Royal Flush in Poker
What is a Royal Flush?
A royal flush is the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of a single suit. A royal flush is the highest hand in poker. Definitions of every hand sit on the poker hand rankings page.
Where a Royal Flush Ranks
A royal flush is at the top of the traditional hand rankings, above all other hands. No hand ranks above it. The hand directly below it is the straight flush. The full ranking order appears in the poker hands guide.
Example Hands
A royal flush consists of five specific cards in one suit: the ace, king, queen, jack and ten. There are only four possible combinations of royal flush, one for each suit:
- A spade royal flush is A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠
- A heart royal flush is A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥
- A diamond royal flush is A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ 10♦
- A club royal flush is A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣
A royal flush carries no kicker, because all five cards are used in the main formation. In Texas Hold'em a royal flush can be built using any five of the two hole cards and five community cards.
What a Royal Flush Beats and Loses To
A royal flush beats all other hands. A royal flush loses to nothing. It stands directly above the straight flush in the standings. A royal flush is the highest form of straight flush.
Ties and Kickers
If multiple players have a royal flush at showdown, the hands rank equally so the pot is split. Suits are all of equal value so two royal flushes in different suits are equal.
In Texas Hold'em, it's only possible for a maximum of one royal flush to exist each hand so a tie can only occur if the royal flush is formed across the five shared community cards.
A royal flush doesn't have a kicker, so a kicker can't decide who wins the hand.
Royal Flush Probability and Odds
A royal flush is the rarest hand in poker. Dealt as five cards at random from a 52-card deck, the chance of a royal flush is 0.00015% (the five-card probability). Made from the best five of seven cards in Texas Hold'em, the chance of a royal flush is 0.0032% (the seven-card probability). The two figures differ because you have more ways to make the hand in Texas Hold'em.
A royal flush draw is when one more card is needed to make a royal flush.
- On the flop, the chance of hitting the single card (one out) needed on either of the two final streets is roughly 4%
- If the turn misses, the chance of hitting the necessary final fifth card on the river is roughly 2%
A Royal Flush Across Variants
A royal flush is the best hand in standard high-hand games like Texas Hold'em and Omaha.
In Short Deck poker, like 6+ Hold'em, the deck only contains cards from six to ace so the chance of hitting a royal flush increases compared to regular Texas Hold'em.
In ace-to-five lowball games, like Razz, the royal flush isn't penalized for containing a straight or flush but is still weak due to the high nature of the cards. In deuce-to-seven lowball games, the straight and flush work against the value of the hand so the royal flush is even weaker.
Frequently Asked Questions
A royal flush is the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit. A royal flush is the highest hand in poker and beats every other hand in Texas Hold'em. There are only four possible royal flushes, one for each of the four suits.
A royal flush beats all hands in high-hand games like Texas Hold'em. A royal flush loses to no other hand at showdown. The next hand down in the rankings is the straight flush.
A royal flush cannot be beaten in high-hand games, because it is the highest hand in poker. A royal flush will tie with another royal flush at showdown. Two royal flushes of different suits rank equally, as all suits are equal in value, so the pot is split. In Texas Hold'em, only one royal flush is possible in any one hand.
A royal flush is the rarest hand in poker. To make a royal flush in your best five card hand using a possible seven cards in Texas Hold'em, the chance is 0.0032%.
Hitting a royal flush by the river in Texas Hold'em is rare, with a chance of 0.0032%. A player on the turn holding four of the five necessary cards, has a 2% chance of hitting the one out they need on the river.