5 Suited Cards – the Flush Poker Hand

A Flush ranks fifth on the poker hand rankings chart. It is comprised of 5 suited cards.

Note: A Flush does not have to have 5 cards in consecutive order – that would be known as a Straight Flush.

The word ‘Flush’ does not immediately say anything about the nature of the hand. It doesn’t tell you that all 5 cards must be in the same suit, although a Flush is easy to identify. Simply look out for a 5-card hand made up of all diamonds, all spades, all hearts, or all clubs.

It is a strong hand to form in Texas Hold’em games, and the strongest possible Flush would be an Ace-high Flush.

Below is an example of what an Ace-high Flush looks like:

As with many other poker hands, the suits don’t matter in a Flush. Just because a Flush is Ace-high doesn’t mean that it is the strongest possible Flush that you can hold. The rank or denomination of the poker hand is equally important.

*Be advised that any Ace-high Straight Flush is known as a Royal Flush, and that is the top-ranking poker hand you can form in Texas Hold’em. No other poker hand ranks better than that!

Ranking a Flush Hand in Poker

In a standard 52-card deck of cards, there are an incredible 5,108 Flush hand possibilities. This includes 1,277 unique ranks of Flush poker hands. Each Flush hand will be ranked by the highest card in the 5-card hand. Then, it will be ranked by the next highest card etc.

Here are several examples of Flush hands that can be formed:

Are you able to tell which Flush is the highest-ranking hand?

Remember that a Flush hand is ranked by the highest straight card – the suit has nothing to do with it. If multiple players are holding a Flush hand, the winner is the one whose hand has the highest straight. As a case in point, an Ace-high Flush will always beat a Jack-high Flush etc.

When comparing Flush hands with the same high card, the next high card, (or the next), must be evaluated to determine which poker hand is the highest-ranking Flush. In the case of Queen-10-8-6-5 versus Queen-10-9-5-4, it’s the latter hand that wins.

How Do Flush Poker Hands Compare to Other Hands?

A Flush ranks fifth on the poker hand rankings chart. A hand that is a notch stronger than a Flush is a Full House. Although a Flush is fifth on the list of poker hands, it still serves as an incredibly strong poker hand to form in Texas Hold’em. Once again, hands like this are rarely ever beaten on the River.

Many hands rank beneath a Flush. Next in line is a Straight. The best possible Straight is an Ace-high straight, another name given to this is Broadway.

What are the Probabilities of Forming a Flush??

It is possible to form a Flush at various stages of a poker game. We will explore the pre-Flop stage, the Flop, the Turn, and the River. The probabilities associated with each stage are evaluated in Texas Hold’em and in Pot Limit Omaha (PLO) games.

Texas Holdem Poker

Pot Limit Omaha Poker

That’s it! You now understand what you need to know about a Flush. The next hand on the poker hand ranking is known as a Straight.

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