A flush is a poker hand of five cards all in the same suit, not in sequence, such as five hearts. It beats a straight and loses to a full house. Out of all 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, 5,108 are flushes, about 1 in 509. Below are the odds, the ranking and what a flush pays at the casino.
A flush is five cards of one suit that are not in sequence.
It ranks above a straight and below a full house in five-card poker.
The chance of being dealt one in five cards is about 0.197%, roughly 1 in 509.
In three-card games a flush is easier to make than a straight, so it ranks lower.
Hand
Five cards of the same suit
Five-card chance
5,108 of 2,598,960 (0.197%)
Beats
Straight
Loses to
Full house
9/6 Jacks or Better pays
6 for 1 per coin
What a flush is in poker
A flush is any five cards of the same suit that do not run in order. K-10-7-4-2 of spades is a flush; 9-8-7-6-5 of spades is not, because five suited cards in sequence make a straight flush, and A-K-Q-J-10 suited is a royal flush. Our poker hand rankings page shows the full order.
When two flushes meet, the one with the higher top card wins. If those match, compare the second card, and so on down. Suits never break ties in standard poker.
Flush odds in five-card and three-card games
Counting gives exact figures. In five cards, each suit offers 1,287 combinations (13 choose 5); four suits give 5,148, and taking away the 40 straight flushes leaves 5,108. Three-card games work the same way, but the result surprises many players:
How often a flush is dealt compared with neighbouring hands
Hand
Five cards (of 2,598,960)
Three cards (of 22,100)
Straight flush (incl. royal)
40 (0.0015%)
48 (0.22%)
Full house
3,744 (0.144%)
Not possible
Flush
5,108 (0.197%)
1,096 (4.96%)
Straight
10,200 (0.392%)
720 (3.26%)
With five cards a flush is rarer than a straight, so it ranks higher. With three cards it is the other way round: flushes are more common, which is why Three Card Poker ranks a straight above a flush and pays it more.
What a flush pays in casino poker games
Common flush payouts (from Wizard of Odds pay tables)
In Jacks or Better, the flush payout is half of the pay table’s name. A 9/6 machine pays 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush, and Wizard of Odds gives it a 99.54% return with optimal play. On an 8/5 machine the flush pays 5, and the return falls to 97.3%. That one-coin difference on the flush is a big part of the gap.
In pounds, over £500 of £1 hands, the expected cost is about £2.30 on 9/6 and about £13.50 on 8/5. Our video poker pay tables guide shows how to spot the better version.
Drawing to a flush is a common decision. Holding four suited cards in video poker, 9 of the 47 unseen cards complete it: about 19.1%. In Hold’em, a flush draw after the flop with two cards to come gets there about 35% of the time (1 − 38/47 × 37/46).
How to check whether you have a flush
Count the cards of each suit in the hand the game uses (five, or the best five of seven in Hold’em games).
If five share a suit, check whether they run in sequence; if so, it is a straight flush.
If not, it is a flush; note the highest card for comparing against another flush.
In three-card games, three suited cards make a flush, ranked below a straight.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a flush in poker?
A flush is five cards of the same suit that are not in numerical order, such as Q-9-7-4-3 of diamonds. It ranks above a straight and below a full house. If the five suited cards are in sequence, the hand is a straight flush instead. Two flushes are compared by their highest cards. Our poker hand rankings page sets out every hand in order.
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes, in five-card poker a flush beats a straight, because flushes are rarer: 5,108 hands against 10,200. Three-card games reverse this. In Three Card Poker a straight beats a flush, since three suited cards (4.96%) turn up more often than a three-card run (3.26%). See our Three Card Poker guide for that game’s full ranking.
What are the odds of getting a flush?
In a five-card deal the chance is 5,108 in 2,598,960, about 0.197% or roughly 1 in 509. In three cards it is 1,096 in 22,100, about 4.96%. Drawing one card to four suited cards in video poker succeeds 9 times in 47, about 19.1%. Our casino probability basics page explains how these counts are made.
Which flush wins if two players have one?
The flush with the highest card wins. If the top cards are equal, compare the second-highest, then the third, and so on. Only if all five ranks match is it a tie; suits don’t break ties in standard poker. In casino poker games you play against the dealer, so the same comparison decides your hand. Our high card entry explains card-by-card comparisons.
What does a flush pay in video poker?
It depends on the pay table. Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better pays 6 for 1 per coin on a flush, while the weaker 8/5 version pays 5. That difference helps drop the return from 99.54% to about 97.3%, according to Wizard of Odds. Always check the pay table on the game screen. See our video poker RTP page for more.
Is a royal flush a flush?
A royal flush is a special straight flush: ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit. It contains five suited cards, but because they also run in sequence, it ranks far above an ordinary flush and is the top hand in standard poker. There are only four in a deck. Read what a royal flush is worth in video poker.
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