Poker Hand Values
The best hand in poker is a Royal Flush, which is the highest value straight flush. The worst hand in poker is a high card. The lowest possible high card five-card poker hand (if Aces are high) is. New poker players should understand the hand descriptions and how each hand value helps or hurts the player’s odds of winning. If you assume any two suited pair of the same rank are the same, then poker has 169 two-card starting hand combinations.
Poker Hand Rank Values
Absolute Value vs. Relative Value of Poker Hands. It should be noted also that while poker hand rankings never change, sometimes circumstances can make a good hand less valuable and a poor hand. Print out this free poker hand rankings chart – and always know the best winning poker hands. Prints out on one page, or download as PDF. Print this page (or download as PDF) Poker Hand Rankings Chart. Hands are ranked by comparing the highest value card.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Once you have studied Omaha Hi-Lo Poker Rules, the next step is to learn Omaha hi-lo hand rankings. In Omaha hi-lo, the pot is divided evenly between the high hand and the low hand.
The high hand ranking is similar to Texas Holdem and Omaha. Keep in mind that the ranking reflects how rare it is to form a hand. Let’s take a look at all the high hand rankings.
High Hand Rankings (ordered by increasing value)
| Hand | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 10. High card | Unrelated and unpaired cards | |
| 9. One pair | Two cards of the same rank | |
| 8. Two pair | Two different pairs | |
| 7. Three of a kind (or set) | Three cards of the same rank | |
| 6. Straight | Five consecutive cards | |
| 5. Flush | All cards of the same suit | |
| 4. Full house | Three of a kind with a pair | |
| 3. Four of a kind (or quads) | Four cards of the same rank | |
| 2. Straight flush | Five consecutive cards, all of the same suit | |
| 1. Royal flush | Ace-High Straight Flush |
Low and the Eight or Better Qualifier
Not all hands qualify for the low. Furthermore, if no player makes a low hand, the high wins the entire pot. A valid low hand consists of five different cards, so no pair, ranked eight or lower, with the ace counting as the lowest card. Straights and flushes are ignored, so the following hands are valid low hands.
Hands that contain any pair or any card nine to king do not qualify for the low. So the following hands do not count as low.
Low Hand Rankings
In a low hand, the lower the card denominations are, the stronger the hand is. Low hands are evaluated, starting from the highest rank card (remember, the ace counts as the lowest), in a top-down approach. The player with the lowest card from the top wins. If the cards are even, the second card from the top is taken into account, and so on.
For example, consider that Player A has 8♥5♠4♣3♥2♥, and Player B has 8♥6♠4♣2♥A♣. To determine who has the best low, we first compare the first cards starting from the top. As they both have an eight, the second card from the top is examined. Player A has the smallest, the five, so he wins. Let’s take a look at some examples.
Low Hand Examples (ordered by increasing value)
| Example | Name |
|---|---|
| Worse qualifying low | |
| Eight high low | |
| Seven high low | |
| Seven high low | |
| Six high low | |
| Six high low | |
| The wheel, best possible low! |
Poker Starting Hand Values
Do you have any questions about Omaha hi-lo starting hands? Or more tips to add to this post? Let us know in the comments section below!