A flush in poker is a five-card hand containing cards of the same suit that are not all in consecutive order. For example, A♠ J♠ 8♠ 5♠ 2♠ is an ace-high flush.
A flush is a strong hand in Texas Hold’em and most traditional poker games. It beats a straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card. It loses to a full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush.
Where Does a Flush Rank?
The standard poker hands rank as follows, from strongest to weakest:
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One pair
- High card
A flush ranks fifth overall. Any valid flush beats any straight, regardless of the cards used to form the straight.
For example, a 6-high flush beats an ace-high straight because poker hands are compared by category before individual card values.
Flush Examples
These are valid flushes:
- A♥ Q♥ 9♥ 6♥ 2♥
- K♣ J♣ 8♣ 5♣ 3♣
- 10♦ 9♦ 7♦ 4♦ 2♦
These cards are all the same suit, but they do not form five-card sequences.
The following hand is not an ordinary flush:
- 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ 5♠
It is a straight flush because the five cards share a suit and appear in consecutive order. A straight flush ranks above an ordinary flush.
How Is a Flush Tie Decided?
When two players have flushes, compare the highest card in each five-card hand. The player with the higher card wins.
Player A: A♠ 10♠ 8♠ 5♠ 2♠
Player B: K♥ Q♥ J♥ 7♥ 4♥
Player A wins because an ace-high flush beats a king-high flush.
If both flushes have the same highest card, compare the second-highest card. Continue comparing cards in descending order until one hand is higher.
Player A: A♠ J♠ 9♠ 6♠ 3♠
Player B: A♥ J♥ 8♥ 7♥ 4♥
Both players have an ace-high flush with a jack as the second card. Player A wins because the nine beats Player B’s eight. Suits do not break ties in standard poker. A spade flush and a heart flush have equal value when their card ranks are identical.
Making a Flush in Texas Hold’em
In Texas Hold’em, you create the best five-card hand from your two private hole cards and the five shared community cards.
You may use:
- Both hole cards
- One hole card
- No hole cards
Suppose you hold A♣ 7♣ and the board is:
K♣ 10♣ 3♣ 9♦ 2♥
Your best hand is A♣ K♣ 10♣ 7♣ 3♣, an ace-high flush.
If four clubs appear on the board, you need only one club in your hand to complete a flush. If all five community cards are clubs, every remaining player has at least a flush, and the hole cards determine whether anyone can improve the board’s five-card combination.
What Is a Flush Draw?
A flush draw means you currently have four cards of one suit and need one more to complete a flush.
For example, you hold A♦ 8♦, and the flop is:
K♦ 5♦ 2♣
You have four diamonds among your hole cards and the board. Any diamond on the turn or river completes your flush.
There are 13 cards in each suit. If you can see four diamonds, nine diamonds remain unseen. Poker players commonly refer to those nine cards as “outs.”
With two cards still to come, a standard nine-out flush draw completes by the river roughly 35% of the time. With only the river remaining, it completes roughly 20% of the time. These are approximations and assume every unseen card of the suit gives you a winning flush.
Is Every Flush Draw Equally Strong?
No. The value of a flush draw depends on the cards, board, opponents, and betting action.
An ace-high flush draw is generally stronger because completing it gives you the highest possible flush of that suit. A low flush draw can be dangerous when another player may hold a higher card in the same suit.
Paired boards also require caution. Even if you complete a flush, an opponent may already have or later make a full house.
A coordinated board can create straight-flush possibilities as well. Always evaluate the entire board rather than focusing only on the fifth card of your suit.
Nut Flush Meaning
The “nut flush” is the highest possible flush available on the current board.
If the board contains K♣ 9♣ 5♣ 2♦ 7♥, a player holding A♣ has the nut flush because no higher club can be used.
The nut flush is usually a powerful value-betting hand. However, it is not automatically the best possible hand when the board is paired, since a full house or four of a kind may be available.
You can confirm the standard order using the PokerStars poker hand rankings.
Common Flush Mistakes
A frequent mistake is believing that all five cards must come from a player’s hole cards. Texas Hold’em uses the best five cards from all seven available cards.
Another mistake is assuming suits have different values. Standard games do not rank spades above hearts or clubs below diamonds.
Players also confuse a flush with a straight flush. Five cards of one suit make a flush, but if those cards are consecutive, the hand is a straight flush.
Finally, making a flush does not guarantee victory. Higher flushes, full houses, four of a kind, and straight flushes can still win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. Any flush beats any straight in standard high-hand poker.
Does a full house beat a flush?
Yes. A full house ranks one position above a flush.
Can two players have a flush?
Yes. The winner is determined by comparing the highest card, followed by each lower card when necessary.
Does the suit determine the winning flush?
No. Suits have equal value in standard poker.
What is the best possible flush?
An ace-high flush is the strongest ordinary flush. A royal flush is stronger because its cards are also consecutive.
Final Answer
A flush in poker contains five cards of the same suit and ranks above a straight but below a full house. When two flushes compete, compare their cards from highest to lowest. In Texas Hold’em, remember that a completed flush can be strong without being unbeatable, especially on paired or highly coordinated boards.
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