2's

Pete Apr 10, 2008

Bruce - A-2-3-4-5 is a legitimate hand. Also referred to a wheel draw.

Vador - you seem to be a little confused about your/your friend's hand. you mention you had 5-5-5-2-2 vs 2-2-2-6-6. As you can see, this is impossible as there are only 4 cards to every number/picture in a deck.

fyi in a case of 5-5-5-2-2 vs. 6-6-6-2-2, the second hand is the better hand.

Guido Apr 10, 2008

Hello guys, I have the following question.
If you hit a flash, but the A is on the table, and two players hit the flash, how do you determine who wins? Do you split the pot?
Thank you!

jonzee Apr 14, 2008

K J 10 9 5 are all spades and all community cards. I have the 7 other guy has the queen.
The winning hand is? Or is it a split pot.

Steve Apr 14, 2008

Vader and Pete-

Pete it is possible because they were playing hold'em.

for example the board could read

5226Q

vador could hold 55 (fives full of two's)

and his friend could hold 26 (two's full of sixes)

So it is very much possible that those hands are legit

shintle .b Apr 17, 2008

K J 10 9 5 are all spades and all community cards. I have the 7 other guy has the queen.
Does he win, or is it split pot?

mark Apr 17, 2008

which wins.
jack jack jack ace ace
or
king king king jack jack

this is a holdem game with two jacks and one king on the board.
i hold an ace and jack. he holds 2 kings.

Hogan Apr 21, 2008

Hey guys! I'm pretty up to date on poker nut last week I had something that I never run into. on the board was.....
Q 8 10 K 10
I had A 8 and the guy that said he beat me had 9 9.
Now my question is..is that when you have two pair I thought that as long as you have the same high pair no matter what the second pair is it comes down to your kicker because two pair is two pair if you have the same high pair. I thought I was supposed to win because I carried A kicker?

cav Apr 27, 2008

If I had AA333 and another guy had 99933 which full house wins.

nate May 8, 2008

on an ace high flush on the board does it matter who has the next highest card

Guy Johnson May 17, 2008

Nate: Look at all five cards in flush. If the highest card ties, it's the 2nd card that determine winner. If the 2nd card ties, it's the 3rd card etc

Cav: 99933 > AA333

Hogan: if board is q 8 10 k 10, then 9 9 > A 8 (pick 5 best cards each player has. If highest pair ties, then 2nd pair determines winner.)

Mark: kkkjj > jjjAA

shintle and jonzee: if board is KS JS 10S 9S 5S, then QS > 7S (You guys playing in same game???)

Guido: Look at all five cards in flush. If the highest card ties, it's the 2nd card that determine winner. If the 2nd card ties, it's the 3rd card etc

jason May 19, 2008

remember a strate flush with ace k q j 10 is the best hand

John May 21, 2008

ok How strong is this hand or is it not at all.

A 10 J Q K - Mixed suit

I thought that this hand should be a very good hand to have but my friend said that it would be beaten by a full house. Is that right?

Sean Lind May 21, 2008

Hey John, the hand you're talking about (a straight to the Ace 10-J-Q-K-A... it's nickname is Broadway).

It's the best possible straight. In Hold'em it's a very strong hand, but is beaten by any flush or full house.

If the board has no pair, and no three cards of one suit, it's the nuts... the best hand you can have.

If the board does have a pair, or three, four, or five cards of a suit it loses value. So you'll have to play it keeping that in mind.

If you're playing Omaha instead of hold'em, It's even more important to be careful if the board has the pair or suited cards.

BubbaDan Jun 1, 2008

Hogan, if the first pair ties, then it goes to the second pair. it only goes to the kicker if the second pair also ties. if the first pair second pair AND kicker all tie, you split.

BubbaDan Jun 1, 2008

Hey guys, after re-reading these questions, i have realized something, even though Hold-Em has 7 cards, you only get to use 5. Pick the 5 that make you the best hand and go from there. Always compare each hand to the 5th card. Flushes almost never split pot. If the board had
A Q 7 5 3 of spades, and noone has a spade down, it's a split, but all it takes to beat the board is a 4s or higher, because it would beat the 3 on the board. If one person had the 2, it's still a split.

I recommend the following:
Any book by Doyle Brunson;
Any book by Dan Harrington;
the DVD "Poker for dummies" hosted by Moneymaker is an AWESOME starter for most of the questions I've seen here, and only costs $12.00 or so.

Enjoy your games, we play every Friday night at my house, and most of us are in a casion playing every month or so as well.

(I even got a professional Hold'Em table in the basement. We call it out Poker Room)

Otter Jun 2, 2008

If player 1 hole cards are 8,2, and player 2 hole cards are K,4, and the board is 2,K,4,2,2; would player 1 win with his four of a kind or would player 2?

namedude Jun 2, 2008

otter player one would win with four of a kind altho player 2 has a full house. .. a very strong hand four of a kind is ultamently better.

astrit Jun 7, 2008

If we have the order like this: King(heart) A (heart) 2 ( in german Karo which looks like red quadratic form) 3 (heart) and 4 (heart). Is this a valid straight? Thank you

Edick Morad Jun 9, 2008

Question:
Hand One: A, 3
Hand Two: A. Q
Community: A. 4, 4, 7, K
Who Wins?

Sean Lind Jun 10, 2008

Edick Morad Jun 9, 2008

Question:
Hand One: A, 3
Hand Two: A. Q
Community: A. 4, 4, 7, K

Both players have the best 5 card hand of:
A, A, 4, 4, k

It's a chop pot. If that K was a J, AQ would win.

astrit Jun 7, 2008

Kh-Ah-2h-3h-4h

This is not a straight, as straights can not wrap in hold'em. But it is a flush.

joe bloe Jun 10, 2008

BOLA DE PUTOS!!!!!!!!

Doan Nguyen Jun 14, 2008

What if there was a flush on the table, and it was between two players? One player has a pair of three's and the other one has a high queen. If the Flush is universal for both players, doesn't it come down to who has the best hand besides the common flush? Or does both players use the flush and split pot?

My email is Priestofdota@gmail.com - Please send me a reply. It'll contribute to my overall knowledge of Hold'em, Thanks.

scott osterhout Jun 15, 2008

hand 1 has 8-5 and hand 2 has k 9 and the board is 35663, does hand 2 take it with the king 9 or does the hand with 8-5 take it.

Sean Lind Jun 17, 2008

Doan, I emailed this to you as well:

If the flush on the table is made up of hearts, and both players have no hearts in their hand, the pot is split. Poker always used the best 5 card hand.

If either player has a heart in their hand that is higher than any of the hearts on the board, they have a better flush and will take the pot.

Scott:

hand 1 - 8-5
hand 2 - k-9
Board - 35663

The winner is hand 1. Here is why:

Hand 1's best 5 card hand is:
66 55 8 (two pair, 6's and 5's, Eight Kicker)

Hand 2's best 5 card hand is:
66 33 K (two pair 6's and 3's, King kicker)

If the board was 66553

and the hands where

AK vs. 83, AK would now win, since both players have two pair 66 and 55, but AK has a higher kicker.

Brendon Jun 18, 2008

If community cards are a hearts flush and player 1 has 2s Kd and player 2 has 3d and Ac confirm the pot is split as the winning 5 cards are the community cards and there are no heart kickers out there.
Basically you are only limited to 5 cards no more

Ryno Mellet Jun 25, 2008

Hi There, I am kind of new to poker, and opviously uninformed of holdem' poker, so we just play normal 5 card poker. A friend of mine told me that the best possible hand is Aces High (4 Aces) is that true, or does the 4 Aces only count as an 4 of a kind?

Sean Lind Jun 26, 2008

Ryno Mellet. The hand rankings are exactly as it shows above there. Four Aces is four of a kind. It's the best four of a kind, but it will still lose to a straight flush. (A royal flush is just a straight flush, but the highest possible one. It gets its own name because it's the highest possible hand you can make in the game)

Kristen Jun 30, 2008

HI,

Please help, Do you take the best five cards for each player even if they are all on the table?

Player 1: J,9
Player 2: Q,10

Table: A,K,3,6,7

Is this a split pot? Or does player 2 win with the Q high? Although they share the A high on the table???

larry Jun 30, 2008

Need help- texas holdum
Player a- 9 A , Player b- 9 7.
Flop- 9 9 7 7 4
Who is the winner or would this be a split pot.

will Jun 30, 2008

in reference to larry's question the hand 9-7 wins because the one with 9-A is just a three of a kind with an ace kicker but the 9-7 is actually a boat (full house)... therefore the 9-7 has a better hand

will Jun 30, 2008

wait scratch last comment...my apoligies...its a split pot my bad...you can only count 5 cards...split pot

will Jun 30, 2008

kristen.... Q high does it...you count 5 highest cards on the table... watch world poker tour

Sean Lind Jul 2, 2008

Kristin, in a high game (such as holdem) always count from the top down until there's a difference.

Player 1 has A-K-Q
Player 2 has A-K-J

Queen is higher than a Jack. :)

Mike Jul 3, 2008

Actually Will you were right the first time. He had the boat with 7's over 9's 777-99. That beats the three of a kind with the Ace kicker

pantsula Jul 4, 2008

Hey guys. We had a huge fight about this last night and I need your help to resolve...

player 1 has - K 8
Player 2 has - 6 3
Flop is - 2 6 5 7 J

who wins the pot?

KristenKristen Jul 4, 2008

pantsula, Player 2 wins, Pair of 6's

Zstanman Jul 5, 2008

Larry, unfortunately you're getting a ton of mixed answers to your relatively simple question. Will was correct the SECOND time when he corrected himself. It is a split pot. Remember that BOTH players play their best 5 cards. For each player, his best hand is a Full House, 999-77. Both player A and B will disregard their second cards (The A and the 7) because they do not enhance their best hand. Sean Lind had great advice when he said "always count down until there's a difference." I've never thought about it that way but that's great advice.

sincere Jul 5, 2008

this is a really cool site

Todd Jul 7, 2008

Some of the questions asked by people need more information because they dont mention the suit of the cards. A flush beats many hands and in some questions it is not known if the person has a flush or not.

sunny Jul 7, 2008

Question- who wins the pot-

player 1 has 10,9
player 2 has A,2

flop k k 10 7 7

Does the Ace (player 2)win cause there are 2 pairs on the table???

ryan Jul 8, 2008

player1

Sean Lind Jul 8, 2008

Mike - The way you're counting the hands is how you do it in Omaha, in Hold'em you are allowed to use only one card out of your own two, thus they both have a full house.In Omaha you have to use two cards out of your four.

pantsula - I don't understand where there is confusion here, 6-3 has a pair of 6's, wile K-8 has nothing but a King high (no pair). 6-3 wins every time. (Also you wrote "Flop is - 2 6 5 7 J", technically the flop is just 2-6-5, turn is 7 river is J, all together it's "the board".)

Todd - If the players don't mention suits, it's always taken as the suits do not matter. A flush is the one hand that even new poker players rarely miss. It's easy to spot. So if no suits are given, you assume it's rainbow.

sunny - You're thinking about a "counterfeit" situation, but this is not one of them. Count from the top down, player one has K-K-10-10-9 player two has K-K-7-7-A, a 10 is higher than a 7, so player one wins.

You're thinking of a situation like this:

Player 1: 4-4
Player 2: A-9
Board: K-K-Q-6-Q

Now both players are playing two pair, KK and QQ, but player two has an ace kicker, while Player one plays the board. The last queen falling counterfeit his pair leaving his hand worthless.

bobby Jul 10, 2008

Play 1: ME: 10d, Jh DEALER: 6s, 7s
board: 4h,4s,5s,4d,8s


Play 2: ME: 4d, 3d Dealer: 4c,5c
board: Jc,6c,5h,2s,Qc

New to hold'em so im just checking.

Jessica Jul 11, 2008

"Mike - The way you're counting the hands is how you do it in Omaha, in Hold'em you are allowed to use only one card out of your own two, thus they both have a full house.In Omaha you have to use two cards out of your four."

Actually, Sean in Holdem you are allowed to use one, both, or neither of your hold cards. Both players have a full house 9-9-9-7-7.

Sean Lind Jul 16, 2008

Jessica - "Actually, Sean in Holdem you are allowed to use one, both, or neither of your hold cards. Both players have a full house 9-9-9-7-7. "

That's exactly what I said. "they both have a full house" where my exact words. I also said:

"in Hold'em you are allowed to use only one card out of your own two"

I'm not sure where we're disagreeing here?

Sean Lind Jul 16, 2008

bobby :

Play 1: ME: 10d, Jh DEALER: 6s, 7s
board: 4h,4s,5s,4d,8s

The dealer wins with a straight - 4-5-6-7-8

Play 2: ME: 4d, 3d Dealer: 4c,5c
board: Jc,6c,5h,2s,Qc

Here you have a straight, but you lose to the dealers's flush (4c-5c-Jc-6c-Qc)

Playing against a dealer? Sounds like a "Texas Hold'em Scratch And Win"? Or as I like to call them "Bad Beat Poker". I've never lost with the big full or quads more often.

kalijha Jul 20, 2008

if i have a pair of 3's and she has a pair of 5's who wins?

Sean Lind Jul 22, 2008

kalijha: Depends what falls on the river

Alex Jul 26, 2008

Sean: whats the fall of the river?

M dog Jul 26, 2008

two players have the same hand

player one 3 7
player two 3 8
flop 3 A K 2 10


both players have a pair of 3s but does the high card on the board split the pot or does it go to the kicker?

Sean Lind Jul 29, 2008

M dog: Two players have the same hand

player one 3 7
player two 3 8

flop 3 A K 2 10

First off, that's a board the flop is only the first three cards. As for your question, players must make five card hands.

Player One: 3-3-A-K-10
Player Two: 3-3-A-K-10

So yes, they split the pot. if the 10 was a 4, then the kicker would play making player two the winner.

Nimfa Jul 29, 2008

I have question: I have 7-7 and the other player has A-5 and the community card has A-2-5-10-9 who is the winner

gee Jul 31, 2008

im fairy new to poker, learnt most i need to from facebook poker:)
well the question is this if the opponent has two jacks and i had a eight.
then the dealers card gets dealt and i have a pair of eights from the dealt dealer who is the winner. i was assuming that because i have a pair of eight i win, thanks you in advance for the advice

Ant Aug 1, 2008

Okay here is my scenario....
*note - there is no flush in this hand for either players*

Player 1 A-9
Player 2 A-7

Table K-6-8-8-4

Player 1 (best 5) 8-8-9-K-A
Player 2 (best 5) 8-8-7-K-A

Here is the question, they both have a pair of 8's with an Ace kicker. The only differance between the hands is the 9 and 7. So do they push for the pair of 8's and the Ace kicker OR does the 9 and 7 decide the winner even though they are both lower than the Ace kicker? (need help fast, a fight almost broke out over this one) Thanks!

Sean Lind Aug 1, 2008

Gee: Your question is a little confusing, but it sounds like you're asking this:
Your hand: 8x (x is for anything else)
Other Hand: JJ

the board: 88xxx

Assuming that's what you're asking, and one of the x's isn't a jack, then you will be the winner. If this is not your question, ask again. It helps if you put in the hands like the examples below. thx

Sean Lind Aug 1, 2008

Ant:

Player 1 A-9
Player 2 A-7

Table K-6-8-8-4

Player 1 (best 5) 8-8-9-K-A
Player 2 (best 5) 8-8-7-K-A

The kicker plays. Because the 9 beats the board, meaning it's higher than the 6 and the 4 it is used in the hand (just like you listed in your best 5's). It plays, and player 1 is the winner of the whole pot.

kerry Aug 3, 2008

Okay here is my scenario....
*note - there is no flush in this hand for either players*

Player 1 A-9
Player 2 A-7

Table K-6-8-8-4

Player 1 (best 5) 8-8-9-K-A
Player 2 (best 5) 8-8-7-K-A

Here is the question, they both have a pair of 8's with an Ace kicker. The only differance between the hands is the 9 and 7. So do they push for the pair of 8's and the Ace kicker OR does the 9 and 7 decide the winner even though they are both lower than the Ace kicker? (need help fast, a fight almost broke out over this one) Thanks!
________________________________

player one wins with a pair of A's and 9's

Archwel Aug 7, 2008

The rules of Holdem state that its the best 5 card hand. you must play five cards. in the event of a tie it goes the the kickers. not the highest single kicker but all playable kickers.i.e the best 5 cards.

In the scrnario with the A9 vs the A7 and the 88 on the board the hand is decided by the 5th card.

Both players have 8-8-A-K-x

but Player one has 8-8-A-K-9
and player 2 has a best hand of 8-8-A-K-7

so player one wins.

if the board had another card higher than 9. i.e 8-8-K-J-7

then it woudl be a tie with both players having the best possible five card hand with 8-8-A-K-J


The same issue come up with flushes when both players have a flush with the Ace on the board. Both have an Ace high flush but the second highest card of the suit plays to make the winning hand.

gee Aug 8, 2008

just wondering really here. how does a double queen beat one pair.

dealers hand
8c 9d jc 2s 4h

player 1
qs qd

player 2
kd jh

gee Aug 8, 2008

sorry another request
have to know why player 1 wins

dealers hand
js 2h jc 3d 4s


player 1
6h ks

player 2
10 c qc

because i was player 2

Sean Lind Aug 8, 2008

just wondering really here. how does a double queen beat one pair.

Board:8c 9d jc 2s 4h
player 1 : qs qd
player 2 : kd jh

Here player two is playing a pair of Jacks:
Jc-Jh-Kd-9d-8c
While Player one has a Pair of Queens:
Qs-Qd-Jc-9d-8c

You make the best 5 card hand, it doesn't matter what cards you use (your own or the board) just the final best hand.


another request
have to know why player 1 wins

Board: js 2h jc 3d 4s
player 1: 6h ks
player 2: 10c qc

You both have the same category hand (a pair of jacks) your kicker is Queen high (Js-Jc-Qc-10c-4s) while Player 1 has a kicker King high (Js-Jc-Ks-6h-4s)

If you just look at the top three cards you'll see
Js-Jc-Qc vs. Js-Jc-Ks

Count your hands from top down, when there is a difference, that's where you choose a winner. If the third best card was the same you'd go on to the fourth. If all 5 cards are the same, then you chop the pot. Hope that helps

brad Aug 8, 2008

most of these questionsthe awnser is that payer 1/2 has a higher kicker gee
so if the board is
8s Jh Kd Qd Qs
player1 Qh 7h
player2 qc 9h

player 2 won because ithad a higher kicker(number/letter card)
A can be counted as one or 14 witch is abuv the king

felipe, its not correct
if two ppl have the same card win ( 2pair 1pair flush ect.) then whoever has the highest second card wins

brad Aug 8, 2008

bruce it is a straight

Over Aug 9, 2008

Hi, i am dumbfounded by this:

P1: 8,8

P2: 9,9

P3: K,Q

Community Cards: A,A,A,5,Q

Is it a split pot amongst the 3 players??

blindsided Aug 11, 2008

player A has a fullhouse three 2's and a pair of Queens , player B has three 5's and a pair of two's who wins ??

hillo Aug 17, 2008

blindsided: three 5's and a pair of two's will win. Three 2's are lower than three 5's.

Over: P3: K,Q will win. Three A's and 2 queens are higher than P1 and P2.

gee Aug 18, 2008

i dont know if this being said. this is a question about full house hand.

this how it goes say if a player has a pair of any hand and the flop hand comes out to be:

Q 4 J Q Q
or any three of a kind

does this mean the player with the pair always gets a full house?

thk you in advance

Sean Lind Aug 19, 2008

Over:
P1: 8,8
P2: 9,9
P3: K,Q
Community Cards: A,A,A,5,Q

All three players have a full house, Aces over, but they all have different valued pairs. Aces over eights, Aces over nines, and Aces over Queens.

Player three wins the whole pot.

Sean Lind Aug 19, 2008

Gee:
Anytime there is a board with three of a kind, and you have a pair in your hand you have a fullhouse.

alfie Aug 21, 2008

ive came out of the poker world series and i lost $1,000,000,000 guted

gracie Aug 22, 2008

WHAT IS THE WINNING NUMBER? NUMBER:10-10-10-10-7 OR 2-2-2-6-J

KAG Aug 29, 2008

in this scenario who wins?

player 1: K 9
player 2: K 8
player 3: K 4

Table: K A A Q 4

who wins?

Sean Lind Sep 2, 2008

KAG: player 1: K 9 , player 2: K 8 , player 3: K 4

Table: K A A Q 4

It's a three-way chop, all players win. Since you have to use five cards, and you can use any combination of the board cards and your own, all players have - KKAAQ as their best 5 card hand.

April Sep 21, 2008

In this hand, who wins?

P1- 6, 6
P2- A, 6

Flop- K, 7, 5, K, 7

Lizzy Sep 22, 2008

I was wondering if there is a ranking to the suits when all players have the same cards?

Sean Lind Sep 23, 2008

April:
P1- 6, 6
P2- A, 6
Flop- K, 7, 5, K, 7

Player one got counterfeit. Player two wins the pot with two pairs Kings and Sevens with an Ace kicker.

Lizzy: Yes and no. Suits have no bearing in most aspects of poker. A pot is never decided by suit. That means when playing stud, if two players have the exact same flush A-9-6-5-2 they chop the pot.

Suits are only taken into account for things such as:
Drawing for seats/dealer button
The Bring in stud (two players with the same low card will go to their suits to descide who brings)

That's actually all the examples I can think of. In these scenario's the suits are in Alphabetical order: (from worst to best)
Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades

This is known as the "bridge" suit ranking, since it was taken from Bridge. Games such as Big-Two use the Chinese suit ordering:
Diamonds, Clubs, Hearts, Spades

I wrote a bunch of odd rules and what-nots in an article here with this very information. Check it out if you want to learn a bunch of rarely useful knowledge.

krystal Sep 30, 2008

I am playing poker night scratcher through ca lotto I have an important question.

on the back with the winning hands examples it says A spades is higher than any other card in hand.

But, its shown in order from lowest to highest with the A of spades being the first example. I got A spades, A diamond, 2 hearts, 2 spades, and an 8 hearts.

Dealer got a straight with
5s, 6d,7h,8c,9c

WHO IS THE WINNER?

Sean Lind Sep 30, 2008

krystal:

Aces are higher valued than any other single card (the suits rarely matter, other than a flushnever for determining a winning hand).

You have two pair with AA228
You lose to a straight 56789

Rule of thumb for scratch and wins: Just assume you've lost, you'll probably be correct.

Hobbo Nov 3, 2008

Just reading through the comments and picked up on this:

--------------------------------------
Brad states:
most of these questionsthe awnser is that payer 1/2 has a higher kicker gee
so if the board is
8s Jh Kd Qd Qs
player1 Qh 7h
player2 qc 9h

player 2 won because ithad a higher kicker(number/letter card)
A can be counted as one or 14 witch is abuv the king
-------------------------------

In this hand the pot would be split as both players have the same hand QQQKJ the fact that p1 has 7 and p2 has 9 is irrelevant as you can only play a 5 card hand.

Sean Lind Nov 4, 2008

Absolutely correct Hobbo. Thanks for that.

homogdog Nov 27, 2008

yeah man that was up n the down yo that was all like up in my grille gee

funkmanfist Nov 27, 2008

fo fho dodo that was off the hildo dingo i was ridin up n the hood with my gee dogs thinkin to my self that was off the hizzy fizzy

Roger Dec 2, 2008

I have a question regarding flush draws.

If a flop produces akq of clubs for example and two players are holding a flush, one with j6 and the other with 73 then who wins?

I was always led to believe it was the highest card which ranked the flush, in this case an ace so it would be a split pot.

However I have had examples of playing online where the jack has won the hand based of it being higher than my 7.

Sean Lind Dec 2, 2008

Roger: This gets confused often because of how online sites list the winning hand. When you win it would say "Wins with flush Ace high". In the real world you'd never say that. In your example, the first player would call his hand as:
"I have a flush, Jack high"

while the second player would say that he has a flush "Seven high".

Because you have to make the best 5 card hand, the winner is the one with the highest flush cards in their hand. If you're using all 5 on board, and so is your opponent, it's a split. If either of you has a flush card higher than anything on board, you win the pot.

Brad Miller Dec 5, 2008

5 of a kind (wild card/joker) beats a straight flush. Right?

Sean Lind Dec 5, 2008

Brad, any game using a wildcard is going to be using a custom rule set, so really it's up to whomever's game it is. But typically a 5 of a kind beats a straight flush, as it's statistically harder to achieve. In fact, a five of a kind beats all straight flushes including a Royal flush.

Unless I'm mistaken, stats wise 5 of a kind is just as unlikely as a Royal Flush as you have to use 5 specific cards to make the hand, while if you have a 4 card straight flush, you have two cards that can come to complete it (assuming it doesn't dead-end on the bottom), making it slightly (and I mean slightly) more likely than a royal or five of a kind.

kase Dec 6, 2008

hey, i am confused about "split pots"
heres and example

board
99277

hand one
9, 4

hand two
9, 3
would this be a split pot? Thanks

Thunder Dec 9, 2008

kase: both players got 99977 full house, split.

vic Dec 10, 2008

both p have a the same Straight its a split?
or thres a way to be the only winner?

Sean Lind Dec 11, 2008

Vic, if both players have the SAME straight, such as 5-6-7-8-9, and the straight is the best hand, they split the pot.

steve Dec 11, 2008

this article is wrong, or i'm wrong, explain how it is possible for more than one person to have the same 4 of a kind? it says the kicker will decide..... am i just being stupid?

Sean Lind Dec 11, 2008

steve: if the board is KKKKA then the absolute best possible hand is four of a kind kings, with an ace kicker. Meaning all players split the pot.

If the board is KKKK2 whomever has the highest card will win with four of a kind kings (x) kicker.

If both player have an ace intheir hand, again, it's a chopped pot.

FD Dec 16, 2008

Steve: Two identical four of a kinds are possible if more than one deck is being used

Ben!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dec 22, 2008

ok so here is the situation:

Dealer: 2 3 7 J J

P1: J 5(club)
P2: J 5(spade)

do we split the pot or does the pot go to player to because spade beats club??

we are playing texas hold 'em

Sean Lind Dec 23, 2008

Ben!!!, in texas hold'em suits ranking order never comes into play, meaning in your example you will split the pot.

(ok Never isn't really correct, as you will use suits to highcard for a dealer, or chip race. But that's it)

john Dec 25, 2008

witch one win hand 1:A,9
2:8,5

6,4,7,8,10

utkal Dec 27, 2008

POKER BOARD 5,6,7,8,10

P1: 4,5
P2: J,9

who wins

Whacko Dec 27, 2008

@ utkal:
P2 wins
he has the higgest straight

Sean Lind Dec 30, 2008

john: A9 wins since it has a higher straight

6-7-8-9-10

while the other hand has only a lower straight:

4-5-6-7-8

marc rester Jan 1, 2009

when does a 4 of a kind beat a royal flush? If ever or a straight flush?

Sean Lind Jan 2, 2009

Marc, if you're playing a common game such as Hold'em, Omaha, Stud or Draw the answer is never. The above order of hands never changes (unless you're making up your own rules for some fancy home game).

There are some variations of poker in which things change slightly, such as three card poker, where a straight will beat a flush. Other than that switch though, all hand orderings remains the same.

Freddie Jan 3, 2009

Hey, I have a quick question that is a little confusing.
In Texas Hold'em if three people are playing. All three people go all in on a hand. If the person with the least amount of chips wins the hand. I understand that the winner gets only what they put in from the other two. Then what happens to the rest of the pot? Do the other two split it, or does it go to the second best hand?

Sean Lind Jan 6, 2009

Freddie:

Short stack all-in against two players: When a short stack is all-in against two larger stacks, the blinds, short stack, plus the amount of the short stack from each larger stack is placed in the main pot. All players are eligible to win this pot.

The two players on the side are now free to play and bet as usual into a side pot, which only they are eligible to win. (This means there can be two winners in the hand - a side pot and a main pot winner.)

That answer plus many more answers to odd poker situations I wrote about in this article: http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/general-poker/odd-situations-and-rules-for-your-home-game

JOE Jan 8, 2009

hy i have qostion in poker game AAA210 winer or 345QA is a winer which one thank u

Ange Jan 9, 2009

who wins this hand

Board: J Q 4 3 6

Player one: Q 2

Player two: Q 8

or is it a split pot?

Sean Lind Jan 9, 2009

JOE: the hand with three aces wins, as the other hand has nothing.

Ange: I'm sensing a common theme among 90% of these questions. The answer is that you have to make a 5 card hand. Make the best hand you can using 5 cards for each player, and see who has the highest hand (you use all 5 of the cards to evaluate).

If you're still stuck:

Player one - QQJ64
Player two- QQJ86

you should be able to see a clear winner from that. (The answer is player two ;) )

jay Jan 9, 2009

dealer hand is 6h 7h 8d 9d ks
hand 1 5c 5d 5s 2h 3d
hand 2 qh qd qc 2s 8h
hand 3ac ah 4s 4d 2d
hand 4 jh js 3s 3c kd
hand 5 10h 10d 9c 9s jc
hand 6 10s 10c 4h 5h

do any hands beat dealer?

Tom Jan 10, 2009

On The Board
-36A88-
Player 1 - A 5
Player 2 - A K

Who wins and does high card matter with 2 pair.

Ken Jan 11, 2009

Always remember, the top five cards play. So,

1) On the Board -36A88-
Player 1 - A 5
Player 2 - A K

Player 1 has: AA886
Player 2 has: AA88K

Player 2 wins


2) On the Board -36A88-
Player 1 - A 5
Player 2 - A 4

Player 1 has: AA886
Player 2 has: AA886

Split pot

Sanold Jan 12, 2009

Who wins the following hands:

dealer: 2 5 5 5 3

P1: 2 2

P2: 6 2

dealer: 2 5 5 5 Q

P1: 2 2

P2: 6 2

Sean Lind Jan 13, 2009

jay: Your question is kind of odd. First of all it looks like you're playing 5 card stud, or 5 card draw? (well actually it looks like you're playing a poker themed scratch and win)

Firstly, hand 6 only has four cards, so they're right out. Secondly, the dealer has nothing but a broken straight, so anyone with a card higher than a King, or as little as a pair beats them.

Hand 1: Three of a kind fives (beats dealer)
Hand 2: Three of a kind, Queens (Best hand overall)
Hand 3: Two pair, Aces and fours (Beats Dealer)
Hand 4: Two pair, Jacks and Threes (beats dealer)
Hand 5: Two pair, 10's and 9's (beats dealer)
Hand 6: Only has four cards, but still has a pair of 10's (beats dealer)

So to answer your question:
Yes

Sean Lind Jan 13, 2009

Tom, Ken answered your Q quite nicely, so I'll just let you read what he said.

Sanold:

In the first hand, it's a split pot, Player one had a full house 22255 on the flop, but got counterfeit on the turn when the third five came, now both player have the same full house 55522

The second hand is exactly the same thing, no change what-so-ever.

If the river was a 6, then player two would win the pot, but other than a six coming, the only card that will give player 2 the win would be the final 5. After the turn, player one can not win the hand, only split (this is because the final two is in his opponents hand)

wade Jan 19, 2009

ok if the table shows
Ad 9d 8s Qd 4d

Hand one: 10d 2s
Hand two Kd 3s
itwould be a split pot right because the king does not beat the Ace high flush correct

Sean Lind Jan 20, 2009

Wade, You're mistaken, hand two wins the pot. You need to use all five cards of a flush to decide the flush. Hand two has a flush AdKd... while hand one only has a flush AdQd...

jimmy Jan 23, 2009

i want to know if 5 of a kind is the second best hand in poker after royal flush

Sean Lind Jan 23, 2009

Jimmy, in any game that has a wild card, and allows for 5 of a kind hands, 5 of a kind is the absolute nuts, beating a royal flush.

this may change due to house rules, but that's kind of the "standard"

alec Rubin Jan 25, 2009

if my hand was jack seven and i have a three pair of sevens and two pair of jacks but the opponent has a hand of nine and nine and ends up with three pair of nines and 2 pair of sevens who wins the hand.

Sean Lind Jan 27, 2009

alec Rubin: Your question doesn't really make any sense. When you say "three pair" I'm assuming you mean three of a kind, and "two pair" you mean a pair. Those combined would be a fullhouse.

Board 7jj99
You: 77
Opp: 97

You: 777jj
Opp: 99977

You count the three of a kind half of a full house first, your opponent has three nines, higher than your three sevens, thus your opponent wins.

ant Jan 27, 2009

alright...say the board was 10 9 j q k and in your hand you have a 10 and a 2 and your opponent has a 10 and a 3....do they win? or is it a tie since you can only play the top 5 cards?

Sean Lind Jan 28, 2009

Ant: It's a tie because you can only play 5 cards. You're both, in fact, playing the board, meaning you'll even tie with a player holding 4-5. The only way a player can beat the board here is by holding an ace, for a slightly higher straight (or a flush, if the board permits)

serge isho Jan 30, 2009

hi, i simple question.
if player 1 has for ex : 2 and 6 and the second the same and in the land u have 2.6.A.K.7 HOW IS THE WINER ?

Sean Lind Jan 31, 2009

Hey serge, I'm not really sure what you're asking? I think you're asking this:

Board: 2-6-A-K-7
Hand 1: 2-6
Hand 2: 2-6

Who wins?

If so, it's a split pot, both players are the winner.

If you're asking something else, try writing it in the same style as I just did here.

kambal Feb 2, 2009

hey guys...
i know the simple rules of poker but my friends wont belive me in the hands that we are playing we are a little bit confused in winning hands especially a single pair and single card highest where cod i find a best illustration of poker that could answer all my questiond thanks...

Sean Lind Feb 3, 2009

Kambal, this article should answer your questions:

http://www.pokerlistings.com/strategy/beginner/how-to-determine-the-winning-hand

Navid-(Bangladesh) Feb 20, 2009

awsome forum...
my conception of poker is totally clear now..
thanks 2 all of the guys who have contributed in giving the answers...
"LET YOUR CARDS BE ALIVE AND YOUR POTS BE MONSTEREOUS"
......;P

Ace "High Card" Mooney Feb 21, 2009

wow you guys.. some of the hand advice is sooo wrong! Beginners Beware! DO NOT LISTEN to some of these chumps telling you waht hands are better and when there is a split pot or who wins the pot period. If you are playing Hold 'Em then look at a Hold 'Em rules site to get your answers and do not trust the yahoo's on here..lol
i feel sorry for the guys who have lost money listening to the advise found from some online poker guru comment poster.
The only advice or rulings you should go by are the ones posted on official sites (such as this one) and not the commenter.
The rules are simple... The are posted up here for a reason and that is to settle disputes. Go by the ones posted here by the webmaster or find one that has Texas Hold 'Em rules. Easy enough to find, you found this didn't you?

Ace "High Card" Mooney Feb 21, 2009

Sanold Jan 12, 2009

Who wins the following hands:

dealer: 2 5 5 5 3

P1: 2 2

P2: 6 2
(out come of first hand ) (idiots cant read a question right)
------------------------------------------

dealer: 2 5 5 5 Q

P1: 2 2

P2: 6 2
(out come of second hand) (dumb asses and you guys actually win these game by bullying over newbies)

Both players have full houses in each hand.. the question is which hand wins...

Player two wins both hands. The Q (in the 1st hand) and the 3 (in the 2nd hand) are not counted. Player two wins because the 6 is the high card. Higher than the EXTRA 2 in each round.

Player 2, congrats on two winning hands there partner.

Sean Lind Feb 21, 2009

Hey Ace, firstly I wanted to say that 99% of all comments I've seen answering questions on this site have been 100% accurate (and that doesn't include all the ones I answer).

Since I'm the one who's in charge of writing all the poker rules articles for the site, I figure my comments are every much as useful as the articles.

Anyways, you're wrong in your answer to Sanold. In fact I gave him the correct answer 1 or two comments below his post.

Both pots are a split pot. The way you are counting the hands is only correct if the player is playing Omaha, since he has only two cards, I have to assume he's playing hold'em. In hold'em you can use just one card (or none) from you hand, meaning both players in both questions have the same hand:
55522

all split pots.

Ace "High Card" Mooney Feb 21, 2009

Sean,
I disagree... (and sorry about the multiple post my pc had a glich) ...

Sean Lind Feb 21, 2009

don't sweat the multiple posts, it's not hard for me to fix them.

I'm curious as to what you disagree on? the validity of comments, or the split pot scenario?

If it's the comments, then I'm not too worried. I think people know to be weary of random advice from anonymous posters. I do hope they trust my advice at least somewhat though, as I like to think I know what I'm doing most of the time.

Dani Feb 24, 2009

One player has:
A pair of 2's, a King, a Queen and a 7

and the other player has:
A pair of 2's, a King, a Queen and a 3

It is a draw because they have the same kicker (King)? or the first player wins, because the kicker is King, Queen and 7?

Thanks, I am making a Poker program and I have that doubt.

Sorry for my english

Damion Mitchell Feb 24, 2009

Can this be a straight

J-Q-K-A-2

Sean Lind Feb 24, 2009

Dani, you use all five cards, so the player with the 7 wins.

hand 1: 22kq7
hand 2: 22kg3

the 7 is higher, so hand 1 wins.

Sean Lind Feb 24, 2009

Damion Mitchell, the answer is no. You cannot "wrap" straights in any standard game of poker. Think of straights as being a straight line.

The lowest straight is A-2-3-4-5 and the highest straight is 10-j-q-k-a

everything else is in between.

sagarika Feb 28, 2009

1. The ranking of suits is not mentioned specifically .i.e. whether Spade Royal Flush ranks higher or Hearts Royal Flush etc. Ofcourse it Is given that Spade Flush(with Ace) is the highest possible one

2. Similarly whether Spade Ace as High Card ranks higher than Hearts Ace as High
Card .

Sean Lind Feb 28, 2009

Hey Sagarika.

Firstly, in all forms of "standard poker" meaning, Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, Razz, Draw, Lowball... any of those, suits do not matter for a winning hand.

This means that a straight flush 5-6-7-8-9 of hearts ties with a straight flush 5-6-7-8-9 of spades.

IN these poker games, suits never matter in the showdown

Just so you know, the poker suit ranking order is alphabetical from worst to best:
Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, Spades.

(It's used for the Bring in Stud)

sean Mar 7, 2009

if i have 5,6,7,8,9 and 6,7,8,9,10 and my bro has 9,9 6,6 and 6,7,8,9,10 who wins

Sean Lind Mar 10, 2009

I'm sorry Sean, I really have no idea what you're asking?

Are you saying:

your hand: 5x
your bro: 69
The board: 678910

If that is the case, then it's a split pot, as you both have the best straight. If that's not what you're asking, please format your Q the same way I just did.

Omer Mar 12, 2009

I lost once with a Straight flush to a higher Straight flush =[. It hurts.

bill kirk Mar 15, 2009

could youtell me what is the best hand
AA 333 or 666 22 thx

Sean Lind Mar 17, 2009

Bill: A full house is always ranked by the value of the triples. So:

66622 is higher than 333AA

Aleksandar Mar 26, 2009

Dealer 4 4 10 10 7

pl 1 22
pl 2 A Q who wins ??

Loulou Mar 26, 2009

today i played a hand in texas hold'em where me, and 2 other players had the same straight. I was holding the card of the straight, and an A.... I said that I should win the pot, because I had a kicker, but they said we needed to split it because after the 5th card, it didnt matter. Did i get screwed?

Sean Lind Mar 27, 2009

Aleksandar:
You have to use the best five card hand for each player. Player one in your example is playing the board since the BEST hand they can make is two pair 10-10-4-4 with a 7 kicker.

Player two has a better kicker: 10-10-4-4-A so they win. For player one, this is known as getting counterfeit.

LouLou:
What happened was correct. Only the best 5 card hand you can make will count. If there is a straight on the board 5-6-7-8-9, even if you hold AA you still split the pot with 23.

You didn't get screwed by the players, just by the board.

noodle Apr 7, 2009

Hello, I'm still in the beginning stages of poker mainly playing NLTH, still have a world to learn. I decided to give PLO HI a try for the first time and thought that the hand rankings generally apply across all the different poker games. Well, below is a hand I had played and thought that my flush Ace high would always beat a straight. Apparently my flush didn't work in this hand. I'm the player listed as "ME". If you have the time to comment, I am most thankful. Please pardon my ignorance if indeed I'm in err.


***** Hand History for Game 57391984403 *****

2,000 PL Omaha - Tuesday, April 07, 13:17:57 EDT 2009

Table Play money 4071452

Seat 9 is the button

Total number of players : 6

Seat 7: Judi555 ( 2,000 )

Seat 8: MaGiC2008 ( 3,965 )

Seat 10: ME ( 933 )

Seat 4: SmokinSupra ( 2,158 )

Seat 5: albundy33333 ( 19,625 )

Seat 9: chickenjack2 ( 25,759.50 )

ME posts small blind [5].

SmokinSupra posts big blind [10].

** Dealing down cards **

Dealt to ME [ Ac 3c 8h Kc ]

albundy33333 calls [10]

Judi555 calls [10]

MaGiC2008 calls [10]

chickenjack2 calls [10]

ME calls [5]

SmokinSupra checks

** Dealing Flop ** [ 3d, 8c, 7c ]

ME checks

SmokinSupra checks

albundy33333 checks

Judi555 bets [10]

MaGiC2008 calls [10]

chickenjack2 calls [10]

ME calls [10]

SmokinSupra calls [10]

albundy33333 calls [10]

** Dealing Turn ** [ Th ]

ME bets [30]

SmokinSupra folds

albundy33333 calls [30]

Judi555 calls [30]

MaGiC2008 calls [30]

chickenjack2 folds

** Dealing River ** [ 6d ]

ME bets [237]

albundy33333 folds

Judi555 calls [237]

MaGiC2008 raises [1,185]

ME is all-In [646]

Judi555 calls [948]

MaGiC2008 shows [ 9c, Ad, 7s, 9s ]a straight Six to Ten.

ME doesn't show [ Ac, 3c, 8h, Kc ]two pairs, Eights and Threes.

Judi555 shows [ 8d, Qh, 9d, 6s ]a straight Six to Ten.

Judi555 wins 302 playchips from the side pot 1 with a straight, Six to Ten.

MaGiC2008 wins 302 playchips from the side pot 1 with a straight, Six to Ten.

Judi555 wins 1,443 playchips from the main pot with a straight, Six to Ten.

MaGiC2008 wins 1,443 playchips from the main pot

Sean Lind Apr 7, 2009

Hey Noodle, the problem is that you have to use exactly two cards from your hand, and three from the board.

because there are only two clubs on the board there, with two clubs from your hand you would need one more club on the board to make a flush.

The best hand you can make is two pairs, which loses to a straight.

noodle Apr 7, 2009

Sean, I appreciate it very much. As always, I have to put my hand on the stove to realize it's hot.

Alex Apr 21, 2009

Hey,
I really enjoy playing poker, and im decent. But I have some missing knowledge spots, so my question is are there any books that explain how the 7 cards are split up in hold em( as in which 5 make up the final hand ). Or any sites? Just with info regarding hold'em basics, cos once I start playing I win quite a lot, but I dont understand everything. E.G ( Had some experiences, where I figured I had a bad hand, put in little chips, ended up winning it but with a small amount of chips )

Christos kap Apr 22, 2009

Hi, if someone can help me..texas hold em,
five cards on table A,9,3,5,8 all h
i have 10 h , other player has K h.
isn't that a split???and if not why??
for the record i lost

Sean Lind Apr 25, 2009

Hey Alex, the winning hand in holdem is made from the best 5 card hand using any combination of the seven cards available to you.

Here's an article I wrote that might help you out:
How to determine the winning hand

Sean Lind Apr 25, 2009

Hey Christos, in short, you lost the hand because your opponent had a better flush.

To learn exactly why, take a quick read at the article I linked to in the post above this one.

anthony Apr 25, 2009

Who wins
Player 1: 5, 9
Player 2: 10, 2

Community: 2, 3, 4, 2, 5
Who wins?

herbert Apr 25, 2009

in poker,you throw your hand down and then pick it back up again?

Hugo Dias Apr 28, 2009

Hi everyone,
who can explain me this?

table cards J J J J 3
my cards A2
other guy cards KK

who wins?

i think its me..am i right?
because J J J J A > J J J J K

Sean Lind Apr 28, 2009

Anthony:

Community: 2, 3, 4, 2, 5

Player 1: 5, 9
Player 2: 10, 2

Player 2 has three 2's, since three of a kind beats a pair of 5's, Player 2 wins.

Sean Lind Apr 28, 2009

Herbert, Technically if you muck your hand, meaning you fold it face down across the line, it's gone. A mucked hand "technically" can't be recovered and played.

This rule is not hard-fast, as most pit bosses will allow some mucked hands to be recovered depending on the circumstances of the mucking.

In shot, no you can't take your hand back, but it does happen a lot anyways.

Sean Lind Apr 28, 2009

Hugo, you're correct in that you win. The player with pocket kings got counterfeit and your Ace is now the best kicker for the four of a kind.

shep May 4, 2009

u cant have to four of a kind hands

Dee May 5, 2009

Last night when we played the community cards read 6, J, J, 2, 6

I had 2 pair ( J's & 2's) my friend had an ACE, he claimed that because the 6's are higher than the 2's im ruled out and he wins.

I was ademant that i won and took the money. was i right or in the wrong?

Sean Lind May 5, 2009

Shep, I'm not sure what you're saying. It is possible for two players to have four of a kind in Hold'em.

In other poker variations, such as stud, it's technically possible for all players to have four of a kind.

Sean Lind May 5, 2009

Dee, you owe your friend some money.

You got counterfeit on the river, you had your friend beat until that card.

You J,J,6,6,2 (or whatever kicker you had with your 2)

Your friend has J,J,6,6,A

You have to make the best five card hand, this means your pair of two's no longer plays.

Mike n' Ike May 5, 2009

This website helps a lot I had a good hand today when I was playing poker with my friends and I folded and now they say that if I didn't learn the hands I couldn't play again, so I came here.

joey May 6, 2009

hi, i just have a question.
im holding ace jack...
my friends has ace two.

the cards in the middle are:
44a29

can u please explain who wins?

Sean Lind May 6, 2009

You win. You have to make the BEST 5 card hand.

You have AA44J
your friend has AA449

His third pair can't play, so he plays the same two pair as you. You have a higher kicker, so you win the pot.

Ben May 10, 2009

i HAD A PAIR OF KINGS, THE FLOP WAS ACE, 9, JACK. THEN CAME ANOTHER ACE, THE RIVER WAS A 3.

I LOST TO A PAIR OF ACES AND A PAIR OF JACKS?

HOW WHEN I HAD A PAIR OF KINGS, TO GO WITH THE ACES.
THE WINNING HAND WAS A PAIR OF ACES AND PAIR OF JACKS?

HELP?

laforce May 12, 2009

poss senario's:

1) bord: A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: AA (for of a kind AAAAJ)
you lose

2) bord A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: A with (9,J,3) (full house AAA/99,JJ,33)
you lose

2) bord A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: JJ (full house JJJAA)
you lose

3) bord A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: 99 (full house 999AA)
you lose

4) bord A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: 33 (full house 333AA)
you lose

5) bord A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: Ax (three of a kind AAAkicker)
you lose

6) bord A9JA3
you: KK (2pair AAKKJ)
p2: (flush)
you lose

7) All outher senario's YOU WIN
(2pair AAKKJ)

laforce May 12, 2009

oeps, there are 7hands that could beat you, so i think i missed a number somewhere :)

Sean Lind May 12, 2009

Ben,

You say

Board: A-9-J-A-3
You: KK

"I LOST TO A PAIR OF ACES AND A PAIR OF JACKS?"

The only explanation is that you're mistaken. your KK beats any hand with a J, other than JJ or AJ. Chances are they had AJ and won with "Full House, Aces and Jacks". And you only saw the "Aces and Jacks" part of it.

99.9999% of the time the answer is that the player is simply mistaken, if you actually did win, you need the hand history to prove it.

Sean Lind May 12, 2009

laforce, any hand with an ace beats him A2-AA. So there are a few more than seven, but those are indeed all possible scenarios of him being beat.

paul May 17, 2009

if i have a full house of
ten ten ten 99
and other guy has
999 - QQ

which wins?

thanks

brady May 17, 2009

paul, 10101099 would win, three of a kind ranks first in full house

laforce May 17, 2009

Sean, i think had rote this example in situation nr 5 (Ax). But you are right, my "7 hands" had to be something like 7 types of hands

Damir May 26, 2009

If there is a royal flush on the field for example: 10 j q k a all diamonds who wins? does everyone split the pot or does the next highest card win?

Sean Lind May 26, 2009

Damir,

If the best five card hand is on the board, everyone with cards split the pot.

tansukoksal May 28, 2009

JUST PLAY

marc May 30, 2009

i thought a full house beat a strait flush. Who knew?

Jackson Heights May 30, 2009

In regards to Felipe's question on two players with flushes, the player who holds the highest ranked hole card between the two players wins.

For example:

A: 10h 5h
B:7h 6h

Board: Ah Qh Jh X X

Player A wins. The determining card doesn't have to the 2nd highest ranked card.

Dave Gilbert Jun 2, 2009

I have always believed that a pocket pair should hold over a a hand with 2 rag cards ie A7 or K4 however in a recent game i was dealt pocket 8"s the flop came and it showed 866 another 6 came on the turn and the river resulting in 86666 i then lost the hand to an A7 even though all he was holding was A high nothing against a pair/full house which under your winning hands above shows the A7 is the low hand, is this a gliche in the game as it leaves the door open for a table royal flush to be beaten by a much lower hand, at very least i feel the pot should have been split on the basis no one was holding a higher hand than the quad 6's.
this is not the first time i have witnessed the unfairness of a system that awards the worst starting hand the prize, if we follow your chart my 88 beats his A7 except in the above scenario

Sean Lind Jun 2, 2009

Hey Dave,

What happened was your flopped fullhouse got counterfeit.

You have to make the best 5 card hand possible. The best hand you can make is four of a kind (sixes) with an eight kicker.

You: 66668
Him: 6666A

Since the ace is higher than your 8, he wins with a higher kicker.

Unlucky, but not an error.

Pierre Jun 4, 2009

Who wins?

Board: J 9 2 5 7

Player1: 10, 9
Player2: 3, 9

Sean Lind Jun 5, 2009

Hey Pierre,

Both players have a pair of 9's, but player 1 has a higher kicker.

Best 5 card hands:

Player1: 9 9 10 7 5
Player2: 9 9 7 5 3

Player 1 wins.

Pierre Jun 5, 2009

Hi Sean,

So if it was,

Player 1: 7,9
Player 2: 3,9

Board: J 9 2 5 7

is this a split or does Player 1win? Is the 7 count as a kicker, or is it too low which results in a split...

Sean Lind Jun 6, 2009

Pierre,

In your example, player 1 wins because he has two pair:

Player 1: 9 9 7 7 J
Player 2: 9 9 J 7 5

You only split if all five cards are the same. So if player one had 9,2 then it would be a split, since both players would have 9 9 J 7 5

Joe Romine Jun 10, 2009

Please settle this argument. Game=Omaha-Low 8

Player 1: 5 2
Player:2: 4 3

Board: J Q 8 7 A

Who wins?
Thank you. :-)

Sean Lind Jun 11, 2009

Hey Joe:

Board: J Q 8 7 A
Player 1: 5 2
Player:2: 4 3

For the Low:
Player 1: 8-7-5-2-A
Player 2: 8-7-4-3-A

Since you always count from the top down for a Low in O8, Player 2 wins (4 is lower than 5).

Rob Jun 12, 2009

Here is a situation for you guys this actually happened to me playing a regular poker hand i played an A-K-Q-Q-9 of clubs another player laid down a A-10-7-7-5 of spaids and the guy running this game said the spaid flush wins because it was a higher suit.
I promtly left the game. i have never heard of one suit being higher than the other.
Have you?

Sean Lind Jun 13, 2009

Suits are never taken into account in ranking a poker hand.

But, it's impossible for you to have a flush, since you had two queens in your hand, he couldn't of had a flush either with two sevens.

Either way, even if you both had the identical flush, it would be a chop pot, suits never count.

boberto Jun 21, 2009

Make a poker face (put on glasses, close one eye, raise on eyebrow, wear a fake mustache, and say in detectiv-ey italian accent, "I'm bluffing!"

Jpuck Jun 22, 2009

can't wait to try it; will let you know how it worked for me

PokerNoob Jun 23, 2009

why is there 5 cards in every rank? isnt it suppose to be only 2 cards?

Sean Lind Jun 23, 2009

Hey PokerNoob, I'm not really sure what you're asking.

The ranks up top are 5-card poker hands. You're dealt 2 cards in Hold'em,. but you have to use 3 board cards to make a 5 card hand.

Rakib Jun 27, 2009

will "J-Q-K-A-2" be a straight?

unknown Jun 28, 2009

rakib: no you can't do thatt

Sean Lind Jul 3, 2009

Hey Rakib,

You can't "wrap around" a straight. This means that aces are either high, or low, they can't be both.

The lowest straight: A-2-3-4-5
The Highest straight: 10-J-Q-K-A

Every other straight will be in between.

ryan Jul 3, 2009

if you guys dont even know hand strengths then i would think you would be loosing all your money playing a real money game, soo i wolud recommend playing on full tilt or any other online poker site with play chips (not real money) to get used to the game and the diffrent hand strenghths soo good luck poker is a fun game.......................................when you know how to play

carlos Jul 6, 2009

what hand wins two pairs 10s with 6s and ace kicker or 10s and 8s with 4 kicker

Sean Lind Jul 7, 2009

Carlos,

You rate two pairs by the top pair first, then the second pair, finally the kicker. So in your example, 10's and 8's would win, since 8's are better than 6's.

Rajesh Sinha Jul 11, 2009

Who Wins? Texas Hold'm Poker

Player A: 10 & 5
Player B: 2 & 2

On Board:

10-10-10-7-8

Whether Player A with Four of a Kind will win

or

Whether Player B with Full House will win

Sean Lind Jul 11, 2009

Hey Rajesh,

Four of a kind always beats a full house, Player A wins by a long shot.

master of poker Jul 12, 2009

can we play poker with joker card? is it possible?

in the flop:

A A JOKER 10 Q

player 1 has JOKER.

player 2 has Ace

then.. who won the game?

tsunami Jul 13, 2009

Is there such thing as a mountain in poker?

Sean Lind Jul 14, 2009

Master of Poker:

You can play poker with a joker, but it's rare, as it's seen as a novelty game. Wild cards are oldschool, or for children to most "purest" poker players.

But when you're with friends, and drinking, it can be a lot of fun.

In your scenario, both players would have the same hand (PS, there's usually only one joker in the game)

Each player would make the joker an ace, and have 4 of a kind, aces.

Sean Lind Jul 14, 2009

tsunami:

A mountain in poker?

You can have a mountain of chips
You can play on Everest poker

Other than that, I've never heard of any mountain in poker, especially not when talking about hand rankings.

Abhishek Jul 18, 2009

Very helpful... thanx a lot.. It helped me earn a lot!!!

vitali Jul 19, 2009

hi me and my friends had an interesting debate about a hand lets say table card were
2 2 3 5 9 i had a hand 5 and 3 and another guy had 9 and 8 who's had stronger? or who won?

thanks

Sean Lind Jul 21, 2009

Vitaly,

In that scenario the player with the 9 would win. In a two pair versus two pair scenario, you look at the value of the top pair first. If it's the same, then you move on to the second pair. If that's the same you move on to the kicker.

In this scenario, 9 > 5.

toots Jul 25, 2009

who will in this situation the community cards are 2 3 4 5 Q. My hand is 6 7 and my friend's hand is A 2 who will win?my friend and i are fighting about this

Sean Lind Jul 25, 2009

Toots, you win.

straights are linear:

Lowest Highest
1-2-3-4-5 --------------------- 10-J-Q-K-A

Everything else lands in between. Your friend had the lowest possible straight, your straight was higher.

steve Jul 27, 2009

i had a arguement last night i need cleared up

say i have j7 and the other player has j3 the community cards are 8 8 j q 2

he was saying it is a split pot because we both have jacks and eights and the queen would make up the rest of the hand. but in my poker dealers handbook it clearly states that if both players have the same hand it goes to the highest side card(with the exception of both players playing off the board and thier hole cards being less) who wins? i was under the impression that it would be j7

stef Jul 27, 2009

hey i was watching a game earlier today. the pot was split between 2 players, there hands were J8 J6
the flop was J 9 9 2 Q
i was under the impression that person with J8 wouldve won the entire pot becuase of their high 8, or kicker whatever it's called. am i wrong?

Jan Allen Jul 28, 2009

Scenario:

Table: 8,8,J,5,J

P1 - J,10

P2 - 8,8

Who wins?

Sean Lind Jul 28, 2009

Steve, It's a split pot.

You always have to make the best 5-card hand. If all five cards are the same as your opponents, it's a split pot, regardless of what else you have in your hand.

Sean Lind Jul 28, 2009

Hey stef, read my post above this one, it's an answer to the exact same question.

in short:
result: split pot.
Reason: Both have the same 5-card hand.

Sean Lind Jul 28, 2009

Jan,

You have a high full house, your opponent has four of a kind. Four of a kind will always beat a full house.

hazel hines Jul 30, 2009

i have 6,4 and she have 7,3
flop is Q6Q742 who win ? 2 pairs of 7,3

Sean Lind Jul 30, 2009

Hazel,

You lose this pot with a lower two pair.

You: QQ667
Her: QQ776

Since the second pair of sixes is lower than the sevens, you lose.

Sandra Jul 30, 2009

IF THREE PLAYERS HAVE FOUR ACES WITH WILD CARDS AND THE KICKER IS A KING FROM THE COMMUNITY CARDS BUT ONE PLAYER HAS A KING IN HER HAND, IS IT STILL A SPLIT POT. IN OTHER WORDS CAN THE KICKER COME FROM THE COMMUNITY CARDS OR YOUR HAND.

Sean Lind Jul 31, 2009

Sandra,

Firstly it looks like your Caps Lock key is broken. You should look into that.

Secondly, I'm not sure why you were ever playing Hold'em with wild cards... seems odd to me, but hey if it's fun why not?

Thirdly, kickers can, and will, come from the board. In a wildcard game, it's no better to have a "true" four of a kind, than a four of a kind made up from wild cards. You all split the pot.

cedie Aug 2, 2009

which is better?

A-2-3-4-5 (mixed suit}

or

2-3-4-5-6 {mixed suit)

Sean Lind Aug 4, 2009

Cedie,

straights are linear:

Lowest To Highest
1-2-3-4-5 --------------------- 10-J-Q-K-A

Everything else lands in between.

Since "6" is higher than "5", the 2-3-4-5-6 straight wins.

Marsha Aug 4, 2009

We had the community cards that ended up being a flush. One player had an additional card for the straight, and another had a pair.

Who would of won?

Thanks

luke Aug 5, 2009

hi, i want to know if this is right i had a pair 2 2 and the other had A 8 the flop was 2 A 4 4 6 I lost the hand as i had three 2's and two 4's and he had two A's and two 4's and a 6 who is at fault here. ?'

johan Aug 5, 2009

regarding the hand with less than 5 essential cards, i.e. high card, one pair, two pair, three and four of a kind; does kickers always apply, and if so, how many of them? Is it always one kicker and then split pot , or do you sometimes look at the two highest cards?

marsha Aug 5, 2009

sorry, i meant one player also had a card in their hand that was the same suit as the flush in the community cards.

Sean Lind Aug 5, 2009

Marsha,

If the whole board is a flush:

4c 5c 9c Kc Ac

Then the player with the highest club in their hand (as long as it's higher than any card on the board, so a 6 or better in this example) will win the pot.

If no one has a club in their hand, it's a split pot.

Sean Lind Aug 5, 2009

Luke,

In your scenario you win. you have a fullhouse:
22244

while your opponent just has two pair:
AA448

The only way your opponent should have won, is if you read the board wrong, and you didn't have a full house.

Sean Lind Aug 5, 2009

Johan,

You always look at all five cards. The way it works is this. You start at the top of the hand, say the pair, and if you don't have a winner, you move down the hand one card at a time.

Board: A-Q-9-6-2

You: A8
Him: A7

Your best hand: AAQ98
His Best hand:AAQ97

In this scenario you both have a pair of aces, so you look to the first kicker. Since you're both using the queen, you move to the second. You're both using the nine, meaning you need to use your final fifth card. Since the 8 is higher than the 7, you win.

If you had AK, you would have had a higher first kicker, so you wouldn't of had to look at the hands past that.

Ed Aug 5, 2009

Unless you have wild cards, which these examples don't, you can't have two players with the same equal four of a kind-so forget the kicker as a dertimination of the winner.

Sean Lind Aug 6, 2009

Actually Ed it's possible for multiple players to have the same four of a kind in Hold'em.

Board: K-K-K-K-2

Every player with cards here has four of a king, kings. The player with the highest kicker (an ace in their hand) would have the nuts, and win the pot.

christian oneil Aug 8, 2009

i have a question,the other day i was playing 5 card stud with my friend and we both had 2,3,4,5,6 except i had clubs and he had hearts, we split the pot, but would someone win? or was it right to split the pot.

Joseph Aug 9, 2009

When playing for money at home poker, we put in 2 extra dollars each for a royal flush pot. Meaning if anyone gets the royal flush they get the pot. what we want to know is that if you have Q-10 (hearts) and the flop comes out Ace (hearts) King (hearts) 8 (clubs). Turn is 9 (clubs) and everyone checks, river is Jack (hearts) and everyone but Q-10 holder folds. Does his royal count? because at a casino once you hit a royal you get an automatic reward. The question i have is does the hand have to be done in a showdown? in order to count? Casino rules.

Sean Lind Aug 10, 2009

Christian,

You should split the pot. You never take suits into account for determining the winning hand in stud.

Sean Lind Aug 10, 2009

Joseph,

No, it doesn't matter how or when you get the royal flush, just that you had it. You only need to get to a showdown for a "bad beat", but It's impossible not to in that situation any ways.

Just turn over the hand, and receive your prize.

lauri Aug 12, 2009

Question Hold 'em Pros, who would win this game?

Player 1: A,A
Player 2: 6,9
Player 3: 3,5
Player 4: A,4
Community: 5,J,7,3,6

Sean Lind Aug 13, 2009

Lauri,

Player 4 wins the hand with a straight: 3-4-5-6-7

Second place would be player 3 with two pair: 5-5-3-3-J

Third place sees Player 1 with one pair: A-A-J-7-5

And player 2, with just a pair of 6's comes in last.

Evan Aug 14, 2009

i fyou have 9-8-7-6-5 can you take the 7 out of the straight and have a striaght and a 7 pair for one player

Sean Lind Aug 17, 2009

Evan,

You can only make one five card hand. If 9-8-7-6-5 is the best possible hand, anything else is irrelevant.

Don Aug 17, 2009

I would like to see a "Poker Hand Ranking by Percentage Won" chart.

Sean Lind Aug 17, 2009

Based on what metrics Don?

Who's hands are we ranking, as every players chart would be different?

Don Aug 17, 2009

"Poker Hand Ranking by Percentage Won"

You could start with a 9 player holdem table. I respect pokerlistings.com and would like thier take on how often a hand wins. Out of 1 million deals AA win 31.38% of the time and 22 win 12.14%. I would like to see pokerlistings.com view of the % of probable wins of the169 hand rankings.
Others might enjoy this too.

Sean Lind Aug 18, 2009

Ahh I see what you're saying Don,

We might get this up on our site, it would just take a lot of work. The numbers have been calculated and published by Mike Caro in his latest book (the yellow one).

It has a chart showing every hand, and all the data you want to know about it. Until we get that up on here (if we do), that's the best place to go find it.

dylan Aug 25, 2009

Is there such thing as a small straight and a large straight.

Small straight being ace 1 2 3
Large straight being ace 1 2 3 4

Sean Lind Aug 25, 2009

Dylan,

Firstly, Aces are one's so it would be A-2-3-4-5. In all the standard forms of poker there is no such thing as a four card straight.

Some poker games will allow a four card straight, just as some games will allow wild cards. But in any of the standard variants (Hold'em, Stud, Omaha, Razz, Draw) there is no such thing as a four card straight.

However, when a player says "a small straight", they mean they have the small end of the straight, or the sucker end:

The board: 5-6-7

If you hold 3-4 you have the small straight, or the sucker end.

If you hold 8-9 you have the large straight.

Renzo Aug 27, 2009

Waka waka renzo

jonjo Sep 3, 2009

player1-J-3
player2-5-5


-J5JQQ-

who win please

Sean Lind Sep 4, 2009

Jonjo,

make the best 5-card hand for each player:

Player 1: JJJQQ
Player 2: 555JJ

Player 1 winds, since his full house is bigger.

Vasile Sep 6, 2009

Sean, you are wrong about the best 5-card hand for each player:
Player 1: JJJQQ
Player 2: 555QQ

Indeed, player 1 wins.

Sean Lind Sep 7, 2009

Good call vasile, my bad.

Either way, player 1 wins.

joey Sep 9, 2009

wat happens if theres two pair on the board
43439
my m8 had K9 and i had 7A
who wins the pot ,i sed that i do
as u cant replace a pair on the board unless u have it in ur dealt hand ???? and i had the higest card with with the two pair ???

Sean Lind Sep 9, 2009

Hey Joey,

You can use any combination of 5 cards you want in Hold'em.

You: 4433A
Your m8: 99447

Since 9's up is better than 4's up, you lose.

better luck next time.

RK Sep 10, 2009

In a split pot with an odd chip, how is the winner of the odd chip determined?

Thanks

Sean Lind Sep 10, 2009

Hey RK,

If you're playing a High-Low split game the odd chip always goes to the high hand.

If you're playing a regular game you give the odd chip to the player with the worst position, closest to the left of the button.

Drew F Sep 11, 2009

Is this a straight? I thought it was because they're all in order.
BIG mistake, apparently.

Q K A 2 3

john Sep 14, 2009

is the ace of spades the highest card of the ace suit

Sean Lind Sep 14, 2009

Drew,

You can't wrap a straight like that in poker. Aces are high or low, they can't be both at once.

Sean Lind Sep 14, 2009

John,

Aces are the highest cards and spades are the highest suit.

Suit order for poker:

Clubs
Diamonds
Hearts
Spades

ralph Sep 20, 2009

Any four cards of the same rank. If two players share the same Four of a Kind, the bigger fifth card (known as the kicker) decides who wins the pot.


How could two players have the same 4 of a kind ??

billy bob Sep 20, 2009

if playing wild card poker (blind baseball) i told my friends at the table that my buddy thought he beat my 5 8s with 6 4s...as far as i knew five of a kind was the highest hand you could have?....was i wrong? ... he got the 20$ pot with his 6 4s...am i wrong???

Sean Lind Sep 21, 2009

Ralph

It's possible to share 4 of a kind in a community card game

Player 1: KQ
Player 2: A7

Board: JJJJ24

They both have four Jacks, but player 2 wins with his ace kicker.

Sean Lind Sep 21, 2009

Billy Bob,

If you're playing with wild cards you can have four, five, six, seven... even eight of a kind.

Six of a kind will always beat five of a kind.

But really, there are no standard rules for wildcard games, you can make up anything you want.

Joseph Sep 23, 2009

Howzit Sean

My question is with referance to "john sep 14", does the suit ever play a role in Hold'em, or any other Poker variant for that matter?

I understand that when deciding a dealer in Hold'em you may have two people being dealt an Ace, and then deciding the dealer by the Rank of the Suit, but when and how, if ever does Rank of Suit come into play in Poker? (Hold'em in particular)

Thanks for a great site!

Sean Lind Sep 24, 2009

Joseph,

In Hold'em suits are only ever used for deciding the dealer at the start of the game, or when chip racing while chipping up in a tournament.

The only standard form of poker which uses suits during actual play is Stud. After dealing all window cards, if two players have the same lowest card, the suit decides who needs to bring.

Same for the action starting on any other round. If two players both show AK, the best show cards on the table at that time, the player with the highest suited ace will start the action.

Suits never matter for evaluating the winning hand. (unless you're playing some oddball poker variant which I've never heard of)

Jack30 Sep 25, 2009

Hi there!

Was playing poker on line and something caught my atention.

Player 1: A7

Player 2: A3

Board: A3KK9

The computer gave the win to player 1 because of double A and double K. Thruth is that player 2 also has double A and double K but because of the 3, it chose this card to make a double 3!
Is this correct? Who should have won?

Thank you in advance!

keke89 Sep 25, 2009

hi
argued over this..

u use any 5 cards being in the board or/and in hand for the ranking?

p1: 4,4
p2:5,2
board: 7,Q,5,8,K

who gets the hand? situation a bit like jack30.
explain plz!

thanks in adv.

Sean Lind Sep 25, 2009

Jack,

The computer actually (well, I don't know what it did do, but it should have) given half the pot to each player.

You have to make the best 5 card hand, for both players this is

AAkk9

same hand, they chop the pot. If hte 9 on board was a 6, then player 1 would win it all.

Sean Lind Sep 25, 2009

keke89,

I'm not sure what the argument was over? You're correct, you can use any combination of the cards to make the best 5 card hand possible.

Player 1: 44KQ8
Player 2: 55KQ8

Since a pair of 5's are higher than a pair of 4's, Player 2 wins.

kevin Sep 25, 2009

hi
who wins in this case?

p1: 4, A
p2: 5, 10

board; 4, 5, Q, 2, 9

can u explain briefly?
thanks

Keia09 Sep 27, 2009

Kevin...

In that situation...P2 wins because P2 has a pair of 5's which is higher than a pair of 4's with a Q kicker.

That cancels out the A kicker.

Now if they both had a pair of 4s the A would determine the winner.

Make sense? :)

Good luck to you.

Joseph Sep 28, 2009

Hi again Sean!

We had a tiff this weekend, and i was hoping you could clarify -

Player 1 - JQ
Player 2 - 77
Board - AK3AK

I said it was Player 1's win, as he had two pair, A's and K's, Q Kicker,
But it was argued that it must be awarded to player 2, as he had "pair hole cards, making his hand stronger."

Please tell me i was right?

:)

Ciao

Sean Lind Sep 28, 2009

Joseph,

You're correct. There's no more value in having a pair in your hand than having the pair on the board.

In Hold'em you MUST make the BEST 5 card hand, no exceptions.

This means player 2 must play AAKK7, which loses to AAKKQ.

Joseph Sep 29, 2009

Thanks!

One more question, and hopefully one of the last....:)

When two people have a straight, or a flush for that matter, and the highest card in either the straight of flush is on the board, do the players split the pot, or does it come down to the higher hole cards?
eg -
P1 = 23
P2 = A2
Board = 3456K (or any other River, obviously)

Thanks in advance!

Sean Lind Sep 29, 2009

Joseph,

As I said before, you have to make the best 5 card hand.

In your example it's a split pot, since they both have the same straight (2-6). If the highest card of the straight is on board, it will always be a split pot for two players who have the straight.

In a flush, it will come down to who has the highest flush. If the AhKhQh2h is all on the board, the player holding Jh would have the nuts, and would beat any player holding any other heart.

Joseph Sep 29, 2009

Awesome!

Thanks!

scott m Oct 11, 2009

is there a difference between a set and three of a kind or trips, was told that a set is only when you have a pocket pair and a another one hit the board, a friend had one card in his hand and two on the board and tried calling it a set, and i said it was not and it was just three of a kind or trips, can you help? ty

Rino Oct 13, 2009

Playing with some friends we played a poker hand who can get the worst hand...
i guy had 2-3-4-5-Q
the other guy had 2-4-6-7-9
which hand is the worst hand???

Thank you Rino

Rino Oct 13, 2009

Sorry not sure if it makes a difference...

the other guy had 3-4-6-7-9

which hand is the worst hand???

Thank you Rino

Sean Lind Oct 13, 2009

Scott,

That is true, you have a set if you hold a pocket pair. If there's two on the board, one in your hand, you have trips.

Same thing, just a different name.

Sean Lind Oct 13, 2009

Rino,

Best Hand: 2-3-4-5-Q
Second Best: 3-4-6-7-9
Worst hand:2-4-6-7-9

kevin Oct 14, 2009

hi,

was wonderin, who wins in this case?
and wats d best card to use for each player?

board: 9,9,7,5,A

p1: 7,3
p2: 5,4

thanks.

Sean Lind Oct 14, 2009

Hey Kevin,

First, I suggest you read this article:
How to Determine the Winning Hand

After you read it you'll understand why player 1 wins with two pairs: 9977A

-s

kevin Oct 15, 2009

thanks sean, think i got it

c if thats right, since they both have same highir pair..the scond pair is compared?

and now since p2 have highest second pair he wins?

cheers.

Sean Lind Oct 15, 2009

You got it Kevin.

-Pce

summit agarwal Oct 16, 2009

hi every one........had a doubt....
i had 3 & 4 of hearts n the other guy had 9 of hearts....
the flop was 5,6&8 of hearts,he was chasing and in the end the river opened was Q of hearts...
so whose the winner

Sean Lind Oct 16, 2009

Summit,

He wins, he has a higher flush. You don't have to use two cards from your hand in Hold'em, you can use 0,1 or 2.

You: Q-8-6-5-4
Him: Q-9-8-6-5

Since Q-9 is higher than Q-8, he wins.

John Oct 16, 2009

"If two players share the same Four of a Kind" then someone is cheating. HAHAHA

Or if they are talking about hold-em (which this page currently fails to suggest)...

Just for arguments sake: who wins if two people have royal flushes? Say one with spades, and the other clubs? Is it a draw, or does it go by who was dealt it first? I'd imagine a draw, but hell, I've been wrong before. :)

Shiv Oct 18, 2009

John: "Just for arguments sake: who wins if two people have royal flushes?"

This is not possible. For example: One player has "Ks Js" in his hand, other player has "Kc Jc", the flop comes and it is "Qs As 10s", the turn come it is "Qc 10c", one person has royal flush and the other person only has a straight. Since it require each person to have 5 cards of the same suit. The maximum number of cards that can be dealt is 7 cards to each player (2 in his hand, 5 on the board)

dhiren Oct 18, 2009

wht shud i do wen..
1st hand has 2,2
2nd hand has 3,9

and the table has "A A 7 7 5"

Please clear my confusion!!!

Sean Lind Oct 19, 2009

John,

Multiple players can have the same 4 of a kind Hold'em only.

As for two players having a Royal (or any same hand) suits do not matter. It's a chopped pot.

Shiv,

In games other than Hold'em, such as Stud, two players can have a royal.

Sean Lind Oct 19, 2009

dhiren,

Player 2 wins in your scenario. You have to make the best 5-card hand:

P1 - AA775
P2 - AA779

James Oct 21, 2009

Ok so i was playing a Texas Hold'em game a few days ago with some buddies. On the board was: J, 10, A, 10, 9. My hand was A, 2. My buddies hand was A, 6. Would he have won because his 6 was higher than my 2? Or would it have been a split pot since there were higher cards on the board?

Sean Lind Oct 21, 2009

James,

You guys split the pot. You both have the same 5-card hand

AA1010J

poker player Oct 24, 2009

helped me alot in my games

smokey Oct 29, 2009

you people cant possibly be that poker ignorant

david Nov 1, 2009

ok i have 10-2 player 2-has 10-9

flop is 10=8-10-k-q would this be split pot seeing we both have 3 10,s with kq to make our 5 cards?

Sean Lind Nov 2, 2009

David,

You are absolutely correct, Chop it up.

lee Nov 6, 2009

so i have a question...if your playing a single deck poker game which i assume you are how is it possible that two players can have the same 4 of a kind hand?

Sean Lind Nov 9, 2009

Lee,

In Hold'em you can use any combination of your own cards and the board cards.

If the board is: KKKK2

Every player in the hand has the same four of a kind, Kings.

The winner will be the player with the highest hole card for a kicker, anyone with an Ace has the nuts.

Joao Esteves Nov 12, 2009

Hi all,

1)
P1 - Pair of A's
P2 - Two pairs of 9's

2)
P1 - 3 Pairs of 8's
P2 - Three of a King of 8's

Who wins? :

Sean Lind Nov 12, 2009

Joao,

the higher the hand is on the chart above, the better. So take those hands and match them to a rank on the chart above.

Do that, and all your answers will be revealed.

Joao Esteves Nov 13, 2009

Hi Sean

Thanks, but I didn't know the answer in case if you have more than 1 Pair vs another single Pair.

So it seems that 1 or 2 or more pairs count as 1.

Cheers!

marius Nov 13, 2009

i have a easy Q for people who know to play poker ...is a pear of aa bigger than a pear of kk? tnx

Sean Lind Nov 13, 2009

Marius,

In poker Aces are both high and low. so a pair of AA will always beat a pair of KK.

leanne Nov 13, 2009

please can someone let me know who wins when these hands appear!!! this has caused a big family argument!!!!!

play1 has 7 2
play2 has 7 q

middle cards are 6 6 7 k 6

myself says split pot as does play1 but play 2 says its his as his 2nd card queen is bigger than play1 2

someone help so we can finish the game lol

Sean Lind Nov 14, 2009

Leanne,

It's a split pot. You can only use 5 cards to make a poker hand. Both players have 7766K

K Nov 16, 2009

There is something I'm not sure about:
Lets say I have a Flush to K:
K-10-7-3-2

Player 2 have a Flush to K as well:
K-8-7-3-2

Is this a split pot, or do I win?

Sean Lind Nov 16, 2009

K,

You win the pot. You take all 5 cards into account when evaluating a flush. Since K-10 is higher than K-8, you're the winner.

JXC Nov 19, 2009

In Texas Hold'em, if the board playing a full house. Is this a tie or split pot if both players have pokets- P1: JJ P2: 77?

Board: KKK55

Thanks,
JXC

wazzza Nov 20, 2009

Player 1 J A
Player2 A K

On tablee j j 7 7 7

Player 1 wins ? or split pot ?

Sean Lind Nov 20, 2009

JXC,

You have to make the best 5 card hand (wow I write that line a lot!)

Player 1: KKKJJ
Player 2: KKK77

Player 1 wins.

Sean Lind Nov 20, 2009

wazzza,

Player 1 wins this hand. He has Jacks full of sevens (JJJ77) while player 2 only has sevens full of jacks (777JJ)