A Straight Flush is one of the rarest and most powerful hands in poker, consisting of five cards in sequential rank, all of the same suit. For example, 7-8-9-10-Jack, all of hearts. This hand combines the strength of a “straight” (consecutive ranks) and a “flush” (all cards of the same suit), making it an extremely difficult hand to beat.
Example
Imagine you are playing Texas Hold’em. Your hole cards are 9♠ 10♠. The community cards (the board) come out as follows:
- Flop: 7♠ J♠ 8♠
- Turn: K♦
- River: 2♣
In this scenario, you would form a Straight Flush by combining your 9♠ 10♠ with the 7♠ J♠ 8♠ from the board, giving you 7♠ 8♠ 9♠ 10♠ J♠. This is a powerful hand, as it’s five consecutive cards all of spades.
Strategy Tip
When you have a Straight Flush, you almost certainly hold the best hand at the table. Your primary goal should be to maximize the value you get from your opponents. Consider slow-playing on earlier streets (flop or turn) if you believe opponents have strong, but lesser, hands that will continue betting. However, be aggressive on the river to extract the maximum amount of chips, as it’s unlikely anyone can beat you. Always be mindful of a possible Royal Flush if your Straight Flush doesn’t include the Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten of the suit, though this is an incredibly rare occurrence.
FAQ
- Q: What beats a Straight Flush?
- A: Only one hand can beat a Straight Flush: a Royal Flush. A Royal Flush is the highest possible Straight Flush, consisting of Ten-Jack-Queen-King-Ace, all of the same suit.
- Q: Can two players have a Straight Flush in the same hand?
- A: In community card games like Texas Hold’em, it is extremely rare but theoretically possible. If the Straight Flush is entirely on the community board (e.g., 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ 9♠), then all players remaining in the hand would share it, resulting in a chop. It is virtually impossible for two different players to hold unique Straight Flushes using their hole cards in the same hand due to the limited number of cards in a deck.
- Q: How does a Straight Flush compare to a Four of a Kind?
- A: A Straight Flush is a significantly stronger hand than a Four of a Kind. In standard poker hand rankings, a Straight Flush ranks above Four of a Kind. For example, 7-8-9-10-J of hearts would beat four Aces.