ROYAL FLUSH

Poker is hands-down one of the most popular card games in the world, and it has been that way since what feels like the dawn of time. While it first appeared in 19th-century New Orleans, poker spread like wildfire as it stretched to countries like France, and Ireland, among many others. Its inclusion in online casinos only boosted the game further to become a global sensation.

One of the very first things any budding poker player should know is poker hand rankings. Knowing what beats what in poker is key to building a solid poker strategy. With this article, we will take a deep dive into the most valuable poker hand in the game — the royal flush.

WHAT IS A ROYAL FLUSH IN POKER?

To put it simply, a royal flush is the best possible hand you can earn. This poker hand ranks the highest and sits comfortably at the top of the list of poker hands because it is practically unbeatable. Why? Well, it is built out of the highest-ranking card combination in the game, arranged in any order including an ace, king, queen, jack and 10. Essentially, the royal flush is built out of an ace-high straight flush while holding cards all of the same suit.

That said, the royal flush is also the hardest poker hand you can earn as it is super rare. The chances of you being dealt the most valuable cards in the deck AND having them belong to one suit is very slim, so slim that if a player is lucky enough to form this hand, they will win the highest payout a player can earn.

HIGHEST ROYAL FLUSH COMBINATIONS IN POKER

The thing about a royal flush is that there is only ONE way it can be formed. Unlike hands like the straight flush or four-of-a-kind with more ambiguous combinations, the royal flush is built out of a specific hand combination. On top of that, typical poker games do not rank hands according to their suit. So, with that said, here are the possible royal flush combinations that can be formed from a 52-card deck: 

• A-K-Q-J-10 of hearts.
• A-K-Q-J-10 of spades.
• A-K-Q-J-10 of diamonds.
• A-K-Q-J-10 of clubs.

Each of these hands is ranked equally unless you are playing a game featuring Wilds, which can substitute for any other card. In that case, the royal flush with the highest-ranking Wild card wins.

HOW TO GET A ROYAL FLUSH (ACE HIGH STRAIGHT FLUSH) IN POKER?

As we’ve mentioned, earning a royal flush is no easy feat, but utilising a strategy might be able to boost your odds. Of course, a strategy doesn’t always guarantee a successful outcome, but it might help turn the tides in your favour. Here are a few tips:

• Understand your hand — According to the rules of a typical game, you would be dealt a hand as you go through different betting rounds (the preflop, flop, etc.), so you would obviously build your hand over time. It is important that you recognise which cards a royal flush is comprised of.

• Select a table that can offer more favourable outcomes — The hardest games to form a royal flush in are those where you are dealt only five cards. Tables like five-card draw or stud poker offer fewer chances than other games like Texas hold ’em, where bad cards can be discarded for new ones.

• Know when to keep and discard cards — This is super important. Not knowing when to keep or discard cards might be the thing that squashes your chances of forming a royal flush at all, as you might end up getting rid of a potentially-useful card. For example, if you’re dealt an ace and a jack of clubs, keep them. Similarly, if you’re dealt an ace, king and nine, you may want to discard the nine to make room for better-valued cards.

• Know when to surrender — The hand you’re dealt has an impact on whether you should try to play for the royal flush or settle for a lesser-valued hand. You may not be able to form a royal flush, but you might be lucky enough to form a straight flush, or any other high-ranking hand. That said, if you’re dealt a pair or a two pair, you may want to try for stronger combinations.

HOW DOES A ROYAL FLUSH HAND RANK IN COMPARISON TO OTHER POKER HANDS – STRAIGHT FLUSHES, FULL HOUSES, ETC?

As we’ve said, as it is similar to an ace-high straight flush, the royal flush is the best possible hand won. According to the rules in Texas hold ’em and Omaha tables, it is impossible for two players to form a royal flush at the same time, so it can never chop the pot. 

The odds of forming royal flushes do not come close to those of straight flushes, full houses or four-of-a-kinds, for example, which is why this hand ranks as the most valuable combination. If we had to rank each hand combination in order from strongest to weakest, it would be: royal flush, straight flush, four-of-a-kind, full house, flush, straight, three-of-a-kind, two pair, one pair and finally, the high card.

ROYAL FLUSH POKER PROBABILITY

Now that you have an idea of how to form a royal flush, let’s take a look at the probability of forming this combination depending on the poker table you play: