What is a flush in poker? The flush explained
Learn about different types of flush hands in poker, including straight flush, royal flush, and strategies for playing suited and offsuit hole cards effectively.
Understanding flush in poker
In poker, a flush is a hand where you have five cards all of the same suit—hearts, diamonds, spades, or clubs. In Texas Hold’em, each player is dealt two hole cards (which are kept private), and up to five community cards are revealed in the center of the table for all players to use. Out of these seven cards, you need five that share the same suit to form a flush.
It's important to note that in poker, no suit is inherently more valuable than another when it comes to forming a flush. This means that a flush of hearts is just as strong as a flush of spades, diamonds, or clubs. However, in Texas Hold'em, the deck only has enough cards for one flush of a particular suit in any given hand, so there's no need to worry about comparing the value of suits in this context.
Understanding the rankings of poker hands, including a flush, is essential before you start playing. Mastering poker strategies and familiarizing yourself with common hands, like a flush, can significantly improve your chances of winning at the table. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned player, knowing how to recognize and play hands like a flush is a critical part of your poker education.
A flush in poker is a hand where all five cards are of the same suit, but they don't need to be in sequential order. There are over 5,000 different combinations that can make a flush, so the possibilities are vast.
A standard flush consists of any five cards of the same suit, but without a specific sequence. For example, if your hand includes a 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥, this would be considered a straight flush, which is an even stronger hand because it combines the elements of both a straight and a flush. In contrast, a regular flush can have any five cards of the same suit, regardless of their order or value.
Here are three examples of what a regular five-card flush might look like:
- A♣️ 2♣️ 5♣ 8♣️ J♣️: All clubs, with cards that don't follow a numerical order.
- 3♠️ 6♠️ 8♠️ J♠️ Q♠️: All spades, with a mix of low, middle, and high cards.
- 4♦ 5♦ 9♦ 10♦ K♦: All diamonds, with no sequential pattern.
As long as the cards are all of the same suit, the hand qualifies as a flush.
How does a flush hand rank?
In Texas Hold'em, there are 10 different hand rankings, and a flush ranks fifth on the list. Despite being in the middle of the rankings, a flush is considered a very strong hand in poker.
Here’s a quick overview of the full hand rankings, where 'X' stands for any card. For more detailed information, refer to our poker hands guide.
| Poker Hand | Explanation | Sample Hand |
| Royal Flush | A sequence from 10 to Ace, all in the same suit | 10♦ J♦ Q♦ K♦ A♦ |
| Straight Flush | A straight with all cards in the same suit | 5♥ 6♥ 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of identical rank | A♦ A♥ A♠ A♣ X |
| Full House | A pair combined with three of a kind | K♦ K♥ 4♦ 4♠ 4♣ |
| Flush | Any five cards sharing the same suit | 5♣ 9♣ 10♣ K♣ J♣ |
| Straight | Five consecutive cards without matching suits | 2♣ 3♦ 4♥ 5♥ 6♠ |
| Three of a Kind (or a Set or Trips) | Three cards of the same rank | A♦ A♥ A♠ X X |
| Two Pair | Two pairs of different ranks | A♠ A♥ 6♣ 6♠ X |
| Pair (or Two of a Kind) | A pair of identical cards | J♣ J♠ X X X |
| High Card | A hand where the highest card is the only determining factor | K♣ J♠ 2♣ 8♥ 6♠ |
As you can see, a flush outranks high cards, pairs, two pairs, three-of-a-kinds, and even straights. These hands make up a significant portion of what you'll encounter at the poker table, which highlights just how powerful a flush can be.
You might also notice that there are two other hands with the word "flush" in their names. It's important to understand the differences between them, as they can significantly impact the strength of your hand.
Other types of flush
Straight flush
A straight flush consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit. For example:
4♦ 5♦ 6♦ 7♦ 8♦
In this hand, the cards are all in sequence and share the same suit. Aces can be either high or low, but you cannot wrap around the ace to form a straight flush (e.g., Q♣ K♣ A♣ 2♣ 3♣ would be an ace-high flush, not a straight flush).
Royal flush
The royal flush is the highest possible straight flush, consisting of the cards 10 through Ace of the same suit. For instance, 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥. This is the strongest hand in poker and is unbeatable.
Flush with suited hole cards
The most effective way to achieve a flush in poker is with two suited hole cards. Suited hole cards are when both of your dealt cards are of the same suit, like J♣ 9♣. There are two main advantages to this:
- Disguise: Suited hole cards can make your hand less predictable. Opponents may be less likely to guess that you have a flush because they might assume you're holding two cards of different suits.
- Increased chances: With suited hole cards, your likelihood of hitting a flush or at least a flush draw on the flop (the first three community cards dealt face-up) increases. You'll hit a flush directly on the flop about once in 122 hands, but you’ll hit a flush draw (four cards to a flush) about 10.9% of the time, giving you more opportunities to play aggressively.
Flush with offsuit hole cards
Offsuit hole cards, such as A♥ Q♦, consist of two cards of different suits. Forming a flush with offsuit cards is more challenging because it requires four cards of the same suit to appear on the board, making the flush more obvious to your opponents.
Moreover, when playing with offsuit hole cards, you might face a stronger flush from an opponent. This is why it’s essential to focus on making the best possible flush, known as the "nut flush," with offsuit hole cards. For example, if you hold the A♥ and four hearts appear on the board, you know your flush will beat any other heart flush your opponent may have.
