Ace-to-Five
Ace-to-five is a way of ranking low poker hands: aces are low, and straights and flushes do not count against you.
The simple explanation
The aim is to make the lowest five-card hand. An ace counts below a two, and pairs make a low hand worse. The best possible hand is A-2-3-4-5, called a wheel. Those cards stay the best low even when they are all the same suit, because straights and flushes are ignored for this ranking.
A closer look
Compare unpaired low hands from their highest card down. A seven-low beats an eight-low. If both are eight-low, compare the next card, then the next until they differ. The system is used in Razz and in the low half of games such as Omaha Hi-Lo Eight or Better. A low qualifier is a separate game rule: those split-pot games require an eight-low or better, while Razz has no such qualifier. Deuce-to-seven uses different rankings.
A practical example
Compare 8-5-4-3-A with 8-6-3-2-A. Both are eight-low, so compare the next card: five is lower than six. The 8-5 hand wins. Having an ace in the second hand does not change that comparison.
Full explanation
Ace-to-five is a way of ranking low poker hands: aces are low, and straights and flushes do not count against you.
Ace-to-five ranks low hands with aces below twos and no penalty for a straight or flush. Unpaired hands beat hands with a pair. The best low is A-2-3-4-5.
For two unpaired hands, compare the highest card first and work downward. The hand with the lower card at the first difference wins.
Ace-to-five describes the ranking system and can also refer to an ace-to-five lowball game. Whether a hand must meet a low qualifier depends on the specific variant, not on this ranking name alone.
Alternative spelling: ace to five, A-5, A to 5