High Card Definition – How to Win in Poker Without Holding a Pair
1 minute
Posted by: Ivan
What Is High Card Poker
The weakest of all possible hands you can end up with in poker is a high card hand.
This means that you don’t have a single pair or better.
An example of a high card poker hand is A T 9 5 7. Poker players would refer to this hand as ace-high, since ace is the highest card in the combination.
Poker high card rules are straightforward. Hands are compared and the one containing the highest high card wins.
If there are two ace-high hands, the second-highest cards are compared, then the third, and so on. For example, if A T 9 8 6 is up against A J 5 4 2, the latter hand wins because a jack is higher than a ten.
High Card Poker Odds
A Texas Hold’em high card hand is the worst possible holding you can get. It beats nothing besides weaker high card poker hands.
So, naturally, high card poker odds are very high as it’s impossible you end up with a hand weaker than this.
The probability of having a high card on the flop is just above 50% when you start with a random, unpaired hand. This is because the other 50% of the time you’ll end up with at least one pair or better.
The odds of having just a high card by the river actually decrease, as with seven cards in total, you’re likelier to end up with at least one pair hand than to just have a high card.
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