What is a Flush in Poker and What Strategy Should You Use?

A flush in poker is five cards of the same suit. It’s a high-ranking hand that can crush your opponents, but it can also cost you all your chips if you’re not careful.

Knowing how it ranks, what it beats, the odds of getting one, and the best strategies for playing a flush are all essential skills to have at the poker table. This guide to the flush in poker covers it all, so keep scrolling.

What is a Flush in Poker?

A flush in poker is any five cards of the same suit, no matter the order. For example A♠ K♠ 8♠ 5♠ 2♠ or J♥ 7♥ 4♥ 3♥ 2♥. 

A flush is an exciting hand that gets hearts racing. But while it’s one of the best hands in poker, players often make the mistake of overplaying weak flushes and losing big to higher flushes. The real skill lies in knowing how strong your flush is, the odds of drawing to make one, and when to get aggressive once it hits.

The strongest versions of the flush are:

The Straight Flush:

Five cards of the same suit and in order, like 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥.

Straight flushes start from the lower combination of A-2-3-4-5 and go to the highest straight flush of 9-10-J-Q-K.

The Royal Flush:

The A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ (of any of the four suits in poker).

A Royal Flush must always run from 10 to Ace, and any lower run of matching suited cards (like from 9♦ 10♦ J♦ Q♦ K♦) is considered a straight flush.

But there is also the “Nut Flush,” which we will explain right now.

What is the Nut Flush?

The nut flush is the highest possible flush on a given board. If the table shows K♦ 9♦ 4♦ 2♣ 7♠ and you hold A♦ Q♦, you’ve got the nut flush because you hold the Ace of that suit.

Sometimes figuring out if you have the nuts takes extra thought. When the Ace is already on the board, like with A♠ Q♠ 9♠ 3♠ 2♠, every player has an Ace-high flush, but only someone holding the K♠ has the nut flush. This is because the King is highest spade card after the Ace.

Recognizing these spots can save you lots of money when you mistakenly think you’ve got the winning hand.

How Does a Flush Rank in Poker?

A flush ranks as the fifth best hand in poker out of ten. It’s stronger than straights, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card. That makes it one of the top hands to have, since it usually means you have the best hand. 

Be careful, because a flush still loses to monsters like the full house, four of a kind, straight flushes, and the royal flush. You can check out the full order in our poker hand rankings guide.

The real trick is remembering that not all flushes are equal. Ace-high beats King-high, while a Jack-high flush will beat a 10-high flush but lose to a Queen-high flush, and so on. 

Q: What is the best flush in poker?
A: The royal flush is A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit, such as A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠. When a royal flush isn’t possible, the nut flush is the ace-high flush with the best available kickers, like A♠ K♠ J♠ 9♠ 8♠.

Q: What is the worst flush in poker?
A: Seven-high with the lowest kickers, like 7♦ 5♦ 4♦ 3♦ 2♦.

What Beats a Flush in Poker?

A flush only loses to full houses, four of a kind, straight flushes, and the royal flush. Those last three are extremely rare (you’ll encounter one of these about 0.2% of the time), so in most cases you only need to worry about losing to a full house or a bigger flush. 

Remember, a Queen-high flush loses to an Ace-high or King-high flush every time. The real danger with a flush comes on paired boards like K♥ K♦ J♥ 9♥ J♠. Your A♥Q♥ might look strong, but it’s likely in a lot of trouble to a full house.

What Does a Flush Beat in Poker?

A flush beats plenty of hands: high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, and even a straight. That makes it one of the most valuable drawing hands in poker. 

The real profit comes when you hit your flush against an opponent holding what they think is a strong hand, like a straight or three of a kind. In these spots, players have trouble folding and will often pay off multiple bets, giving you a chance to win a huge pot. 

Flush vs Flush – Who Wins?

When two players make a flush, the highest card decides the winner.

For example, Q♣ 10♣ 8♣ 6♣ 3♣ loses to A♣ 9♣ 8♣ 6♣ 3♣, since the ace is best. If both players share the ace, the next highest card breaks the tie, like a K♣ or Q♣. On a board like A♦ J♦ 8♦ 2♣ 4♦, K♦ 3♣ beats Q♦ 10♦ because king-high flush outranks queen-high.

What is the Probability of Getting a Flush?

In Texas Hold’em, you’ll make a flush about 6.4% of the time you hold two suited cards, or 1-in-15. A flush draw in poker means you are one card away from having five cards of the same suit. The table below shows the most common scenarios for getting a flush when holding two suited cards.

As for a straight flush or royal flush, you better not blink or you might miss one. In Texas Hold’em, a player will make a straight flush by the river up every 3,590 hands (0.0279% chance), while your chances of hitting a mythical royal flush are 30,939-to-1 (0.0032% chance).

Flopping a flush draw sounds pretty great, right? Remember, though, that still means you’re going to miss it two-thirds of the time. Check out our guide on poker odds to master the math and improve your game.

Can a Flush Improve to a Higher Flush?

Yes, your flush in poker can technically improve if another suited card hits, but it’s usually irrelevant. For example, you hold 10♥ J♥ and the board is currently A♥ 9♥ 6♥ 4♦. If the river brings the K♥ you still have an ace-high flush. Sure, the second card (the Kigh) is now higher, but the hands you beat or lose against remain nearly the same.

Things can improve, however, if your flush becomes a straight or royal flush. Say you hold that trusty 10♥ J♥ again and have a flush with the board showing A♥ Q♥ 8♥ 4♦. Seeing a 9♥ on the river gives you a straight flush, and if a K♥ hits you have a royal flush. Either result is unlikely, but still possible! 

Flush Strategy: 3 Tips for Playing Flushes

Flushes can win huge pots if they’re played with the right strategy. Play them wrong, though, and you and your chip stack could be in for a world of hurt. 

To maximize value, you need to know when to trap, when to protect, and when to turn aggression into a multi-faceted weapon. 

Here are three proven tips to make the most out of a flush in poker. 

Flush the Competition at CoinPoker

You’ve learned how to make a flush, what it beats, and how it can make or break stacks—now it’s time to put that knowledge into action. 

At CoinPoker, you’ll find games running 24/7 at every stake level, including micro-stakes and freerolls. If you’re ready, sign up today and flush the competition where it counts: on the felt.

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