Pokeriad / Learn / Full house vs flush
Updated November 2026
Yes. A full house beats a flush. A full house is three cards of one rank and two of another, and a flush is five cards of one suit.
In Texas Hold'em, this one catches people out, because a flush can feel like the end of the story.
Because it's rarer. Five cards can make a full house 3,744 ways and a flush 5,108 ways. By the river in Hold'em the two are closer, 2.6% against 3.0%, and the order stays the same.
Look for a pair on the board. Without one, nobody can have a full house. That means a flush on an unpaired board is safe from full houses, and a flush on a paired board isn't.
About one flop in six has a pair on it, and more boards pair up on the turn and river.
You have the ace-high flush draw.
The flush comes, and it's the best possible hand on this board.
A nine pairs the board. Now a full house is possible, and a big bet from him should worry you.
Nines full of fours beat your flush. Your ace-high flush was the best hand until the river paired the board.
The three of a kind decides first, and the pair only counts if those match. So kings full of eights beat queens full of aces.
Compare the highest card, then the next, all the way down. Suits don't break ties.
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Yes. A full house beats a flush, and a flush beats a straight.
Yes. A boat is the slang name for it.
In standard poker, no. Short deck is one rare game where the two swap places.
We counted all 2,598,960 five-card hands and all 133,784,560 seven-card deals. The totals match the tables on Wikipedia's poker probability page.
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