Poker Hand Rankings Explained (With Suit Spell Multipliers)
Every poker hand from high card to straight flush, what it looks like, and what it multiplies your word by in Suit Spell.
How hands are judged here
Suit Spell uses standard poker hand rankings with one twist: the hand is evaluated on exactly the cards you used to spell your word, which can be anywhere from three to seven cards. Standard poker always looks at five. So a three-card word can only make high card, a pair, or three of a kind, and the five-card hands only open up once your word is five letters or longer.
High Card (×1)
No two cards share a rank and there is no run of five. Every word scores at least this, so a seven-letter word is worth 7 even with nothing in the cards.
Pair (×2)
Two cards of the same rank, like two 9s. The most common way to double a word. In a deal with a pair, see whether the two paired cards both fit in your word.
Two Pair (×3)
Two different pairs, like two 9s and two Kings. Needs at least four cards, so a four-letter word with two pair scores 12.
Three of a Kind (×4)
Three cards of one rank. Three 9s in a three-letter word is a 12; the same three 9s in a six-letter word is 24.
Straight (×5)
Five ranks in a row, suits ignored, like 5 6 7 8 9. The ace can be high (10 J Q K A) or low (A 2 3 4 5). You need at least five letters, so a straight always means a five-letter word or longer.
Flush (×6)
Five or more cards of one suit, ranks ignored. Flushes are the easiest big hand to spot: count the suits in the deal, and if five share a suit, try to spell a word using all five.
Full House (×7)
Three of a kind plus a pair, like three 9s and two Kings. Five cards exactly, or in Suit Spell six or seven cards that contain them. The example on our homepage, three 9s and two Kings spelling RETAINS, is a full house worth 49.
Four of a Kind (×8)
All four cards of one rank. Rare in a seven-card deal, and when it happens the day's puzzle is usually about fitting all four into one word.
Straight Flush (×10)
Five in a row, all one suit. The rarest hand and the biggest multiplier. A five-letter straight flush scores 50, more than a seven-letter full house.
Why length still matters
Multipliers are tempting, but length is the other half of the product. A seven-letter word with a pair (14) beats a three-letter word with three of a kind (12). Learning to feel both halves at once is the skill of the game, and the live readout under the rail is there so you can test ideas before you commit a play.
Good to have
- Standard playing cards for practicing hand recognition at the kitchen table.
- Poker chip set if the house wants to keep score the old way.
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FAQ
Does a straight beat a flush in Suit Spell?
No, the standard order holds: a flush (×6) beats a straight (×5). A flush is harder to make because it needs five of one suit from only seven cards.
Can a seven-card word make two different hands?
The game always scores the best hand your cards make. Seven cards holding three 9s and two Kings is a full house, never just three of a kind.
Is a six-card flush worth more than a five-card flush?
The multiplier is the same ×6, but the six-letter word is longer, so it scores more. Length times multiplier.
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