A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W
High Card
High card is the lowest poker hand in the ranking of hands. This hand is achieved every hand where a player fails to make at least a pair. For instance if you hold A
5 and the board reads K Q
8 2
3, having not made a pair, you have Ace High, with ace being the highest card you have. If a kink was the highest card you held, you would have King High.
Often when you are playing against one or two other players and no-one has bet, particularly when the board has paired or there are no draws, when you hold Ace High, it is sometimes worth putting a bet in there as it will often be enough to get your opponents to fold.
There is no minimum for a high card although if all your cards are of less value than the community cards on the board, then your high card would be the highest card on the board.
Another important element when considering a High Card is the kicker that you have. For instance, looking at the example above you hold A 5 and the board reads K Q 8 2 3. You hold Ace High and your kicker would be the next highest card from your hand or the board (whichever is highest), so in this case you would hold an Ace High with a King kicker. Let's now assume that you hold A - 5 and the board reads 10 9 8 2 3. You would have Ace High with a ten kicker. You would be beaten if an opponent also held an Ace High and a higher kicker, for instance Jack or above. This is the reason many players don't like to play weak aces.
High Card in the context of games such as Indian Poker and Blind Mans Bluff relates to the highest hole card dealt to players. As players are only dealt one card, the player with the highest card would win the pot. The winning hand would be a High Card (which is the only hand that can be made).
Copyright © 2003 - Top15Poker.com - Top for Poker Terms and Guides.
