If you've ever typed the query "does flush beat straight" into a search box, you're not alone. This is one of the most common questions new poker players — and players switching between variants like standard 5-card poker and Teen Patti — ask. The short, direct answer depends on the game. In standard 5‑card poker, a flush ranks higher than a straight. In many 3‑card games such as Teen Patti, the opposite is true: a sequence (straight) outranks a color (flush). Below I walk through why that is, the math behind it, practical examples, and how the difference changes decision-making at the table.
Quick answers by game
- 5‑card poker (Texas Hold'em, 5‑card draw): Yes — a flush beats a straight.
- 3‑card poker variants like Teen Patti: No — a straight (sequence) usually beats a flush (color).
- Always check variant rules and house rules before you play; some casual games introduce custom rankings.
Why the ranking differs between 5‑card and 3‑card games
Hand strength in poker is based on rarity: the less likely a hand, the higher it ranks. In 5‑card poker, making a flush (five cards of the same suit) is statistically less common than making a straight (five sequential ranks of any suits), so the flush is ranked above the straight. In 3‑card games, the pool of possible hands is different: a 3‑card sequence is rarer than a 3‑card flush, so the sequence is ranked higher. In short, ranking follows combinatorics — how many distinct ways you can form a hand given the deck and the hand-size.
Combinatorics: the numbers that decide rankings
Here are the rough probabilities that explain the ranking order. I'll summarize the two most relevant contexts.
Five-card poker (standard 52-card deck)
- Total distinct 5-card hands: 2,598,960.
- Straight (excluding straight flushes): 10,200 possible hands → probability ≈ 0.00394 (about 0.394%).
- Flush (excluding straight flushes): 5,108 possible hands → probability ≈ 0.00198 (about 0.198%).
Because flushes are approximately half as likely as straights in 5‑card poker, flushes are ranked higher.
Three-card games (Teen Patti / 3-card poker)
- Total distinct 3-card hands: 22,100 (C(52,3)).
- Sequence (straight): 4,800 combinations → probability ≈ 0.21765 (about 21.77%).
- Color (flush): 4,952 combinations → probability ≈ 0.22484 (about 22.48%).
Here a color (flush) is slightly more common than a sequence (straight), so the sequence is ranked higher.
Practical examples — showing the difference
Concrete examples help. Imagine these hands in a 5‑card game vs a 3‑card game:
Example A — Five-card hand
Your hand: 2♣ 5♣ 8♣ J♣ K♣ (a five-card flush in clubs)
Opponent: 6♠ 7♦ 8♥ 9♣ 10♠ (a five-card straight 6–10)
Result: Your flush beats the straight.
Example B — Three-card hand (Teen Patti style)
Your hand: K♣ 7♣ 2♣ (a color — three clubs, not in sequence)
Opponent: 4♥ 5♦ 6♠ (a sequence — 4–5–6)
Result: Opponent's sequence beats your color (most Teen Patti rule sets place sequence above color).
Edge cases, tie-breakers, and suit rules
Understanding what happens when hands of the same category meet is critical:
- In both 5‑card and 3‑card standard ranking, suits do not have intrinsic rank. If two players hold flushes in standard 5‑card poker, the player with the highest top cards (compared lexicographically) wins. Example: A♣ J♣ 9♣ 6♣ 2♣ beats K♠ Q♠ 10♠ 7♠ 3♠ because ace high > king high.
- In many casual games players sometimes use suit ranking to break ties (clubs < diamonds < hearts < spades), but that is not standard in serious poker and is typically avoided because it complicates fairness across decks.
- In Teen Patti, when both players have sequences of the same ranks, suits are sometimes used as the final tie-breaker. House rules vary: some use suit order, others declare a split pot or use wildcards differently.
- Straight flush and royal flush: a straight flush (including the royal flush) outranks both straights and flushes in any variant that recognizes straight flushes.
Why this matters for strategy
Knowing whether a flush beats a straight changes fundamental decisions:
- Drawing strategy: In 5‑card draw or in hold’em, you’ll chase a flush more aggressively when it is the stronger hand relative to a straight. Pot odds and implied odds matter: are you getting the right price to chase the suit?
- Hand selection: In Teen Patti, holding two suited cards without sequence potential is a weaker prospect than holding two consecutive cards that could complete a sequence.
- Bluffing and representation: When a game values flushes more, players may represent flushes (betting patterns, board texture). Conversely, in 3‑card games, representing a sequence is a stronger line.
Personal table anecdote
I remember an evening where I sat down at a mixed-variant table after a home-game rotation. Someone asked, quite earnestly, "does flush beat straight?" I answered that in the variant being played (5‑card draw) a flush indeed beats a straight. Later that night we moved to a Teen Patti round and the same player, holding three clubs, lost to a neighbor’s 3‑card sequence and learned the hard way how rules shift between formats. That quick switch from confidence to confusion is exactly why it’s so important to confirm rules before betting real money.
Common misconceptions
- “Flush always beats straight.” Not always — only in games where hand rankings follow the 5‑card convention.
- “Suits decide winners in modern poker.” Typically not — suits are a last-resort tiebreaker in some home games, but in professional and standard rules suits don’t rank hands.
- “Teen Patti is the same as standard poker.” It shares ancestry but has distinct hand ranks and strategic implications because of three‑card combinatorics.
How to check the rules before you play
Before you ante up:
- Read the house rules. Casinos, online rooms, and home games may have slight variations.
- Ask the dealer or floor manager if in doubt. It’s much cheaper to ask once than to lose a big pot over a misunderstanding.
- When trying a new site or app, read their help pages or rules section. For Teen Patti players or those switching formats, a site dedicated to the variant can help — for example, visit keywords for clarification and rules tailored to that game.
Advanced note: how deck size and wildcards change the math
Two factors that can flip relative rarities are wildcards and modified decks:
- Wildcards (jokers, designated cards) increase the frequency of rare hands like four-of-a-kind or full houses, and they can distort relative rarities between flushes and straights.
- Reduced decks (used in some tournaments or novelty games) change combinatorics. Always recompute or ask for hand rankings in nonstandard decks.
Frequently asked follow-ups
Q: What about a straight flush?
A: A straight flush (five sequential cards all of the same suit) outranks both a straight and a flush in any standard ranking system. The royal flush is simply the highest possible straight flush.
Q: Does suit matter in tie situations?
A: Most formal rules do not assign suit strength. If two players have identical hand ranks in community-card games, kicker rules or board comparisons decide. Some casual games use suit order as a final tiebreaker — ask first.
Q: Are these rules the same online?
A: Most online poker rooms follow standard poker hand rankings for the variant they host. Teen Patti sites follow the Teen Patti ranking system. If you play on a specific platform, read its rules — for Teen Patti information you can consult keywords among other resources.
Summary: simple rules to remember
- In standard 5‑card poker: flush beats straight.
- In Teen Patti and many 3‑card variants: straight (sequence) beats flush (color).
- Always confirm the variant and house rules before betting; suit-based tie-breakers and wildcards can change outcomes.
Understanding the logic behind rankings — rarity and combinatorics — not only answers the question "does flush beat straight" but also sharpens your strategic thinking across poker formats. Whether you prefer the deep strategy of hold’em or the fast action of Teen Patti, clarity on hand rankings is fundamental. Good luck at the tables, and remember: check the rules before you bet.
