Rules of Poker - Texas Hold'em. Texas Hold'em (or just 'hold'em' for short) is currently the most popular variation of poker, thanks mainly to televised coverage of the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, and various celebrity-based events.
- 11 rows In poker, players form sets of five playing cards, called hands, according to the rules of the.
- Poker Hand Rankings Explained. If two players have a Straight or Straight Flush, the higher Straight or Straight Flush wins.; If two players have a quads, the player with the highest quad wins.If they are identical, the highest kicker wins. If two players have a flush, the player with the highest card in the flush wins.If they are identical, the second highest card decides, then the third.
Lowball or low poker is a variant of poker in which the normal ranking of hands is inverted. Several variations of lowball poker exist, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether straights and flushes are used.
- 2Lowball variants
- 2.1Ace-to-five
Low-poker ranking[edit]
Lowball inverts the normal ranking of poker hands. There are three methods of ranking low hands, called ace-to-five low, deuce-to-seven low, and ace-to-six low. The 'ace-to-five' method is most common. A sub-variant within this category is 'high-low poker', in which the highest and lowest hands split the pot, with the highest hand taking any odd chips if the pot does not divide equally. Sometimes straights and/or flushes count in determining which hand is highest but not in determining which hand is lowest, being reckoned as a no-pair hand in the latter instance, so that a player with such a holding can win both ways and thus take the entire pot.
Lowball variants[edit]
The most popular forms of lowball are ace-to-five lowball (also known as California lowball), and deuce-to-seven lowball (also known as Kansas City lowball). Ace-to-five lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 5-4-3-2-A. In ace-to-five lowball straights and flushes do not prevent a hand from being low. You win by simply having the five lowest cards. Deuce-to seven lowball gets its name because the best hand at that form is 7-5-4-3-2 (not of the same suit).[1]
Ace-to-five[edit]
Ace-to-five low is the most common method for evaluating low hands in poker, nearly universal in U.S. casinos, especially in high-low split games.
As in all low hand games, pairs count against the player. That is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or three of a kind, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest-ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In ace-to-five low, straights and flushes are ignored, and aces play as the lowest card.
For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still, even though it would be a straight if played for high. Aces are low, so 8-5-4-3-A defeats 8-5-4-3-2. Also, A-A-9-5-3 (a pair of aces) defeats 2-2-5-4-3 (a pair of deuces), but both of those would lose to any no-pair hand such as K-J-8-6-4. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-A.
This is called ace-to-five low because the lowest (and therefore best) possible hand is 5-4-3-2-A, called a 'wheel'. The next best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A, followed by 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A, 6-5-4-3-2, 7-4-3-2-A, 7-5-3-2-A, etc.
When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest-ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called 'a nine', and is defeated by any 'eight'. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called 'an eight-six' and will defeat 'an eight-seven' such as 8-7-5-4-A.
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Another common notation is calling a particular low hand 'smooth' or 'rough.' A smooth low hand is one where the remaining cards after the highest card are themselves very low; a rough low hand is one where the remaining cards are high. For instance, 8-7-6-3-A would be referred to as a 'rough eight,' but 8-4-3-2-A would be referred to as a 'smooth eight.' Some players refer to a hand containing a 4-3-2-A (in ace-to-five low or ace-to-six low) or a 5-4-3-2 (in deuce-to-seven low) as a 'nut' (thus, in ace-to-five or ace-to-six, a 7-4-3-2-A would be called a 'seven nut').
High-low split games with ace-to-five low are usually played cards speak, that is, without a declaration. Frequently a qualifier is required for low (typically 8-high or 9-high). Some hands (particularly small straights and flushes) may be both the low hand and the high hand, and are particularly powerful (or particularly dangerous if they are mediocre both ways). Winning both halves of the pot in a split-pot game is called 'scooping' or 'hogging' the pot. The perfect hand in such a game is called a 'steel wheel', 5-4-3-2-A of one suit, which plays both as perfect low and a straight flush high. Note that it is possible—though unlikely—to have this hand and still lose money. If the pot has three players, and one other player has a mixed-suit wheel, and a third has better straight flush, the higher straight flush wins the high half of the pot, and the two wheels split the low half, hence the steel wheel wins only a quarter of a three-way pot.
Ace-to-five lowball, a five-card draw variant, is often played with a joker added to the deck. The joker plays as the lowest card not already present in the hand (in other words, it is a wild card): 7-5-4-Joker-A, for example, the joker plays as a 2. This can cause some interesting effects for high-low split games. Let's say that Alice has 6-5-4-3-2 (called a 'straight six')--a reasonably good hand for both high and low. Burt has Joker-6-5-4-3. By applying the rule for wild cards in straights, Burt's joker plays as a 7 for high, giving him a seven-high straight to defeat Alice's six-high straight. For low, the joker plays as an ace—the lowest card not in Burt's hand—and his hand also defeats Alice for low, because his low hand is 6-5-4-3-A, lower than her straight six by one notch. Jokers are very powerful in high-low split games.
Wheel[edit]
A wheel or bicycle is the poker hand 5-4-3-2-A, regardless of suit, which is a five-high straight, the lowest-ranking of the straights.
In ace-to-five low poker, where aces are allowed to play as low and straights and flushes do not count against a hand's 'low' status, this is the best possible hand. In high/low split games, it is both the best possible low hand and a competitive high hand. The best deuce-to-seven low hand, 7-5-4-3-2, is also sometimes called 'the wheel'.
Ace-to-six[edit]
Ace-to-six low is not as commonly used as the ace-to-five low method, but it is common among home games in the eastern region of the United States, some parts of the mid-west, and also common in the United Kingdom (it is the traditional ranking of London lowball, a stud poker variant).
As in all lowball games, pairs and trips are bad: that is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest-ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In ace-to-six low, straights and flushes are accounted for (as compared to Ace-to-five) and count as high(and are therefore bad), and aces play as the lowest card.
For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-2 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 would lose, because it is a straight. Aces are low, so 8-5-4-3-A defeats 8-5-4-3-2. Also, A-A-9-5-3 (a pair of aces) defeats 2-2-5-4-3 (a pair of deuces), but both of those would lose to any no-pair hand such as K-J-8-6-4. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-A.
It is called ace-to-six low because the best possible hand is 6-4-3-2-A (also known as a Chicago Wheel or a 64), followed by 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A, 7-4-3-2-A, 7-5-3-2-A, etc.
In Poker If 2 Royal Flushes Who Wins
When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest-ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called 'a nine', and is defeated by any 'eight'. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called 'an eight-six' and will defeat 'an eight-seven' such as 8-7-5-4-A.
A wild card plays as whatever rank would make the lowest hand. Thus, in 6-5-Joker-2-A, the joker plays as a 3, while in Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 (an ace or six would make a straight).
High-low split games with ace-to-six low are usually played with a declaration.
Deuce-to-seven[edit]
Deuce-to-seven low is often called Kansas City lowball (the no-limit single-draw variation) or just 'low poker'. It is almost the direct opposite of standard poker: high hand loses. It is not as commonly used as the ace-to-five low method.
As in all lowball games, pairs and trips are bad: that is, any hand with no pair defeats any hand with a pair; one pair hands defeat two pair or trips, etc. No-pair hands are compared starting with the highest-ranking card, just as in high poker, except that the high hand loses. In deuce-to-seven low, straights and flushes count as high (and are therefore bad). Aces are always high (and therefore bad).
For example, the hand 8-5-4-3-2 defeats 9-7-6-4-3, because eight-high is lower than nine-high. The hand 7-6-5-4-2 defeats both, because seven-high is lower still. The hand 7-6-5-4-3 would lose, because it is a straight. Aces are high, so Q-8-5-4-3 defeats A-8-5-4-3. In the rare event that hands with pairs tie, kickers are used just as in high poker (but reversed): 3-3-6-4-2 defeats 3-3-6-5-2.
Since the ace always plays high, A-5-4-3-2 (also called the Nut Ace) is not considered a straight; is simply ace-high no pair (it would therefore lose to any king-high, but would defeat A-6-4-3-2).
The best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 (hence the name deuce-to-seven low), followed by 7-6-4-3-2, 7-6-5-3-2, 7-6-5-4-2, 8-5-4-3-2, 8-6-4-3-2, etc. Hands are sometimes referred to by their absolute rank, e.g. 7-5-4-3-2 (#1, said 'number one', see table).
Hand | Name (#) | Other Name |
---|---|---|
7-5-4-3-2 | #1 | Seven perfect, The nuts, Number one, The wheel |
7-6-4-3-2 | #2 | |
7-6-5-3-2 | #3 | |
7-6-5-4-2 | #4 | |
8-5-4-3-2 | #5 | Nut Eight, Eight perfect |
8-6-4-3-2 | #6 | |
8-6-5-3-2 | #7 | |
8-6-5-4-2 | #8 | |
8-6-5-4-3 | #9 | Rough eighty-six |
8-7-4-3-2 | #10 | Eighty-seven smooth |
8-7-5-3-2 | #11 | |
8-7-5-4-2 | #12 | Average eight |
8-7-5-4-3 | #13 | |
8-7-6-3-2 | #14 | |
8-7-6-4-2 | #15 | |
8-7-6-4-3 | #16 | |
8-7-6-5-2 | #17 | |
8-7-6-5-3 | #18 | Rough eighty-seven |
9-5-4-3-2 | #19 | Nut Nine, Nine perfect |
When speaking, low hands are referred to by their highest-ranking card or cards. Any nine-high hand can be called 'a nine', and is defeated by any 'eight'. Two cards are frequently used: the hand 8-6-5-4-2 can be called 'an eight-six' and will defeat 'an eight-seven' such as 8-7-5-4-2.
Another common notation is calling a particular low hand 'smooth' or 'rough.' A smooth low hand is one where the remaining cards after the highest card are themselves very low; a rough low hand is one where the remaining cards are high. For instance, 8-7-6-4-2 would be referred to as a 'rough eight,' but 8-5-4-3-2 would be referred to as a 'smooth eight.'
Wild cards are rarely used in deuce-to-seven games, but if used they play as whatever rank would make the lowest hand. Thus, in 7-6-Joker-3-2, the joker plays as a 4, while in Joker-5-4-3-2 it would play as a 7 (a six would make a straight).
High-low split games with deuce-to-seven low are usually played with a declaration.
References[edit]
- ^'Low Ball Poker Variants'. WorldSeriesOfPoker.com. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
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Introduction
High Card Flush made its debut at Harrah's Laughlin in summer 2011. In February 2013 it found another placement at the M in Las Vegas. After that slow beginning the game caught on and today has lots of placements.
The game follows a fold or raise structure, like Caribbean Stud Poker and Three Card Poker. Where it differs is in the hand ranking, which is all about making the highest possible flush out of seven cards.
Rules
- High Card Flush is played with a standard 52-card deck of playing cards.
- To begin play, each player makes the mandatory Ante wager, and if desired, the optional Bonus wager.
- The player and dealer each receive seven cards face down.
- Hands are evaluated in the following fashion:
- The first ranking criteria is the greatest number of cards in any one suit. This is referred to as the 'maximum flush.' For instance, any hand with a maximum four-card flush beats any hand with a maximum three-card flush, but loses to any hand with a maximum five-card flush.
- The second ranking criteria is the standard poker-rankings for flushes; that is, a hand with a maximum four-card flush of K-Q-J-T would beat a hand with a maximum four-card flush of K-Q-J-9, but lose to a hand with a maximum four-card flush of A-4-3-2.
- Each player then decides upon one of the following options:
- Fold, and surrender the Ante.
- Raise, placing a second bet equal to at least the Ante. The maximum amount of the Raise wager depends on the rank of the player?s hand:
- With a two-, three- or four-card flush, the maximum Raise wager is equal to the Ante wager.
- With a five-card flush, the maximum Raise wager is double the Ante wager.
- With a six- or seven-card flush, the maximum Raise wager is triple the Ante wager.
- Once all players have decided, the dealer turns over his seven cards and evaluates his hand in a similar fashion as described above.
- If the dealer does not have at least a three-card flush, nine-high, all remaining players have their Antes paid, and the Raise bets are pushed.
- If the dealer has at least a three-card flush, nine-high, his hand is compared to each other player:
- All players with a higher-ranking hand win, and have their Ante and Raise wagers paid at even money.
- All players with a lower-ranking hand lose, and have their Ante and Raise wagers collected.
- Players with the exact same ranking hand as the dealer push both their Ante and Raise wagers.
- Finally, any player who made the Bonus wager has his hand evaluated against the Bonus paytable, and the Bonus wager is either paid or collected as necessary.
Mousseau Strategy
Charles Mousseau determined that without regard to cards not part of the highest flush, a close to perfect strategy is to raise on T-8-6 or higher. The player should always make the largest allowed Raise bet. This strategy has a house edge of 0.06% higher than optimal strategy.
That means to raise any four-card or higher flush, and any three-card flush of rank T-8-6 or greater. For example, you would raise J-3-2, but fold T-7-5.
The following table shows the probability and return for each possible event under the Mousseau strategy. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 2.71%.
Mousseau Strategy Return Table
Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|
Player raises 3x, dealer qualifies, player wins | 4 | 0.001604 | 0.006416 |
Player raises 2x, dealer qualifies, player wins | 3 | 0.021374 | 0.064121 |
Player raises 1x, dealer qualifies, player wins | 2 | 0.258352 | 0.516703 |
Player raises 1x, dealer does not qualify | 1 | 0.160076 | 0.160076 |
Player raises 2x, dealer does not qualify | 1 | 0.006590 | 0.006590 |
Player raises 3x, dealer does not qualify | 1 | 0.000444 | 0.000444 |
Player raises 1x, dealer qualifies, player pushes | 0 | 0.000839 | 0.000000 |
Player raises 2x, dealer qualifies, player pushes | 0 | 0.000001 | 0.000000 |
Player raises 3x, dealer qualifies, player pushes | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Player folds | -1 | 0.320589 | -0.320589 |
Player raises 1x, dealer qualifies, player loses | -2 | 0.229568 | -0.459136 |
Player raises 2x, dealer qualifies, player loses | -3 | 0.000559 | -0.001678 |
Player raises 3x, dealer qualifies, player loses | -4 | 0.000003 | -0.000013 |
Totals | 1.000000 | -0.027065 |
Under the Mousseau strategy, the average final wager is 1.712 units. Thus, the element of risk is 2.706%/1.712 = 1.581%.
High Card Flush Advanced Strategy
Wizard of Odds contributor Gordon Michaels has published a High Card Flush Advanced Strategy. His strategy considers the suit distribution of the penalty cards with T-3-2 to T-9-8. The bottom line is a house edge of 2.6855%. Please click the link for the specifics.
Optimal Strategy
An optimal strategy has yet to be put in writing. However, we can narrow it down, as follows.
- Make maximum raise bet with J-9-6 or higher.
- Fold 9-7-4 or lower.
- You're on your own with 9-7-5 to J-9-5.
The following table shows that under the unknown optimal strategy the house edge is 2.64%.
Optimal Strategy Return Table
Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|
Player raises 3x, dealer qualifies, player wins | 4 | 0.001618 | 0.006473 |
Player raises 2x, dealer qualifies, player wins | 3 | 0.021472 | 0.064417 |
Player raises 1x, dealer qualifies, player wins | 2 | 0.258181 | 0.516361 |
Player raises 1x, dealer does not qualify | 1 | 0.160038 | 0.160038 |
Player raises 2x, dealer does not qualify | 1 | 0.006617 | 0.006617 |
Player raises 3x, dealer does not qualify | 1 | 0.000448 | 0.000448 |
Player raises 1x, dealer qualifies, player pushes | 0 | 0.000840 | 0.000000 |
Player raises 2x, dealer qualifies, player pushes | 0 | 0.000001 | 0.000000 |
Player raises 3x, dealer qualifies, player pushes | 0 | 0.000000 | 0.000000 |
Player folds | -1 | 0.321365 | -0.321365 |
Player raises 1x, dealer qualifies, player loses | -2 | 0.228857 | -0.457715 |
Player raises 2x, dealer qualifies, player loses | -3 | 0.000560 | -0.001679 |
Player raises 3x, dealer qualifies, player loses | -4 | 0.000003 | -0.000013 |
Totals | 1.000000 | -0.026418 |
Under the Mousseau strategy, the average final wager is 1.711 units. Thus, the element of risk is 2.642%/1.711 = 1.544%.
Miscellaneous statistics:
- All told, when the player plays optimally, the player will raise 67.86% of the time.
- The dealer will have a qualifying hand 75.36% of the time.
- The player and dealer will tie 0.08% of the time.
![Wins Wins](/uploads/1/2/5/1/125196815/938534442.jpg)
Flush Bet
I have heard of two pay tables for the Flush bet. The following three tables show the details.
Pay Table 1
Cards | Pays | Probability | Return | |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 300 | 6,864 | 0.000051 | 0.015392 |
6 | 100 | 267,696 | 0.002001 | 0.200095 |
5 | 10 | 3,814,668 | 0.028514 | 0.285135 |
4 | 1 | 26,137,540 | 0.195370 | 0.195370 |
3 or less | -1 | 103,557,792 | 0.774064 | -0.774064 |
Total | 133,784,560 | 1.000000 | -0.078072 |
Pay Table 2
Cards | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 300 | 6,864 | 0.000051 | 0.015392 |
6 | 75 | 267,696 | 0.002001 | 0.150071 |
5 | 5 | 3,814,668 | 0.028514 | 0.142568 |
4 | 2 | 26,137,540 | 0.195370 | 0.390741 |
3 or less | -1 | 103,557,792 | 0.774064 | -0.774064 |
Total | 133,784,560 | 1.000000 | -0.075292 |
Straight Flush Bet
The Straight Flush side bet pays according to the longest straight flush the player can make. I observed it only at the Planet Hollywood. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 13.11%.
Straight Flush Side Wager
Cards | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 | 8000 | 32 | 0.000000 | 0.001914 |
6 | 1000 | 1,592 | 0.000012 | 0.011900 |
5 | 100 | 39,960 | 0.000299 | 0.029869 |
4 | 60 | 676,196 | 0.005054 | 0.303262 |
3 | 7 | 8,642,932 | 0.064603 | 0.452224 |
2 or less | -1 | 124,423,848 | 0.930031 | -0.930031 |
Total | 133,784,560 | 1.000000 | -0.130864 |
Acknowledgements
- Thanks for Charles Mousseau for providing the math for this game, except on the Straight Flush side bet. Charles' web site is tgscience.com.
- Gordon Michaels for his High Card Flush Advanced Strategy.
Written by: Michael Shackleford