Straight Flush in Poker

If you think you have seen a strong poker hand, wait until a straight flush enters. A straight flush combines the strength of a straight and a flush. It is one of the strongest poker hands. To master the poker game, you first need to understand the poker hand rankings; this article will give you all the information about straight flush, their probabilities, and the percentage of combinations you can make.

Want to dive ahead in the exciting world of poker playing? If so, you need to start learning the terms related to poker, including all the winning hand rankings.

What Is a Straight Flush in Poker?

A straight flush is the second-highest winning hand in standard poker, second only to the royal flush. It is made of 5 cards of the same suit in a consecutive sequence. A straight flush is made of five consecutive cards of the same suit. There are 10 possible straight flush combinations per suit (excluding royal flushes). For example, 2♣️️ 3♣️️ 4♣️️ 5♣️️ 6♣️️, 3♣️️ 4♣️️ 5♣️️ 6♣️️ 7♣️️, and so on up to 10♣️️ J♣️️ Q♣️️ K♣️ A♣️.

A royal flush is another term for the highest straight flush (from 10 to Ace card), making it the most important and winning hand in poker.

Straight Flush vs. Royal Flush

• A straight flush is five cards of the same suit in numerical sequence. The royal flush comprises A, K, Q, J, 10 — all the same suit.
• It is the second-highest possible poker hand. It is the highest-ranked hand.
• A straight flush beats Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card, as it is the second strongest hand in poker. The only hand it cannot beat is a royal flush.
• A straight flush example is 7♦️ 8♦️ 9♦️ 10♦️ J♦️, and the royal flush example is A♣️ K♣️ Q♣️ J♣️ 10♣️.

How Does a Straight Flush Hand Rank?

A Straight Flush is the second strongest poker hand, just one step below the royal flush. It consists of five consecutive cards all of the same suit, for example, 5♣️ 6♣️ 7♣️ 8♣️ 9♣️.  Because of its high ranking, a straight flush outranks all the other hands like four-of-a-kind, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, two-pair, one-pair, and high card.

To give you a clearer perspective, here’s a comparison table of poker hands ranked from strongest to weakest:

How Does a Straight Flush Hand Match Up?

When matched against other hands like four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and a high card, a Straight Flush always wins as it is the second strongest hand in poker, a Royal Flush is the strongest hand in poker, and it will beat a Straight Flush every time in a match.

Straight Flush Poker Probabilities

Before getting into probabilities, let’s understand how to calculate the probability of poker hands. We know there are 52 cards in play and 2,598,960 possible combinations. You will divide the possibilities and build a poker hand by the total poker hands.

What are the odds of a straight flush?

The odds of getting a straight flush in poker are extremely rare. Here’s a breakdown.

Texas Hold'em Straight Flush probabilities-Preflop

Pot Limit Omaha Probabilities-Pre-flop

You have 0.0012% of combination provided you have two suited cards. Similarly, you can make the combinations mentioned above for Turn and River, provided you have two suited cards from the table for the Turn and two suited cards on the table for the River.

How to play a Straight Flush?

A straight flush is five consecutive cards in the same suit. It is the second strongest hand in Texas Holdem. Below are the following steps to be kept in mind:

Understand what you are looking for

You need five consecutive cards of the same suit. You can use any combination of your two-hole and five community cards to make the hand.

Evaluate your hole cards.

Look for connected suited cards like 6♠️ 7♠️ or 8♣️ 9♣️. This gives you the potential to hit a straight or flush or both.

Watch the flop carefully.

When the first three community cards have been dealt, check if they contain consecutive cards of the same suit. For example, if the flop is 5♠️ 6♠️ 8♠️, and you hold 7♠️, you are just a single card away from straight flush.

Make the best 5-card hand.

Combine your hole cards with community cards to see if you can make a straight flush. Let’s say you have 6♠️ and 9♠️, and the community cards are 5♠️ 7♠️ 8♠️ J♠️ Q♠️. You have a 5♠️ 6♠️ 7♠️ 8♠️ 9♠️ = Straight Flush. 

If suppose another player holds cards 9♠️ and 10♠️, then they also have a straight flush, i.e., 8♠️ 9♠️ 10♠️ J♠️ Q♠️. This straight flush is stronger than the 5♠️ 6♠️ 7♠️ 8♠️ 9♠️ straight flush. Hence, the other player wins the hand.

Lowest Straight Flush in Poker

The lowest straight flush in poker is A-2-3-4-5, also known as the 'Wheel.' Here, the Ace is used as 1.

Which Poker Hands Are Better than a Straight Flush?

A Straight Flush is an extremely strong poker hand made of five consecutive cards of the same suit, but it can still lose—to a Royal Flush. A Royal Flush is the highest possible hand in Texas Hold’em and is technically the highest-ranking Straight Flush: 10, J, Q, K, and A in the same suit. It is unbeatable in standard poker and the only hand that outranks a regular Straight Flush.

What Are the Rankings of Other Poker Combos?

Other than the royal and straight flush poker combinations, other poker hands can help you win the game. We have mentioned all the winning poker hands in the decreased ranking order below.

1. Royal Flush - Combination of 10 to A cards in the same suit, ex., 10♣️ J♣️ Q♣️ K♣️ A♣️ 
2. Straight flush - Five cards of the same suit in a given sequence, ex., A♣️ 2♣️ 3♣️ 4♣️ 5♣️
3. Four of a Kind - All four cards are of the same rank in different suits, ex., A♣️ A♦️ A♥️ A♠️
4. Full House - Three cards of the same rank with a pair, ex., 4♣️ 4♠️ 4♦️ 8♣️ 8♥️
5. Flush - Any five cards of the same suit, but none in a sequence, ex., K♣️ 10♣️ 7♣️ 6♣️ 4♣️
6. Straight - 5 cards not in the same suit, but in a sequence, ex., 7♣️ 6♠️ 5♠️ 4♥️ 3♥️
7. Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank, ex., 4♣️ 4♠️ 4♦️ 
8. Two Pair - Two different pairs, not necessarily of the same sequence, ex., 5♠️ 5♣️ 3♥️ 3♣️
9. One Pair - Two cards of the same rank, ex., 5♠️ 5♣️ 
10. High Card - When you have none of the above hands, it is a high card. You can only play the highest-ranking card on its own.

What Is the Probability of Getting a Straight Flush in Poker?

If you are an established poker player, you already know that poker and probability go hand in hand. Poker players should learn about probability so that they can strategise to improve their odds of winning. An exceptionally proficient poker player can calculate the probability of each 5-card poker hand appearing during the game.

The probability of a straight flush (excluding the royal flush) appearing in the game is around 0.00139%, i.e., 72,192.33:1 odds in a 5-card poker game. These odds are significantly higher in 7-card poker variants like Texas Hold'em poker games, i.e., 3,589.6:1 odds with a 0.0279% probability.

If these odds feel like they are not in your favour, don’t fret. You can increase your odds of winning and having a straight or royal flush poker hand by paying close attention to your and your opponent’s cards.

Rules of Straight Flush

Here are some basic rules of straight flush:

• Remember that all five cards should be consecutive and belong to the same suit when making a straight flush.
• If there’s a tie, the player with the highest ranking straight flush wins. For example, 9 straight flush beats seven straight flush.
• A straight flush is the strongest hand; only a royal flush can beat the hand.
• There are 40 possible straight flush combinations per suit (excluding royal flushes), and there are exactly four royal flushes, one for each suit.

Texas Holdem Straight flush Poker combinations

There are 10,240 possible straight hands in total, but this number includes both straight flushes and non-flush straights and  here are the combinations you can make considering the betting rounds:

Difference Between Straight And Straight Flush?

The table highlights the differences between a Straight and a Straight Flush:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is straight flush poker hand rank?

Straight Flush is the second strongest poker hand, being only weaker than Royal Flush, the strongest poker hand.

How rare is a Straight Flush?

A straight flush is one of the rarest events in poker, with the probability of getting a straight flush being 0.00139%. In poker, 2,598,960 hand combinations are possible, out of which only 36 Straight Flushes can be made, which makes its probability (36/2,598,960), i.e., 0.00139%.

What are the two main aspects of a straight flush?

One aspect is that the cards should be of consecutive ranks, and the second aspect is that they should be of the same suit.

What beats a Straight Flush?

Only a Straight Flush of a higher rank or a Royal Flush can beat a Straight Flush.

Is it possible for a Straight Flush to lose in a poker showdown?

Yes, a Straight Flush can lose in a poker showdown. Only a Royal Flush or a stronger Straight Flush of stronger rank can beat it in a showdown.

What is stronger than a straight flush?

Royal Flush is stronger than a straight flush.

Conclusion

As we learnt, a straight flush is the second strongest hand in poker, and only a royal flush can beat the hand. To win with a straight flush, you need to strategise your game. This comes with practice. So, download the Adda52 app today, create your private table or join other cash or tournaments and practice. Practice will help you come up with new strategies and will also help you understand the game better.