The Royal Flush is top on the list of poker hand rankings. This is the strongest possible hand in poker and can never be beaten. It is made when we have the Ace-high straight while holding cards all of the same suit.
How Does a Royal Flush Hand Rank?
In a 52-card deck there are only 4 possible royal flush combinations and they are all ranked equally. The four flush combinations are as follows :
A♠K♠Q♠J♠10♠
A♥K♥Q♥J♥10♥
A♣K♣Q♣J♣10♣
A♦K♦Q♦J♦10♦
A royal flush is actually a type of straight-flush, but it beats all other straight-flushes.
How Does a Straight Hand Match Up?
The royal flush is the stone cold nuts meaning that it can never be beaten. In Holdem and Omaha games it is impossible for two players to make a Royal flush at the same time. The hand can therefore never chop the pot.
In the article on straight flushes we mentioned that a straight flush is actually best possible hand. Why did we say that? This is because the royal flush is actually a type of straight flush. It’s possible for the royal flush to find itself facing a lower straight flush, in which case the royal flush always wins.
Royal Flush - FAQs
What is a Royal Flush in poker?
In poker, a Royal Flush is the highest hand a player can have. It’s made up of the Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace cards, and they must be of the same suit (clubs, hearts, spades or diamonds).
How rare is a Royal Flush?
The chances of a player getting dealt a Royal Flush in a typical poker game is very rare.
What beats a Royal Flush?
There is no hand that beats a Royal Flush as it is the best poker hand a player can get.
Can a Royal Flush be tied?
Theoretically, two players can indeed have a Royal Flush. In most poker formats however, the outcome would lead to a split pot, as both hands would be of the same rank.
How does a Royal Flush compare to other poker hands?
The ranking of poker hands is as follows, in this order: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, and High Card.
Is a Royal Flush the same in all poker variants?
Yes, in most poker variants a Royal Flush is considered the highest possible hand. This includes Omaha, Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud and others.
Can you get a Royal Flush in Omaha Poker?
Yes, however bear in mind that in Omaha Poker the probability of getting a Royal Flush is different from Texas Hold’em as players receive four hole cards rather than two.
What are the odds of getting a Royal Flush on the flop in Texas Hold'em?
In Texas Hold’em Poker, the odds of getting a Royal Flush on the flop (the first three community cards) are approximately 1 in 19,600.
Royal Flush Poker Probabilities
Now we’ll look at the preflop, flop, turn and river probabilities of making a Royal Flush in both Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha.
