{"id":2534062,"date":"2024-07-17T09:33:45","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T09:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/?page_id=2534062"},"modified":"2025-10-22T10:51:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T10:51:36","slug":"does-royal-flush-beat-a-straight-flush","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/does-royal-flush-beat-a-straight-flush\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Royal Flush Beat a Straight Flush?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A royal flush always beats a straight flush in poker, and if you are lucky enough to get into this spot, you will almost always win all the chips in play. On top of that, you might win a massive bad-beat jackpot if a hand is played at a cash game table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making a royal flush is a moment that certainly stands out, but the rare moments that you end up with a royal flush are often disappointing as the board often locks other players from having a big hand to pay you off with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not the case when another player has a straight flush, an inferior hand to your royal flush, but one that everyone will be happy to lose their entire stack with.<\/p>\n\n\n<a data-no-instant=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/tournament-masterclass\" class=\"adv-link\" aria-label=\"tournament masterclass unlock\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tournament-masterclass-unlock.png\" alt=\"tournament masterclass unlock\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tournament-masterclass-unlock.png 1176w, https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tournament-masterclass-unlock-746x143.png 746w, https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tournament-masterclass-unlock-1024x197.png 1024w, https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/tournament-masterclass-unlock-768x148.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1176px) 100vw, 1176px\" width=\"1176\" height=\"226\"   \/><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Does Royal Flush Beat a Straight Flush?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/royal-flush\/\" title=\"What Is a Royal Flush in Poker?\">royal flush<\/a> is the best possible hand in the <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/\" title=\"Poker Hand Rankings &amp; The Best Texas Hold\u2019em Hands\">poker hand charts<\/a>, so by default, it beats all other poker hands. Technically speaking, a royal flush is just the highest possible version of a straight flush, with cards between a T and A of the same suit making it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It goes without saying, then, that a royal flush will beat any other straight flush. Besides, there is no other hand in poker that can beat a royal flush, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason for this, of course, is the fact that royal flush is the hardest hand to make by far, and there are only select starting hands with which you can even make one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even when you do start with two suited Broadways, the chances of catching a royal flush by the river are very low, as you can see in the table below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Chances To<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Royal Flush<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Straight Flush<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Make it on the Flop<\/td><td>0.01%<\/td><td>0.01 \u2013 0.02%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Make it from a Flopped Gutshot<\/td><td>4.3%<\/td><td>4.3%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Make it from a Flopped Open Ender<\/td><td>8.42%<\/td><td>8.42%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Often Will You Make a Royal Flush?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The royal flush is the most unlikely hand to make in <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-poker\/texas-holdem-rules\/\" title=\"How To Play Texas Hold\u2019em \u2013 Poker Rules &amp; Basics\">Texas Hold&#8217;em<\/a>, as it requires you to start with very specific cards and then hit a very specific set of cards on the board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to make a royal flush in a hand, you will need to start with at least one <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-terms\/broadway\/\" title=\"Broadway Definition \u2013 Learn What Broadway Is In Poker\">Broadway<\/a> card in your hand, although it is much easier to get there with two suited Broadways like JsTs or AdKd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even when you do get dealt these cards, you will only make a royal flush on the flop some 0.005% of the time, about 1 in 19,600 times, which means you might have to play hundreds of thousands of hands before you see a flopped straight flush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flopping a gutshot or open-ended royal flush draw, on the other hand, is a lot more common, and about 0.72% of all flops will bring you such a draw if you start with two Broadways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, making a draw does not mean you will turn or river the hand, as only 8.42% open-enders and 4.3% guthosts will end up making you a royal flush by the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet, remember that these draws are very powerful hands, as even making a simple straight or flush will usually give you the best hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making a royal flush draw will allow you to play aggressively, get folds from your opponents, and often end up with the best hand by the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Often Will You Make a Straight Flush?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/straight-flush\/\" title=\"What is a Straight Flush in Poker?\">straight flush<\/a> is quite similar to a royal flush in many regards, with the one big difference being you can make a straight flush with any cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, any starting card combination can end up turning into a straight flush if four appropriate cards hit the board, and any suited and connected hand can turn into a two-card straight flush with the three right cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Making a straight flush on the flop with two suited cards is a bit more likely than a royal flush, as up to 0.02% of all flops will bring you a made straight flush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The exact odds depend on how many possible flops can make your hand, with hands like 8s7s more likely to make it than 7c4c. The smaller the gap between your cards, the higher the chances of flopping a straight flush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you don\u2019t quite make the full straight flush on the flop, you can make quite a few gutshot and open-ended straight flush draws there, which can turn into the made hand by the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The odds for making a straight flush from a draw are the same as those of a royal flush, with 4.3% of gutshot and 8.42% of open-ended straight flush draws getting there by the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Much like a royal flush draw, a straight flush draw allows you to play an aggressive <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-strategy-tips\/\" title=\"Poker Strategy 101 \u2013 How to Win in Poker More Often\">strategy<\/a>, often make your hand, and represent all sorts of strong hands in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq uagb-faq__outer-wrap uagb-block-5d1610d0 uagb-faq-icon-row uagb-faq-layout-accordion uagb-faq-expand-first-false uagb-faq-inactive-other-true uagb-faq__wrap uagb-buttons-layout-wrap uagb-faq-equal-height     \" data-faqtoggle=\"true\" role=\"tablist\"><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-4ecf27ac \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><strong>Why does a royal flush beat a straight flush?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A royal flush is the best possible hand in poker. It beats all other poker hands, including all straight flushes, which are technically different versions of the same hand, made up of lower cards of the same suit.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-c46b8f16 \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><strong>How often will you make a royal flush?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A royal flush is an incredibly rare hand in poker. If you start your hand with two suited Broadway cards, you will only ever flop a royal flush about 0.005% of the time, while flopping a draw to a royal flush about 0.72% of the time, in which case you will have between 4 and 8% chance to hit by the river.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-d51078c0 \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><strong>How often will you make a straight flush?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A straight flush is almost as rare as a royal flush. Depending on your exact starting cards, you will have between 0.005% and 0.02% chance to flop a straight flush. If you catch a straight flush draw, you will have between 4 and 8% chance to make the hand by the river.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-0cbc3866 \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><strong>What does a royal flush beat in poker?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A royal flush beats everything, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/how-to-play-poker\/\" title=\"How to Play Poker: Winning Strategy for Beginners\">poker rules<\/a>. It is the highest hand on the poker hand rankings and one that cannot be beaten. If you have a royal flush, rest assured that any chips you put into the pot will be coming back and probably bringing some friends with them.<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-uagb-faq-child uagb-faq-child__outer-wrap uagb-faq-item uagb-block-d06cf67e \" role=\"tab\" tabindex=\"0\"><div class=\"uagb-faq-questions-button uagb-faq-questions\">\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M432 256c0 17.69-14.33 32.01-32 32.01H256v144c0 17.69-14.33 31.99-32 31.99s-32-14.3-32-31.99v-144H48c-17.67 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.33-31.99 32-31.99H192v-144c0-17.69 14.33-32.01 32-32.01s32 14.32 32 32.01v144h144C417.7 224 432 238.3 432 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"uagb-icon-active uagb-faq-icon-wrap\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox= \"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M400 288h-352c-17.69 0-32-14.32-32-32.01s14.31-31.99 32-31.99h352c17.69 0 32 14.3 32 31.99S417.7 288 400 288z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"uagb-question\"><strong>What does a straight flush beat in poker?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div><div class=\"uagb-faq-content\"><p>A straight flush beats all poker hands except a royal flush. A straight flush is at the very top of the food chain and beats <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/four-of-a-kind\/\" title=\"What Is a Four of a Kind in Poker?\">four of a kind<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/full-house\/\" title=\"What Is a Full House in Poker?\">full house<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/flush\/\" title=\"What Is a Flush in Poker?\">flush<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/poker-hands\/straight\/\" title=\"What is a Straight Flush in Poker?\">straight<\/a>, and all lower ranked poker hands. The only had it loses to is a royal flush, and such scenarios are extremely rare.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A royal flush always beats a straight flush in poker, and if you are lucky enough to get into this spot, you will almost always win all the chips in play. On top of that, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":222,"featured_media":0,"parent":2532176,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"right-sidebar","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2534062","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"author_image":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Tadas Peckaitis","author_link":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/author\/tadas-peckaitisgmail-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A royal flush always beats a straight flush in poker, and if you are lucky enough to get into this spot, you will almost always win all the chips in play. On top of that, [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2534062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2534062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2534062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2536096,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2534062\/revisions\/2536096"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2532176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pokercoaching.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2534062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}