# REALLY dumb poker question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 2, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376 "2005-04-02T06:11:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376/1 "2005-04-02T06:11:37Z")

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In standard online Texas Hold em, an Ace serves as both the bottom or top of a straight, e.g. A-2-3-4-5 or 10-J-Q-K-A.

My dumb question is; can the Ace be both high and low, e.g. is K-A-2-3-4 a legal straight?

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**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376/2 "2005-04-02T06:13:34Z")

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No, that’s not legal. My friends and I call that “wrapping around” and gives you nothing better than an Ace high hand.

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376/3 "2005-04-02T07:12:53Z")

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It’s legal in certain rummy games, where it’s called “going round the clock.” Not legal in poker, though.

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**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376/4 "2005-04-02T12:17:11Z")

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I’ve heard that it’s legal in certain variants of poker or as a relatively obscure ‘house rule.’ (Just about anything is legal as a house rule, if all players agree to it beforehand.)

Not common at all though. Similarly, it can be decided that aces cannot go low in straight, only high.

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**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/really-dumb-poker-question/297376/5 "2005-04-02T17:42:39Z")

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> [@chrisk](#):
>
> Not common at all though. Similarly, it can be decided that aces cannot go low in straight, only high.

When going into a game which you think might have sligtly different house rules - ASK. You would hate to be betting that the wrap around is not valid and find that it is beat out your two pairs you just bet the farm on.