Flush Poker

What is a Flush Poker Hand?

A flush is a very advantageous hand in a poker game. It is made of five cards in the same suit and comes in the 4th place among all poker hand rankings. The best flush poker hand is an Ace-high flush, i.e., a flush that contains an A card, eg. A♠  J♠  6♠  5♠  4♠.

It's generally a very easy hand to identify and is a relatively very good hand, especially in 7-card poker variants like Texas Holdem. Generally, its strength is demonstrated by the highest card in the suit in the player’s hand. 

Suits do not matter in a flush poker hand, so if two players have a flush poker hand, then the highest card in the flush is compared. If the highest card is the same, then the second highest card is compared, and so on. 

How is a Flush Hand Ranked Compared to Itself?

In a standard game of poker with a 52-card deck, there are around 5,108 possible flush hand combinations with 1277 distinct ranks. As discussed above, a flush hand is ranked and compared using card ranks, not suits. Some examples of flush hands are given below along with an explanation regarding their rankings. 

Examples of flush hand in poker:

(i) A♠   Q♠   9♠   5♠   4♠

(ii) K♥   J♥   7♥   4♥  2♥ 

(iii) A♣  K♣  Q♣  9♣  6♣

(iv) Q♦️   J♦️   10♦️   9♦️  3♦️

Among the given flush poker hands, the highest ranked hands are Ace-high hands, i.e., (i) and (iii). Between these two hands, the (iii) hand is the best as its second highest card, i.e., K has a higher rank than Q card. 

How Does a Flush Hand Rank in Poker Compared to Other Poker Hands?

A flush is the 4th-highest hand rank in poker, just above a straight and below a full house. For your convenience, we have listed out all the poker hands below in decreasing order of ranking. You should commit these rankings to your money to help you ace your poker game.

List of poker hand rankings:

• Royal flush is a combination of 10 to A cards in the same suit, ex., 10♣ J♣ Q♣ K♣ A♣. It is the highest ranked hand in poker. 
• Straight flush is formed from five cards of the same suit in a given sequence, ex., A♣ 2♣ 3♣ 4♣ 5♣.
• Four of a kind hand is a poker hand made from four cards are of the same rank in different suits and a kicker card, ex., A♣ A♦️ A♥ A♠ 5♣.
• Full house is a poker hand made from two combinations, i.e., three cards of the same rank with a pair, ex., 4♣ 4♠ 4♦️ 8♣ 8♥.
• A flush poker hand is a combination of any 5 cards of the same suit, but not in a sequence, ex., K♣ 10♣ 7♣ 6♣ 4♣.
• Straight poker hand is 5 cards in a sequence that are not from the same suit, ex., 7♣ 6♠ 5♠ 4♥ 3♥.
• Three of a kind poker hand combination is made from three cards of the same rank and two random cards, ex., 4♣ 4♠ 4♦️ 7♣ 6♣.
• Two pairs poker hand, as the name suggests, included two different pairs, not necessarily of the same sequence, ex., 5♠ 5♣ 3♥ 3♣ 5♣.
• One pair poker hand only includes a combination, i.e., a pair of two cards of the same rank, ex., 5♠ 5♣ 7♥ 9♣ 6♣.
• High card is the lowest ranked poker hand. When you have none of the above hands, then the highest ranked card is used to calculate the hand rank. 

What is a Flush Draw?

A flush draw is also known as a four-flush. It occurs when you have four cards in the same suit and only need one more card to complete a flush poker hand. This can mean that you either have two cards of the same suit in your hand and two community cards, or one card in your hand and three community cards on the board.

If you are in a stage of flush draw, you should determine the strength of your flush before you start betting on it. The first thing you should consider is the highest card in your flush, and if there is a possibility of your opponent forming a stronger hand based on pairs in the community cards.

If you’ve determined that your flush is worth pursuing, you should start considering your flush draw strategy to win with the biggest advantage possible. You can either start betting aggressively to force your opponent to fold, or call bets passively whenever you see an advantage. 

Your opponent’s response to your strategy will tell you a lot about their cards. If your opponent refuses to fold and is betting even higher than you, then chances are they have an even higher ranked poker hand, and you should think about cutting your losses.

What is The Probability of Getting a Flush Poker Hand?

As you develop your skills in poker, you will slowly come to realize that poker is a numbers game. If you want to become a poker pro, then you need to start learning about the relationship between poker and probability.

This is because a good poker player always keeps probability in their mind. Sometimes you may have, what would mostly be a good hand, i.e., full house or flush, but your opponent might have an even better hand like a straight flush. 

If you are aware of probability, you will be able to determine the difference between the absolute value and relative value of your poker hand. To do so, you should always consider your opponent’s cards and bets in your mind while placing your bets.

The probability of drawing a flush poker hand (excluding royal and straight flush) in a 5-card poker variant like Omaha is around 0.1965%, with about 508.8:1 odds. On the other hand, for 7-card poker games like Texas Holdem, the probability lies around 3.03% with 32.1:1 odds of drawing.

Is it Possible to Earn Real Money by Playing Online Poker?

Yes, you can earn money by playing poker, online and offline. Since poker is largely a skill-based game and provides a very exciting game experience, it is a very common side hustle among people in their 20s and 30s. 

Since large casinos are only present in certain cities, most people prefer playing poker online. Similar to other online card games like teen patti, rummy, call break, etc., there are many safe online platforms where you can play poker.

Adda52.com is one of the biggest online poker platforms in India. Here you can bet real money on poker games, or even participate in poker tournaments for free. No matter what your experience level or preference is, you can find the right poker game for you to join online at Adda52.com.