Poker
Straight flush
A straight flush is a poker hand of five cards in consecutive rank, all of the same suit. It is the highest-ranking hand in standard poker when no wild cards are used.
Key points
- A straight flush beats every other hand type in standard poker, including four of a kind and a full house.3
- The ace-high version (A-K-Q-J-10) is called a royal flush and is the highest possible straight flush.3
- An ace can be used low to make a 5-4-3-2-A straight flush, the lowest possible straight flush.1
- When two straight flushes compete, the one with the higher top card wins; a royal flush beats all others.3
Example straight flushes
| Hand | Suit | Top card | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | Spades | Ace | Royal flush (highest) |
| 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Hearts | Nine | Straight flush |
| 5♣ 4♣ 3♣ 2♣ A♣ | Clubs | Five | Lowest straight flush |
Odds of a straight flush
In a standard 52-card deck, the probability of being dealt a straight flush (excluding royal flushes) in a five-card hand is about 0.00139%, or 1 in 72,193 hands.2 Including royal flushes, the combined probability is roughly 0.00154%, or 1 in 64,974 hands.2 These odds make it one of the rarest hands in poker.
Common questions
What is straight flush in poker?
A straight flush is a poker hand consisting of five cards in sequential rank, all of the same suit. It ranks above four of a kind and below only a royal flush in standard poker.
What are the odds of a straight flush?
The odds of being dealt a straight flush (including royal flushes) in a five-card poker hand are about 1 in 64,974, or 0.00154%. Excluding royal flushes, the odds are about 1 in 72,193.2
What is a royal straight flush?
The standard term is royal flush, not royal straight flush. A royal flush is the ace-high straight flush (A-K-Q-J-10) of the same suit, and it is the highest possible hand in poker.
What is a straight flush in blackjack?
Blackjack does not use poker hand rankings. The term straight flush has no meaning in standard blackjack rules; it is exclusive to poker and related card games.
Where this term is used
Not the same as
- Straight flush vs flush — a flush is any five cards of the same suit without requiring them to be in sequence
- Straight flush poker — not a distinct game; the phrase refers to the hand itself in poker
- Royal straight flush — a non-standard term; the correct term is royal flush, the ace-high straight flush
- Straight flush vs royal flush — a royal flush is the highest possible straight flush, not a separate hand type
- Royal flush — the ace-high straight flush, ranking above all other straight flushes
- Straight poker — a hand of five consecutive cards not all of the same suit, ranking below a flush
Related terms
Sources
- List of poker hands en.wikipedia.org Defines straight flush and explains ace low/high rules.
- Poker probability en.wikipedia.org Provides the odds of being dealt a straight flush.
- Ranking of Poker Hands pagat.com Confirms straight flush as highest hand type and describes royal flush.
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.