A royal flush is the highest-ranking hand in poker : 10, J, Q, K, A all in the same suit. It is also the rarest standard poker hand and cannot be beaten by any other hand.

Quick Scoop

  • Cards needed: 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.
  • Suit rule: All five cards must match, such as all hearts or all spades.
  • Example: 10♥ J♥ Q♥ K♥ A♥.
  • Strength: It is the best possible hand in standard poker.

In plain English

If you make a royal flush, you’ve basically hit the poker jackpot. In many games, it is just a special kind of straight flush, but with the top five cards in sequence.

Example hands

  • A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠.
  • A♦ K♦ Q♦ J♦ 10♦.
  • A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣.
  • A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥.

Short version

Royal flush = 10-to-A straight, all one suit, and the strongest hand in poker.