The Flush - or straight flush - is among the hands you’ll most want to get on any poker night. While not the strongest hand it still ranks fourth among the others, making it nothing to sneeze at. As such it’s well worth learning the strategy required to use a flush in the most effective way, not to mention the odds of getting one in the first place. So join us as we tell you all about the flush in poker, its rankings, and how to make best use of it.
What is a Flush?
A flush is a poker hand consisting of 5 cards of the same suit. These are not in sequential order, as that would make a Straight Flush or, in the case of a combination of ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace in the same suit, a Royal Flush. Here is an example of a flush:
- ♠A, ♠J, ♠8, ♠5, ♠3
The suit doesn’t matter in a flush, only that all the 5 cards making it belong to the same one. Flush hands are named after the highest cards. As such the hand seen above would be an Ace-high flush, while a flush consisting of a King, Jack, nine, five, and three would be a King-high flush. Simple, right?
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What is the Ranking of a Flush?
What is the Ranking of a Flush
A regular Flush ranks fifth among the other poker hands. This makes it pretty strong, considering that two of the stronger hands are a Straight and Royal Flush, while the others are the Full House and Four of a Kind. Here’s the full poker hand ranking for your reference:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pair
- One Pair
- High Card
How to Rank Flush Hands
Here’s a flush fact - a standard 52-card deck contains no less than 5,108 possible flush hand combinations, and these come with a total of 1,277 rankings. A flush is ranked by its highest card, followed by the second highest ranking card and so on. Here are a few example flush hands. Do you know how to rank them?
- A♠J♠10♠3♠2♠
- K♥10♥7♥5♥2♥
- A♣K♣Q♣8♣2♣
- Q♦J♦10♦9♦3
As always the Ace is the highest card, followed by the King, Queen, and so on. So in this particular case here’s how these hands actually rank:
- A♣K♣Q♣8♣2♣
- A♠J♠10♠3♠2♠
- K♥10♥7♥5♥2♥
- Q♦J♦10♦9♦3
Note how the suit doesn’t matter here, only the rank of the highest straight card. These flush rankings are used in the case more than one player manages to get a flush on the same round. Again we always start from the highest ranking card and move to the next. The strongest highest flush is an Ace-high flush, which is also known as a “Broadway.”
The Odds of Getting a Flush
Now it’s time for the math as we’re going to look at the probability of getting a flush while playing both Texas Hold ‘em and Omaha poker. These probabilities differ since you get 2 hole cards in Hold ‘em and 4 in Omaha.
Texas Hold ‘em Flush Odds
|
Pre-flop |
0.1965% |
Based on 5 cards randomly drawn from a full 52-card deck (excluding royal and straight flushes) |
|
Flop |
0.84% |
When holding 2 cards of the same suit |
|
Turn |
19.15% |
From a flop with 2 suited cards |
|
River |
19.56% |
On a board with 2 suited cards |
Pot Limit Omaha Odds
|
Pre-flop |
0.1965% |
Based on 5 cards randomly drawn from a full 52-card deck (excluding royal and straight flushes) |
|
Flop |
1.90% |
When double-suited |
|
Turn |
20% |
From a flop with 2 suited cards |
|
River |
20.40% |
On a board with 2 suited cards |
Flush Strategies
Flush Strategies
As we’ve mentioned above, not all flush hands are made equal. As such, while strong a flush needs to be used at the right time in order to be truly effective. With this in mind here are some tips we recommend when playing with a flush in hand:
Don’t Overplay Weak Flushes
A low-ranking flush such as a five-high or seven-high can easily be beaten by a higher-ranking flush. If you’re holding a low flush during heavy betting then pay attention, especially during games with many players seeing the flop.
Look Out for Paired Boards
If the board pairs then you’re in the chance for a Full House as well as a Flush. As such don’t play it immediately as you can possibly get an even better hand.
Value Bet Your Strong Flushes
Don’t be afraid to bet on a strong flush. A small to medium-sized value bet on the turn or river can entice weaker hands to call.
Take Advantage of Position
If you’re last to act then you can take advantage to gather all-important information. If your opponents check or make weak bets then it’s usually safe to bet or raise with your flush, but if they are betting aggressively then you should gauge whether your hand is still good.
Go for the Flush Next Poker Night!
Keep the flush in mind next time you’re playing at any of your favourite poker sites! It’s one of the game’s most iconic hands, and is pretty powerful to boot. It’s not invincible, but still strong enough to win the pot when used at the right time. Mastery of when to chase, bet, or fold a flush is a sign of advanced poker knowhow, and as they say knowledge is half the battle! Have fun with poker and always play responsibly.
