Flush Definition – How Likely Are You to Have Five Cards of the Same Suit?

What Is a Flush in Poker?

Flush in poker is a five-card hand containing cards of the same suit regardless of their rankings.

For example, a hand like 2h 5h 7h Jh Kh is a King-high flush, named after the highest card in the combination.

When comparing flushes, the winner is always the player with the highest card, so a hand like 5s 9s 10s Js Ks loses to 2c 3c 5c 7c Ac. Suits are not relevant when determining a poker flush strength.

This is a strong poker hand in absolute terms, but it’s important to know what beats a flush so you can plan your strategy.

In all high poker variations like Hold’em, Omaha, and regular stud games, hands that beat flushes are full houses, four of a kind (quads), and all straight flushes.

Those new to the game are sometimes uncertain and wonder does a flush beat a straight, and the answer is yes. Flushes always beat straights, so even the smallest poker flush will beat the best possible straight (Broadway).

A high card flush is especially strong (the one containing an Ace or a King) and it can often be the nuts if the community board isn’t paired.

Poker Flush Odds

The odds of getting a flush in poker are quite decent. This is one of those hands that you’ll see quite often, especially when starting with a suited hand (i.e. two pocket cards of the same suit). Here’s the list of some of the most important flush odds:

Overall odds of flopping a flush with any hand: 0.2%
Flopping a flush with a suited hand: 0.98%
Odds of making a flush on a flop with suited connectors: 0.37%

When you flop a flush draw, i.e. you only need one more card to complete the flush, your odds of actually making the hand by the river are about 35%. This is why these draws, especially to high card flushes, are very powerful in Hold’em and you’ll see players play them fast.

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Ivan Potocki

Ivan played poker professionally for over five years but finally decided to merge his passion for writing with gambling and became one of the leading writers in this industry. Now he covers sports betting, casino & poker world and enjoys playing card games with his friends.

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