Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Texas Hold'em card values

In Texas hold 'em, cards value is the strength assigned to a card or hand for comparing holdings, based on the game's standard ranking system.

Individual card ranks
A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 in descending order23
Hand hierarchy (low to high)
High card, pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush1
Ace in straights
Ace can be high or low, but not both simultaneously13

Key points

  • Players compare holdings by the standard poker hierarchy; stronger categories beat weaker ones, and within a category the relevant card ranks break ties.12
  • Ace is the highest high card except when acting as 2-low in a straight; otherwise Ace is highest.13

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • Texas hold em card rankings — the rank order itself, while cards value is the broader idea of strength or worth assigned by that ranking
  • Texas holdem rules — rules governing gameplay and betting, while cards value concerns only hand/card evaluation
Poker Texas Hold'em hands Lists the ten standard poker hands used in Texas hold 'em. Poker Thin value A betting concept where a player bets a hand that is likely best but vulnerable. Poker 5 card poker hands The standard hand rankings used in five-card poker games. Poker 5 card poker rules Basic rules for playing five-card poker variants. Poker 5 card stud A poker variant where each player receives five cards, some face up. Poker Cut card poker A poker variant that uses a cut card to determine the dealer.

Sources

  1. Texas hold 'em en.wikipedia.org Provides the standard Texas hold 'em hand hierarchy and Ace rules.
  2. List of poker hands en.wikipedia.org Lists individual card ranks and the hand order.
  3. Regole dei Giochi di Carte: Poker pagat.com Confirms card ranks and Ace usage in straights.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.

Written and maintained by Ellis Warrender, writer and maintainer.

Last updated 28 July 2026. Spotted an error? Tell me and it gets fixed and logged on the corrections page.