What is Flush in Poker?

Flush is a poker hand that puts a big smile on your face whenever you get it. When all your 5 cards (2 hole cards + 3 community cards) are of the same suit, it is known as a flush.

This combination of cards gets its name from the Latin word “Fluxus”, which means “flowing”. It’s a flow of a single suit. You would usually use this word when it comes to deploying the flush in your toilet, but if you think of it, you are letting the water flow in that instance. We know it’s a weird example to explain, but we’re sure that now you’re going to remember it.

An important point to keep in mind is that in flush, the suits don’t matter. Whether it’s hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades, a flush is a flush.

What is Flush in Poker?

You have an ace of hearts and a ten of hearts as the hole cards, there are four cards open on the table of which two are of hearts, the river card opens up, and it’s a heart again, that’s a flush. Getting a flush is always a great feeling but you have to keep your emotions in control. Don’t let the opponent know you have it. A flush is 5th on the table when it comes to poker hand rankings and it gives you a very high chance of winning a hand.

How Does a Flush Hand Rank?

The hands in poker game are based on the probability of getting them, the lower the probability, the higher the rank of that combination. There are a total of 1,277 combinations of flush for a single suit. This makes it 1,277 x 4 (suits) = 5,108 combinations in total. Since there are a total of 2,598,960 combinations that you can create in poker, the probability of you getting a flush is 5,108/2,598,960, or simply 0.002. Remember this is the probability and not the percentage, because that would be 0.002x 100 = 0.2%. 

Here are a few examples of flush: 

K♥️J♥️9♥️7♥️4♥️

A♠️3♠️5♠️9♠️J♠️

Q♣10♣8♣6♣3♣️

10♦️9♦️8♦️5♦️4♦️

Note: Do not confuse a flush with a straight flush. A straight flush is essentially a flush but with consecutive cards. Ex. K♥️Q♥️J♥️10♥️9♥️. Remember straight + flush = straight flush, which is a higher-ranking poker combination. 

Flush Poker Rules and Ranking

While flush is a great combination to have, you need to remember that there are 4 poker hands that still beat it. 

Royal flush 

A-K-Q-J-10 of any suit is known as a royal flush. Technically it is the highest straight flush. It is the highest-ranking poker hand and the probability of getting this is the lowest. 

Straight flush

When you get a straight of the same suit, it is known as a straight flush. For example, K-Q-J-10-9 of any suit will be considered a straight flush. 

Four of a kind 

Also known as “Quads” is when you have 4 cards of the same rank but different suits. For example, A♥️A♠️A♣A♦️. 

Full house 

A combination of a three-of-a-kind and a pair is known as a full house. For example, 

A-A-A-K-K of any suit will be considered a full house. 

Apart from these 4, all other poker hands rank below flush. And those are: 

Straight 

When you have 5 consecutive cards of at least 2 different suits, it is known as a straight. For example, 10♥️9♥️8♠️7♦️6♣. 

Two pair 

As the name suggests, when you have a combination of 2 cards of one rank and another set of 2 cards of the same rank. For example, A♥️A♠️K♥️K♠️. 

One Pair 

When you have 2 cards of the same rank, it is known as a pair. For example, A♥️A♠️ or K♥️K♠️or 10♥️10♠️. 

High card

When your hand does not fall in any of the aforementioned combinations, then the highest card you have will be considered your best bet. This is known as a high card. 

How Does a Flush Hand Match Up?

Flush is the 5th best possible hand that you can get in poker. It is a very strong hand when it comes to Texas Hold’em, however in Omaha, it is not as strong. It is because in Omaha you get 4 hole cards, which means that the possibility of creating a strong hand is higher. That’s why you need to be careful with a flush in the latter because your opponent might have a better hand.

Types of Flush

Though the definition of a flush remains the same in all variants of poker, you need to change your strategy based on the variant that you are playing. 

Variant	Hole (private) cards	Community cards	Flush
Texas Hold’em	2	5	5
Omaha	4	5	5
Seven-card stud	7	0	5
Five-card draw	5	0	5

How to achieve flush in poker?

When you get 2 hole cards of the same suit

The best hole cards you can get to complete a flush are 2 cards of the same suit. Now, you only need 3 of the 5 community cards to complete a flush. The most favourable scenario for you here is getting the cards of the same suit on the flop (first 3 of 5 community cards). 

When you get 2 hole cards of different suits 

This is a tricky situation. Imagine you have a heart as one of your hole cards, and you get 3 hearts on the flop. Now the probability of you completing your flush is high but your opponents might also be holding a heart. In this case, you will need to be careful and get aggressive only if you have a high-card of hearts, i.e. Ace or King. 

Flush Poker Probabilities

As mentioned in one of the sections above, the probability of getting a flush is pretty low. It is around 0.2%, but once the cards are dealt and if you have 2 hole cards of the same suit, then the probability increases.

Let’s understand this with an example:

Hole cards	Flop	Flush on turn	Flush on river	Percentage of making a flush
10♥️8♥️	A♥️Q♥️5♠️	19.15%	19.57%	~35%
10♥️8♠️	A♥️Q♥️5♠️	0%	19.57% (if you get a ♥️on turn)	19.57%

FAQ

1. Is Flush a strong hand in poker?

Yes, flush is a strong hand in poker and ranks 5th in the list of hand rankings.

2. How does a flush rank in poker?

A flush ranks at the 5th place. It’s below royal flush, straight flush, four-of-a-kind, and full house.

3. Can any suit make a flush in poker?

Yes, you can make a flush with any suit in poker.

4. How does a flush compare to other hands in poker?

Flush beats a lot of poker hands and is ranked 5th in the list of hand rankings.

5. Are all flushes of equal value?

When it comes to flushes, all are not equal. The suits don’t matter but the cards making your flush does. If two players have a flush, then the winner is decided based on which player has a higher card in that flush. For example, a flush with Ace as the high card will beat a flush with King as the high card.