Low Poker Hand

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Whether it be online poker training sites, free YouTube content, poker coaching, or poker vlogs, there's no excuse to be a fish in today's game. Some of the essential fundamentals you need to be utilizing that every poker player should have in their bag of tricks whether you are a Tournament or Cash Game Player are concepts such as hand. The best five-card poker hand, out of seven cards, wins the pot. Ante, then deal two cards down and one up: Low card must bet in limit-betting games, high card must bet or fold in big-bet games. Standard Poker Hand Rankings There are 52 cards in the pack, and the ranking of the individual cards, from high to low, is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. There is no ranking between the suits - so for example the king of hearts and the king of spades are equal. Low-Value Poker Hands To remember the order of the four lowest-value hands, just remember the number series '0, 1, 2, 3.' 0 means 'high card.' Having nothing in your hand means the value of your hand depends on the value of your highest card. Ace to six is often known as 6-4 low because the best hand you can make is 6-4-3-2-A. London Lowball is one of the only poker games which uses the ace to six lowball hand rankings. Remember when you play Ace to Six poker that A-K-Q-K-T is in fact not a straight. Aces are low cards only and therefore A-K-Q-K-T would beat a hand like 3-10-J-Q-K.

Lowball hand rankings fall into four main categories A-5, A-6, 2-7 and 2-6. This article will cover each category and show you what beats what when playing different lowball poker games. The one thing that all of the lowball poker hand rankings have in common is that they are all based around players making the lowest possible hand as opposed to the highest possible hand.

The most popular lowball games are Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw and 2-7 Single Draw all of which can be played at PokerStars.com alongside Badugi and Stud Hi/Lo.

Ace to five hand ranking

When playing any game that uses ace to five hand rankings the best possible holding is A-2-3-4-5 which is commonly known as the wheel. Aces are always considered to be low cards when playing ace to five lowball games and straights and flushes are completely ignored when evaluating hand strength. Razz poker is the most popular lowball poker game which uses ace to five hand rankings and is basically Seven Card Stud but with lowball hand rankings replacing the usual hand rankings.

When playing Ace to Five lowball games it's important to note that Aces are low cards and low cards only. This means that A-A-x-x-x would always beat 2-2-x-x-x.

Ace to six hand rankings

The best possible hand when playing any poker game which uses the ace to six hand rankings system is A-2-3-4-6. This is because straights and flushes count as high hands instead of being ignored. Aces are always considered low cards. Ace to six is often known as 6-4 low because the best hand you can make is 6-4-3-2-A. London Lowball is one of the only poker games which uses the ace to six lowball hand rankings.

Remember when you play Ace to Six poker that A-K-Q-K-T is in fact not a straight. Aces are low cards only and therefore A-K-Q-K-T would beat a hand like 3-10-J-Q-K. Like in Ace to Five poker A-A-x-x-x would always beat 2-2-x-x-.

2-7 hand rankings

When using 2-7 hand rankings the absolute best possible hand is 2-3-4-5-7. Aces are always high cards when using deuce to seven rankings and straights and flushes will always count as high hands. 2-7 is often known as 7-5 due to the best possible hand starting 7-5. The deuce to seven hand rankings are thought to be the exact opposite of the regular high hand rankings used by most poker games. 2-7 Single Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw are the most popular deuce to seven games around.

2-6 lowball hand rankings

2-6 lowball hand rankings state that the best hand a player can make is 2-3-4-5-6. This is because aces are always high cards but straight and flushes never count against you. Deuce to six lowball hand rankings are pretty uncommon and there aren't any games online you can play which use this ranking system.

If you fancy playing any of the top lowball poker games then PokerStars.com is the place to do so. Currently they spread the following lowball games:

– Razz
– Badugi
– 2-7 Triple Draw
– 2-7 Single Draw
– Stud Hi/Lo
– Omaha Hi/Lo

Visit PokerStars the best place to play lowball poker online.

Standard Poker Hand Rankings

There are 52 cards in the pack, and the ranking of the individual cards, from high to low, is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. There is no ranking between the suits - so for example the king of hearts and the king of spades are equal.

A poker hand consists of five cards. The categories of hand, from highest to lowest, are listed in the chart below. Any hand in a higher category beats any hand in a lower category (so for example any three of a kind beats any two pairs). Between hands in the same category the rank of the individual cards decides which is better, as described in more detail below.

In games where a player has more than five cards and selects five to form a poker hand, the remaining cards do not play any part in the ranking. Poker ranks are always based on five cards only.

1. Royal Flush

This is the highest poker hand. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all in the same suit. As all suits are equal, all royal flushes are equal.

2. Straight Flush

Five cards of the same suit in sequence - such as J-10-9-8-7. Between two straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is higher. An ace can be counted as low, so 5-4-3-2-A is a straight flush, but its top card is the five, not the ace, so it is the lowest type of straight flush. The cards cannot 'turn the corner': 4-3-2-A-K is not valid.

3. Four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank - such as four queens. The fifth card can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as 'quads', and in some parts of Europe it is called a 'poker', though this term for it is unknown in English. Between two fours of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is higher - so 3-3-3-3-A is beaten by 4-4-4-4-2. It can't happen in standard poker, but if in some other game you need to compare two fours of a kind where the sets of four cards are of the same rank, then the one with the higher fifth card is better.

4. Full House

This consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank - for example three sevens and two tens (colloquially known as 'sevens full' or more specifically 'sevens on tens'). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.

5. Flush

Five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on. For example K-J-9-3-2 beats K-J-7-6-5 because the nine beats the seven.

6. Straight

Five cards of mixed suits in sequence - for example Q-J-10-9-8. When comparing two sequences, the one with the higher ranking top card is better. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both at once, so A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five.

7. Three of a Kind

Low Poker Hand

Low Poker Hand Crossword

Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Triplets or Trips. When comparing two threes of a kind the hand in which the three equal cards are of higher rank is better. So for example 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-Q. If you have to compare two threes of a kind where the sets of three are of equal rank, then the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand are compared, and if those are equal, the lower odd card is compared.

8. Two Pairs

A pair is two cards of equal rank. In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs are of different ranks (otherwise you would have four of a kind), and there is an odd card to make the hand up to five cards. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards - so J-J-2-2-4 beats 10-10-9-9-8 because the jacks beat the tens. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, so that for example 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K. Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so Q-Q-5-5-8 beats Q-Q-5-5-4.

9. Pair

A pair is a hand with two cards of equal rank and three other cards which do not match these or each other. When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better - so for example 6-6-4-3-2 beats 5-5-A-K-Q. If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards. So J-J-A-9-3 beats

Low Poker Hand Rankings

J-J-A-8-7 because the 9 beats the 8.

Low Poker Hand Meaning

10. High Card

Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal too the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.

Low Poker Hand

A plastic wallet sized Poker Card Ranking card is available at F.G. Bradley's stores or online here.





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