Unconventional hand (poker)

Also called special hands. In poker, certain hands other than the traditional ones that are given a value, either under the rules of a particular game (such as pai gow poker) or as a variant to enliven the game by providing more playable hands. Since many special hands would otherwise rank as no pair, they can make a very big difference in lowball and high-low split games as they make no-pairs less common. Nearly any hand can be designated a special hand for the purposes of a game, but certain special hands are more common than others.

Cats and dogs

"Cats" (or "tigers") and "dogs" are types of no-pair hands defined by their highest and lowest cards. The remaining three cards are kickers. Dogs and cats rank above straights and below flushes. Usually, when cats and dogs are played, they are the only unconventional hands allowed.

• Little dog - Seven high, two low (for example, 7-6-4-3-2). It ranks just above a straight, and below a flush or any other cat or dog.
• Big dog - Ace high, nine low (for example, A-K-J-10-9). Ranks above a straight or little dog, and below a flush or cat.
• Little cat (or little tiger) - Eight high, three low. Ranks above a straight or any dog, but below a flush or big cat.
• Big cat (or big tiger) - King high, eight low. It ranks just below a flush, and above a straight or any other cat or dog.

Some play that dog or cat flushes beat a straight flush, under the reasoning that a plain dog or cat beats a plain straight. This makes the big cat flush the highest hand in the game.

Other special hands

Besides cats and dogs, there are many other unconventional hands in common use.

• Skeet - Also called a pelter. A no-pair hand containing a 9, 5, and 2. The other two cards must be low, and some play that one must be between the 5 and 2 and the other between the 9 and 5. Ranks between a straight and a flush, and is therefore incompatible with cats and dogs. Some play that a skeet flush beats a straight flush, since a plain skeet beats a plain straight. That rule would make a skeet flush the highest hand in the game.
• Wheel - The sequence 5-4-3-2-A. This could technically be considered a round-the-corner straight, but is frequently played even if other round-the-corner straights are not allowed, particularly in pai gow poker. When wheels are recognized as distinct from round-the-corner straights, they are ranked as straights: in most games they are considered five-high, and thus the lowest possible straights, but in pai gow poker they rank between king-high and ace-high straights.
• Round-the-corner straight - A hand that is split into an ace-high sequence and a deuce-low sequence. In other words, a hand that would be a straight if the ace was both lowest and highest card at the same time, in a sort of modular arithmetic. For example: Q-K-A-2-3 and K-A-2-3-4 are round-the-corner straights. The straight goes "around the corner" after the ace. Ranked as the lowest straight, with the high card of the lower half of the sequence as the "high" card: for example, Q-K-A-2-3 would be considered a three-high straight and K-A-2-3-4 would be considered four-high.
• Skip straight - Also called a Dutch straight or kilter. An odd or even sequence of five cards by value: for example, 2-4-6-8-10 and 5-7-9-J-K are skip straights. Ranks between a three of a kind and a straight. If round-the-corner straights are also played, skip straights rank below them
• Blaze - Any five face cards. Ranks between two pair and a three of a kind.
• Fourflush - A hand with four cards of the same suit. It is most commonly played in stud poker. Ranks between a one pair and a two pair.