You're sitting at a greasy felt table, the chips are piling up in the center, and your heart is thumping against your ribs like a trapped bird. You’ve got five cards of the same suit. It’s a beautiful sight. But the guy across from you—the one who hasn't stopped talking about his "unbeatable" run—is looking awfully confident with his 4-5-6-7-8 rainbow. Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes.
Every single time. In the standard hierarchy of poker hands used in Texas Hold'em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud, the flush sits comfortably above the straight. It’s a fundamental rule. If you forget it, you’re basically handing your money over to the house or that loudmouth across the table.
Why does it work this way? It’s not just some arbitrary rule dreamt up by old-timers in a smoky backroom in Nevada. It’s math. Pure, cold, unfeeling probability.
The Math Behind Why a Flush Beat a Straight
Most people get confused because a straight feels harder to get. You have to line those numbers up perfectly, right? 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. If you're missing just one, the whole thing falls apart. But when you actually crunch the numbers for a standard 52-card deck, the reality is a bit different.
There are 10,240 possible ways to make a straight. That sounds like a lot until you realize there are only 5,108 ways to make a flush. Because there are fewer ways to make a flush, it is statistically rarer. In poker, rarity equals power. That’s the golden rule of the game.
Let's look at the percentages for a moment. In a game of Texas Hold'em, the probability of flopping a straight when you hold two connected cards (like 8-9) is significantly higher than the odds of flopping a flush when you hold two suited cards. You'll hit that straight about 1.3% of the time on the flop. A flush? You’re looking at about 0.8%. It’s a slim margin, sure, but in the long run, those fractions of a percent determine the entire structure of the game.
Breaking Down the Hand Rankings
If you're still shaky on where these hands sit in the grand scheme of things, think of it as a ladder. At the bottom, you’ve got your "High Card"—the lonely Ace or King that usually leads to a lost pot. Then you’ve got pairs, two pairs, and three of a kind.
Just above three of a kind is the straight.
Directly above the straight is the flush.
And right above the flush? That’s where the Full House lives.
It’s a common point of frustration for beginners. You see someone land five cards of the same suit and you think, "Well, they just got lucky with the colors." But the truth is, the deck is stacked against the flush more than the straight. This is why, in almost every variant of poker played in casinos today, the flush beat a straight without exception.
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When Things Get Weird: Short Deck and Other Variants
Now, I’d be lying if I said this was a universal law of the universe like gravity. Poker has its rebels. If you’ve ever wandered into a high-stakes "Short Deck" (also known as 6-Plus Hold'em) game, the rules change.
In Short Deck, all the 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s are removed from the deck. Suddenly, there are only 36 cards. This messes with the math in a big way. Because there are fewer cards of each suit, making a flush becomes much, much harder—statistically harder than making a full house in some cases.
In many Short Deck variations, a flush actually beats a full house.
However, even in those games, the question of whether a flush beat a straight remains the same: yes, it does. In fact, in Short Deck, the gap between the two becomes even wider.
Then there’s the "Straight Flush." This is the king of the mountain (right under the Royal Flush). It’s what happens when a straight and a flush have a baby. If you have the 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of Hearts, you don't just have a straight or a flush. You have a monster. It beats almost everything else in the game.
The Psychology of the "Straight Draw" vs the "Flush Draw"
Knowing that a flush beat a straight changes how you play your cards. Professional players like Daniel Negreanu or Phil Ivey don't just look at their cards; they look at the potential of the board.
When you have four cards to a flush (a "flush draw"), you’re chasing a hand that will likely win the pot if it hits. If you have four cards to a straight (a "straight draw"), you’re in a much more precarious position. Even if you hit your straight, anyone with five cards of the same suit will take your chips.
I’ve seen it happen a thousand times. A player hits a "Wheel" straight (A-2-3-4-5) and thinks they're invincible. They shove all their chips into the middle, only to realize the board has three spades on it. The other guy flips over two small spades, and just like that, the straight is dead. It’s a brutal lesson, but one every poker player learns eventually.
Common Misconceptions That Cost You Money
Why do people keep asking if a flush beat a straight? Part of it is visual. A straight looks organized. It looks like it took work to assemble. A flush can look messy—a 2, a 5, an 8, a Jack, and an Ace. If they’re all Clubs, they look like a random collection of garbage to the untrained eye.
But looks are deceiving.
Another point of confusion is the "Straight Flush." People hear the word "Straight" in the name and think it might be related to the straight's ranking. Nope. It’s the "Flush" part that gives it the edge.
Honestly, if you're ever in doubt at the table, just remember: Five of a kind (color/suit) beats five in a row. ### Real-World Example: The 2006 WSOP Main Event
Let's talk about real stakes. In the 2006 World Series of Poker, we saw countless hands where straights were crushed by flushes. It’s the "cooler" of all coolers. You have a great hand, but your opponent has the one hand that’s just slightly better.
In the 2020s, with the rise of GTO (Game Theory Optimal) play, the value of a flush has only become more clear. Solvers—software used to calculate the best move—consistently value flush draws higher than straight draws because of that top-tier ranking. If you're betting big on a straight when there's a flush possibility on the board, the computer will tell you you're making a massive mistake.
You've got to respect the suit.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Game
If you're heading to a home game or a local casino, don't just memorize the fact that a flush beat a straight. Use that knowledge to improve your strategy.
- Count the "Outs": If you have a flush draw, you usually have 9 cards (outs) that can help you. A "double-ended" straight draw gives you 8. The math favors the flush in both ranking and the chance of hitting.
- Watch the Board: If three cards of the same suit appear on the table, be terrified of your straight. It’s likely no longer the best hand.
- Don't Overvalue the "Ace-High" Straight: Even the "Broadway" straight (10-J-Q-K-A) is nothing compared to a 2-high flush. Suits are the ultimate tie-breaker here.
- Check the House Rules: If you’re playing a weird "Wild Card" game at a friend's house, ask before the first hand is dealt. Some "home rules" are crazy, but in any legitimate game, the flush is superior.
The most important thing? Stay calm. Poker is a game of information. Now that you know for a fact that a flush beat a straight, you have one more piece of the puzzle. Use it to protect your stack and maybe, just maybe, take down that loudmouth who thinks his 5-6-7-8-9 is the best thing since sliced bread.
Next time you see those five suited cards, you can bet with confidence. Just make sure no one has a Full House. But that’s a story for another day. Keep your head down, watch the suits, and remember that math doesn't lie.
Good luck out there. You’re gonna need it, but at least now you know the rules.