# item.guide
Side-by-Side Comparison Card Games

Poker Hand Rankings vs. Spades

Comparing 2 standards across 23 specifications. 23 key differences identified.

Comparing:
Poker Hand Rankings
Spades

Poker hand rankings define the universal hierarchy of 5-card hands in poker standards, ranging from Royal Flush (1 in 649,740) down to High Card. Flushes beat Straights, Full Houses beat Flushes, and Four of a Kind beats Full Houses. Ties are broken by the highest ranked cards within the combination, followed by kickers.

View full Poker Hand Rankings spec sheet →

Spades is a standard 4-player partnership trick-taking card game where Spades are permanently the trump suit. Players simultaneously bid the exact number of tricks they expect to win. Bidding Nil awards a +100 point bonus (or -100 penalty), while taking extra tricks beyond the bid accumulates 'bags', triggering a 100-point penalty for every 10 bags.

View full Spades spec sheet →

Specification Comparison Table

23 Parameters
Parameter / Spec
Governing Standard
WSOP / Poker TDA
Standard Deck Size
52 cards (no jokers)
Total 5-Card Combinations
2,598,960 possible hands
1. Royal Flush Odds
1 in 649,740 (0.000154%) 4 combinations
2. Straight Flush Odds
1 in 72,193 (0.00139%) 36 combinations
3. Four of a Kind Odds
1 in 4,165 (0.0240%) 624 combinations
4. Full House Odds
1 in 694 (0.1441%) 3,744 combinations
5. Flush Odds
1 in 508 (0.1965%) 5,108 combinations
6. Straight Odds
1 in 254 (0.3925%) 10,200 combinations
7. Three of a Kind Odds
1 in 47.3 (2.1128%) 54,912 combinations
8. Two Pair Odds
1 in 21.0 (4.7539%) 123,552 combinations
9. One Pair Odds
1 in 2.37 (42.2569%) 1,098,240 combinations
10. High Card Odds
1 in 1.99 (50.1177%) 1,302,540 combinations
Total Players
4 in 2 fixed partnerships
Deck Size
52 cards (13 dealt per player)
Permanent Trump Suit
Spades (♠) always trumps other suits
Rank of Cards
Ace (High) to 2 (Low)
Standard Winning Score
500 points
Contract Trick Points
10 points per bid trick won
Overtrick (Bag) Points
1 point per extra trick
10-Bag Penalty
-100 points deducted at 10 bags
Nil Bid Bonus / Penalty
+100 / -100 points (0 tricks won)
Blind Nil Bonus / Penalty
+200 / -200 points (bid before looking)