Official Poker Guide ⏱ 5 min read

High Card: Rules, Odds & Rank #10

No matching pairs, straights, or flushes. Ranked by highest single card.

✓

Reviewed by PokerHandRank Editorial Team

• Last Updated: 2026-11-06 • Deterministic Poker Rules

Example 5-Card High Card:

A♦

♦

A♦

Q♣

♣

Q♣

9♠

♠

9♠

6♥

♥

6♥

2♣

♣

2♣

Rank Position: #10 of 10

5-Card Probability: 50.1177% (1 in 2)

7-Card Probability: 17.4% (1 in 5.7)

Unique Combos: 1,302,540

✓ What High Card Beats

A lower High Card hand.

✗ What High Card Loses To

Any pair or made hand.

How High Card Tiebreakers Work

Highest card wins. If highest cards match, compare 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th cards sequentially.

Strategic Considerations

High Card rarely wins at showdown in multiway pots. Unless you can bluff opponents out of the hand, proceed with caution.

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FAQ Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Clear, authoritative answers to common poker hand ranking disputes.

What is the highest possible High Card hand? ▼

A-K-Q-J-9 of mixed suits is the highest possible High Card hand (if it were 10 it would be a straight).

What happens if two players have Ace-High? ▼

The second highest card decides. For example, A-K-8-5-2 beats A-Q-J-9-3 because King beats Queen.

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