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In tournament poker, casino poker, or any online game I’m aware of, the pot is split between hands of equal value, just like in all other cases of a tie. In five-card draw poker, it is not possible to tie on three of a kind, a full house, or four.
In Poker If 2 Royal Flushes Who Wins
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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.
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
Every poker player knows that the Royal Flush is the strongest poker hand, but where do all of the other poker winning hands rank? Here is a comprehensive list of poker hands in order from highest to lowest ranking. If you are new to the game of poker, learning the different poker hands is a great first step in learning how to beat your opponents with the cards you are dealt.
#1 Royal Flush
The strongest poker hand is the royal flush. It consists of Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace, all of the same suit, e.g. diamonds, spades, hearts, or clubs.
#2 Straight Flush
The second strongest hand in poker is the straight flush. It is composed of five consecutive cards of the same suit. If two players have a straight flush, the player with the highest cards wins.
#3 Four-of-a-kind
A four-of-a-kind is four cards of the same rank, e.g. four Aces. If two players have four-of-a-kind, then the one with the highest four-of-a-kind wins. If they have the same (if four-of-a-kind is on the board), then the player with the highest fifth card wins, since a poker hand is always composed of five cards.
#4 Full House
A full house is a combination of a three-of-a-kind and a pair. If two players have a full house, then the one with the highest three-of-a-kind wins. If they have the same one, then the pair counts.
#5 Flush
Five cards of the same suit make a flush. If two players have a flush, then the one with the highest cards wins.
#6 Straight
Five consecutive cards are called a straight. If two players have a straight, the one with the highest cards wins.
#7 Three-of-a-kind
A three-of-a-kind is composed of three cards of the same rank. If two players have the same three-of-a-kind, then the other cards, or both cards, determine the winner, since a poker hand is a always composed of five cards.
#8 Two-pair
Two-pair hands are, of course, composed of two pairs. If two players have two-pair, the rank of the higher pair determines the winner. If they have the same higher pair, then the lower one counts. If that is also the same, then the fifth card counts.
#9 Pair
A pair is composed of two cards of the same rank. Since a poker hand is always composed of five cards, the other three cards are so-called “kickers”. In case two players have the same pair, then the one with the highest kicker wins.
#10 High card
If you don’t even have a pair, then you look at the strength of your cards. If there are two players at showdown who don’t have a pair or better, then the one with the highest cards wins.
Any of the PalaPoker.com games use the standard rank of hands to determine the high hand.
However, at PalaPoker.com we also play “split pot” games, like Omaha Hi-Lo8 and Stud Hi-Lo8, in which the highest hand splits the pot with a qualifying (“8 or better”) low hand; therefore, we must also be familiar with:
Low Poker Hands List:
This method of ranking low hands is used in traditional Hi/Lo games, like Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo, as well as in Razz, the ‘low only’ Stud game.
Note that suits are irrelevant for Ace to Five low. A flush or straight does not ‘break’ an Ace to Five low poker hand. Aces are always a ‘low’ card when considering a low hand.
Please also note that the value of a five-card low hand starts with the top card, and goes down from there.
#1 Five Low, or “Wheel“: The Five, Four, Three, Deuce and Ace.
In the event of a tie: All Five-high hands split the pot.
#2 Six Low: Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being a Six.
In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. Thus 6,4,3,2,A defeats 6,5,4,2,A. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.
#3 Seven Low: Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being a Seven.
In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third- highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie.
#4 Eight Low: Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being an Eight.
In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. An Eight Low is the weakest hand that qualifies for low in Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo.
Check back here as you are learning the game of poker for a list that details the poker hands order. Sign up today to start winning real money!
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