What this evaluator does
This tool takes a five-card poker hand and tells you exactly which category it makes, from a Royal Flush (the best) down to High Card (the worst). It uses the standard "high" poker hand rankings used worldwide in games such as Texas Hold'em and five-card draw. Suits are not ranked in standard poker, so they only matter for detecting flushes.
How to use it
Pick a rank and a suit for each of the five cards using the dropdowns, then read the result. The evaluator reports the hand name, its rank number from 1 (best) to 10 (worst), the key cards that form the combination, and a short explanation. It also flags an invalid hand if you accidentally enter two identical cards.
The ten hand categories
Hands are checked in strict order and the first match wins: 1) Royal Flush, 2) Straight Flush, 3) Four of a Kind, 4) Full House, 5) Flush, 6) Straight, 7) Three of a Kind, 8) Two Pair, 9) One Pair, 10) High Card. Each rank is converted to a number (\(J=11\), \(Q=12\), \(K=13\), \(A=14\)). A flush means all five suits match. A straight means five distinct values in a row (highest minus lowest equals four), with one special case: the "wheel" A-2-3-4-5, where the Ace counts as low and the straight tops out at five. Note that A-K-Q-J-10 is the highest straight and K-A-2-3-4 does not wrap around, so it is not a straight.
$$\text{Hand} = f(\text{ranks } v_1..v_5,\ \text{suits } s_1..s_5)$$ $$2..10 \to 2..10,\quad J=11,\ Q=12,\ K=13,\ A=14$$ $$\text{flush}=\big(\textstyle\bigcap s_i\big),\quad \text{straight}=(\max-\min=4 \wedge \text{distinct})$$
Worked example
Suppose you hold 3 of diamonds, 3 of clubs, 3 of hearts, King of spades and King of hearts. The values are \(\{3,3,3,13,13\}\). The count multiset is three of one rank and two of another, which is exactly \(\{3,2\}\) - a Full House, rank 4: "threes full of kings."
FAQ
Do suits decide who wins? No. In standard poker suits are never used to break ties; only some house rules use Spades > Hearts > Diamonds > Clubs.
Is A-2-3-4-5 a straight? Yes - it is the wheel, the lowest straight, with the Ace playing low.
Why is A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit a Royal Flush, not a Straight Flush? A Royal Flush is simply the highest possible straight flush, so it is named and ranked separately at rank 1.
