Poker
Royal flush
A royal flush is an ace-high straight flush: 10, jack, queen, king and ace, all in the same suit. It is the highest possible hand in standard poker.
- Hand composition
- 10, jack, queen, king, ace — all in the same suit.
- Number of possible hands
- 4 (one per suit) out of 2,598,960 five-card combinations.4
- Probability (5-card draw)
- About 1 in 649,740.4
- Video poker payout (Jacks or Better)
- 800 coins on a max-coin hand, contributing 1.9807% to total return.3
Key points
- A royal flush is the highest straight flush: five consecutive cards (10 through ace) in the same suit.16
- It cannot be beaten by any other standard poker hand when no wild cards are used.15
- The hand applies to all standard poker rankings, including Texas hold 'em and video poker.23
- In Jacks or Better video poker, a royal flush occurs with a probability of about 0.000025 and pays 800 for a max-coin bet.3
Odds of a royal flush by game type
| Game | Probability | Approximate odds |
|---|---|---|
| 5-card draw | 4 / 2,598,960 | 1 in 649,7404 |
| Texas hold 'em (7 cards) | 4,324 / 133,784,560 | 1 in 30,9402 |
| Jacks or Better video poker | 0.000025 | 1 in 40,0003 |
Why the royal flush matters
The royal flush is the rarest and highest hand in standard poker, making it a benchmark for hand rankings and a target in many poker variants.1 Because it cannot be beaten, it often triggers special bonuses or jackpots, especially in video poker where a max-coin royal flush pays 800 coins.3 Its iconic status means it is frequently used in poker-themed media and promotions.
Common questions
What is a royal flush in poker?
A royal flush is the highest possible poker hand: ace, king, queen, jack and 10, all in the same suit. It is a type of straight flush.
What are the chances of a royal flush?
What are the odds of a royal flush?
The odds are the same as the probability expressed as a ratio. In five-card draw, the odds are roughly 649,739 to 1 against.4
What does a royal flush look like?
It looks like 10, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit — for example, all spades or all hearts. The cards must be in sequence and share a suit.
Where this term is used
Not the same as
- Straight flush vs royal flush — a straight flush is any five consecutive same-suit cards, while a royal flush is the specific ace-high straight flush
- Royal flush poker — not a separate hand; 'royal flush' already names the hand itself
Related terms
Sources
- List of poker hands en.wikipedia.org Defines the royal flush as an ace-high straight flush and confirms it is the highest hand.
- Texas hold 'em en.wikipedia.org Provides the probability of a royal flush in Texas hold 'em.
- Video poker en.wikipedia.org Gives video poker payout and frequency for a royal flush in Jacks or Better.
- Poker probability - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Supplies the exact probability and odds for a royal flush in five-card draw.
- Regeln von Kartenspielen: Rangfolge der Pokerblätter pagat.com Confirms the royal flush is unbeatable in standard poker.
- Ranking of Poker Hands pagat.com Describes the composition of a royal flush as 10-J-Q-K-A in one suit.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.