One of the most useful tips you can learn before playing poker is the meanings behind the different card rankings. That’s because the game centres on them. Having the highest value hand wins the game.
So, this could be why many players wonder, ‘Is Ace High or Low in Poker’? We’ll investigate that in our Wizard Slots blog post below.
Is Ace High Or Low?
Generally, the Ace is the highest and most powerful card in the deck. However, it depends on what poker variation you play because most types of poker consider the Ace both high and low.
Consider the current other cards in hand if you want to know whether an Ace is high or low.
When Ace Is High
Most made hands in poker consider Aces as high-value cards. For example:
- An A-9-5-3-2 (Ace-high) hand beats a K-J-7-5-3 (King-high) hand.
- A double Ace hand beats a double K hand.
- Two pairs of Aces in a hand beats a double K hand, e.g., A-A-8-8 beats K-K-9-9.
- A Three-of-a-Kind Aces hand beats all other 3-of-a-kind hands.
- An Ace-high-straight beats a Queen-high-straight.
- Aces in a flush are strongest, e.g., A-Q-8-6-2 beats K-J-10-9-7.
- In a full house, a hand with A-A-A-10-10 beats K-K-K-J-J. In addition, a 10-10-10-A-A beats a 10-10-10-Q-Q.
- A-A-A-A beats 7-7-7-7.
- Royal flushes with an Ace beat any straight flushes.
When Ace Is Low
Aces are low in a “wheel”. Wheel is slang for a 5-high straight, which is a hand comprised of A-2-3-4-5. A wheel would typically lose if a higher straight comes in. For example, a 3-4-5-6-7 would beat an A-2-3-4-5. So, with this hand, the Ace is low, putting a 7-high straight against a 5-high straight.
Can Aces Be Low In A Poker Straight?
A straight entails five cards in a sequence on the same hand. It doesn’t consider the card suits, just their ranks. The highest card determines how strong the hand is.
Aces can be high and low in a straight; it depends on the rest of the hand. For example, an Ace on the low end would be in an A to 5 straight (wheel), e.g. A-2-3-4-5. Whereas an Ace on the high end would be in an A-K-Q-J-10 hand.
