One pair
[1, 14, 13, 9, 7][1, 14, 12, 9, 7]The first different value is 13 versus 12. Because 13 is larger, the hand on the left wins; later values do not matter.
Short Deck Poker Hand Rankings
See the 6+ Hold’em hand order used by this site. Short Deck poker hand rankings remove cards two through five, place a flush above a full house, and recognize ace-six-seven-eight-nine as the special low straight.
How the result is built
Poker Hands Ranked from Strongest to Weakest
This 36-card ruleset places a flush above a full house and recognizes A-6-7-8-9 as a straight.
- 1
Royal flush
Ten through ace in one suit; the highest possible poker hand.
- 2
Straight flush
Five consecutive cards in one suit; the highest sequence wins.
- 3
Four of a kind
Four cards of one rank plus a fifth-card kicker.
- 4
Flush
Five cards in one suit, compared from the highest card down.
- 5
Full house
Three cards of one rank plus a pair of another rank.
- 6
Straight
Five consecutive ranks; suits do not matter.
- 7
Three of a kind
Three cards of one rank plus two kickers.
- 8
Two pair
Two different pairs plus one kicker.
- 9
One pair
One matching pair plus three kickers.
- 10
High card
No higher made hand; compare all five cards from highest to lowest.
Evaluator reference
How Poker Hand Rankings Work
The calculator converts each five-card hand into an ordered number sequence. Read it from left to right: the first larger value wins. The values are never added together.
1. Hand-category values
The first number identifies the hand type. A larger category value always beats a smaller one, before any individual card is compared.
- 9Royal flush
- 8Straight flush
- 7Four of a kind
- 6Flush
- 5Full house
- 4Straight
- 3Three of a kind
- 2Two pair
- 1One pair
- 0High card
2. Card-rank values
Card ranks use their familiar order. Ace is normally high at 14; suits have no numeric value and never break an otherwise exact tie.
A = 14K = 13Q = 12J = 1110 = 109 = 98 = 87 = 76 = 6Special case: A-6-7-8-9 is a nine-high straight, so its effective high-card value is 9 rather than 14.
3. Values used inside each hand type
After the category, only the ranks relevant to that hand type are recorded, in comparison order. “Kicker” means a remaining card used after the made-hand ranks are equal.
| Hand type | Ordered score format |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | [category] |
| Straight flush | [category, effective high card] |
| Four of a kind | [category, four-of-a-kind rank, kicker] |
| Flush | [category, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th card] |
| Full house | [category, three-of-a-kind rank, pair rank] |
| Straight | [category, effective high card] |
| Three of a kind | [category, three-of-a-kind rank, 1st kicker, 2nd kicker] |
| Two pair | [category, higher pair, lower pair, kicker] |
| One pair | [category, pair rank, 1st, 2nd, 3rd kicker] |
| High card | [category, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th card] |
4. Worked comparisons
Two pair
[2, 14, 13, 12][2, 14, 13, 11]The first different value is 12 versus 11. Because 12 is larger, the hand on the left wins; later values do not matter.
Flush
[6, 14, 11, 9, 8, 6][6, 13, 12, 11, 9, 7]The first different value is 14 versus 13. Because 14 is larger, the hand on the left wins; later values do not matter.
If every value is identical, the hands tie and the pot is split. Do not add the numbers, and do not use suit as an extra comparison.
Why flush moves above full house
With only nine ranks per suit, flush frequency changes relative to paired-rank categories. This published ruleset therefore scores flush at category six and full house at five.
Ace connects below six
A-6-7-8-9 is treated as a nine-high straight. Ace-ten-jack-queen-king remains the highest straight.
Table variants still exist
Some games use a different trips-versus-straight convention. The tool does not silently adapt; its category order is displayed before calculation.
Why category frequencies shift
A reduced deck changes both the number and proportion of legal combinations. The published table defines hand order; it does not say how often a specific table will make each category. For a live short-deck spot, remove every visible card and enumerate only legal runouts under the displayed rules.
Worked examples
Nine-high straight
Ace, six, seven, eight, and nine form the Short Deck low straight.
King-high flush
A king-high flush beats any full house under the rule order on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Are ranks two through five legal?
No. They are removed from the 36-card deck.
Does a flush beat a full house?
Yes in the ruleset implemented here.
Is A-6-7-8-9 ace-high?
No. It is scored as a nine-high straight.
Do suits break ties?
No. Equal five-card scores tie.