The term “wheel” is used in poker to describe a particular type of hand. A wheel is composed of five cards, four of which are faceup, and the fifth is facedown. The faceup cards are the top two, the middle two and the bottom two.
The facedown card is the Ace of Spades. When a player has a wheel, they are said to have “mucked” or “lost their hand.”.
Historically, wheels were considered to be bad hands because they were very difficult to make good. If one’s opponent had a good hand with five cards of equal rank, they could easily make a flush or full house with their four faceup cards and the Ace of Spades, taking away the player’s chance at winning.
Because wheels were so difficult to make good, players would often fold them when they saw them in order to protect their better hands.
However, over time wheels have become more popular in poker because they offer players a chance at winning even if their opponent has a good hand. For example, if an opponent has two pair (two cards of the same rank), they would need either the Ace of Spades or another high-value card to win the hand.
However, if the player has a wheel, they could still win by making a straight or three of a kind with their faceup cards and the Ace of Spades. This makes wheels an important part of many poker players’ arsenals.
