Soko Hand Rankings

Soko is a variant of Five-Card Stud that has a different hand ranking. This is a presentation of the poker hands for Soko, from the highest ranking to the lowest. The hands are part of the regular hand ranking chart are presented in greater in detail in a seperate article.

Two hands are added to the regular hand ranking chart, the four-flush and the four-straight. The hands are placed between a pair and a two pair.

Royal Straight Flush

An ace-high straight flush.

Straight Flush

Five cards in a sequence and all in the same suit.

Four of a Kind

Any hand containing four cards of the same rank.

Full House

A three of a kind and a pair in the same hand.

Flush

All five card of the same suit.

Straight

Five cards in a sequence makes a straight.

Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated cards.

Two Pair

Two cards of a matching rank and another two cards of a different matching rank, and one unrelated side card.

Four-flush

Four cards of the same suit and one unrelated card. The above hand can be referred to as a "four-flush, jack high" or as a "jack-high 4-flush". This is because the highest ranked card in a four-flush is used to determine which four-flush is better than which, note that all suits are equivalent. So K 8 6 4 8 beats Q J T 9 T.

If the highest ranking cards are the same then the second-highest, third-highest and fourth-highest decide the winning hand. Should the God of probability play a trick on a game of Soko and let two players have the same rank of all four cards in their four-flush, then there is an amuzing situation of a kicker battle between the "flushes" (that is the highest ranked unrelated card wins the pot).

Four-straight

Four cards in a sequence and one unrelated card makes a four-straight. The above hand is called a "ten high four-straight" or a "4-straight, ten high". The highest card in the sequence breaks a tie between two four-straights, an ace does not help if it is on the lower end of the four-straight. So T 9 8 7 3 beats 4 3 2 A J. Should the highest card in the sequence be of the same rank, the rank of the side card (kicker) decides the winning hand.

One requirement of the four-straight hand has not been mentioned. There can not be four cards of the same suit. That would make the hand a higher ranked four-flush. Should one of the diamonds in the beaten hand above be a club instead, the hand would be a four-flush and win. What if the 2 became the 2? Would that make it a four-straight-flush? No, not even in Soko is there such a hand.

One Pair

Two cards of a matching rank and three unrelated side cards.

High Card

A hand that does not qualify to any of the categories listed above.