§ 637a.6. Poker rankings.
(a) The rank of the cards used in all types of Poker other than low hand Poker in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be: ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an ace may be used to complete a straight flush or a straight formed with a 2, 3, 4 and 5 but may not be combined with any other sequence of cards (for example, queen, king, ace, 2 and 3). All suits shall be considered equal in rank.
(b) The permissible five-card high hands, in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be:
(1) A royal flush, which is a hand consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 of the same suit.
(2) A straight flush, which is a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit in consecutive ranking, with king, queen, jack, 10 and 9 being the highest ranking straight flush and ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the lowest ranking straight flush.
(3) A four-of-a-kind, which is a hand containing four cards of the same rank regardless of suit, with four aces being the highest ranking four-of-a-kind and four 2s being the lowest ranking four-of-a-kind.
(4) A full house, which is a hand consisting of a three-of-a-kind and a pair, with three aces and two kings being the highest ranking full house and three 2s and two 3s being the lowest ranking full house.
(5) A flush, which is a hand consisting of five cards of the same suit.
(6) A straight, which is a hand consisting of five cards of consecutive rank, regardless of suit, with an ace, king, queen, jack and 10 being the highest ranking straight and an ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 being the lowest ranking straight.
(7) A three-of-a-kind, which is a hand containing three cards of the same rank, regardless of suit, with three aces being the highest ranking three-of-a-kind and three 2s being the lowest ranking three-of-a-kind.
(8) Two pairs, which is a hand containing two pairs, with two aces and two kings being the highest ranking two pairs and two 3s and two 2s being the lowest ranking two pairs.
(9) One pair, which is a hand containing two cards of the same rank, regardless of suit, with two aces being the highest ranking pair and two 2s being the lowest ranking pair.
(c) The rank of the cards used in low hand Poker in order of highest to lowest rank, shall be: ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen and king. In Triple Draw 2-7 Lowball Poker, the order of highest to lowest rank shall be: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace. All suits shall be considered equal in rank.
(d) The ranking of a five-card low hand shall be the inverse of the rankings for a five-card high hand as set forth in subsection (b). In games except Triple Draw Lowball 2-7 Poker, straights and flushes will not be considered for purposes of determining a winning hand at low Poker.
(e) When comparing two hands that are of identical rank under subsection (b) or (d), or which do not contain the hands authorized for that game, the hand that contains the highest ranking card as provided in subsection (a) or (c), whichever is applicable, which is not in the other hand shall be considered the higher ranking hand. If the hands are of identical rank after the application of this subsection, the hands will be considered tied and the pot shall be divided equally among the players with the tied hands.
(f) In all games of Poker, a hand shall be ranked according to the cards actually in the player’s hand and not by the player’s opinion or statement of the hand’s value.
Authority The provisions of this § 637a.6 amended under 4 Pa.C.S. § § 1202(b)(30), 1207(3) and (9) and 13A02(1), (2) and (4).
Source The provisions of this § 637a.6 amended January 31, 2014, effective February 1, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 619. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (362506) to (362507).
Cross References This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 637a.1 (relating to definitions); 58 Pa. Code § 637a.7 (relating to Poker overview; general dealing procedures for all types of Poker); 58 Pa. Code § 637a.16 (relating to High Hand Jackpot payout; posting of rules; contributions; counting and displaying of payout amount; procedure for implementation); 58 Pa. Code § 637a.20 (relating to Triple Draw Poker; procedures for dealing the cards; completion of each round of play); and 58 Pa. Code § 637a.21 (relating to Badugi Poker; procedures for dealing the cards; completion of each round of play).
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