Poker is a game that has been played for generations and will continue to be played for many generations more. This brilliant game has taken the gaming world by storm as more and more players try their hand at building the best poker hand possible.
There are many different poker hands one can form, some ranking higher than others. Of course, this also means that higher-ranking hands are harder to hit but also offer better payouts. The highest-ranking hand a player can earn is the royal flush.
With this article, we will take a deep dive into what is probably the most-wanted hand in poker and dissect the odds of being dealt a royal flush.
WHAT IS A ROYAL FLUSH?
The royal flush is a powerful hand in poker, as it consists of a 10-to-ace high straight. With this five-card hand, all the cards must be of the same suit, which is why the probability of earning a royal flush is so low. However, with that said, forming a royal flush hand is much easier in Texas hold’em as opposed to five-card poker games, as players will be allowed to choose the best five cards from a total of seven cards.
To give you an idea of how the royal flush fares against other poker hands, here is the full poker hands rankings list:
- Royal Flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pairs
- Pair
- High card
We have also provided an example of a royal flush, listing the four suits. Do note, the five cards must be the same suit from ace and king, through to queen, jack, and 10. One can easily see why this card combination is one of the most distinct hands in poker.
- Spades
- Hearts
- Clubs
- Diamonds
ODDS OF MAKING A ROYAL FLUSH OUT OF A 52-CARD DECK
Our table notes the chances of what to expect in terms of being dealt a royal flush of the same suit from a 52-card deck are:
The probability of being dealt a royal flush can be calculated by dividing the number of royal flushes by the total number of poker hands. This becomes 4/2,598,960 = 1/649,740 = 0.00015% chance of being dealt this hand.
Note that the number of decks used at a poker table can drastically affect the odds of earning not only a royal flush but any combination of cards. We do advise glancing at the rules before you begin betting to have an idea of what sort of gameplay experience you’re in for.
ODDS OF GETTING A ROYAL FLUSH IN TEXAS HOLD’EM
In a 52-card deck, there are only four possible royal flush combinations. To work out the probability of being dealt this hand, we need to ascertain the total number of possible poker hands and the total number of ways a royal flush can be dealt. We can then assume how a royal flush can be made. To work out the chance of being dealt a royal flush, divide the number of royal flushes by the number of poker hands. The probability stands at 1/649,970 or 0.000154% of pulling off this poker hand, which is rare.
ODDS OF HITTING A ROYAL FLUSH ON THE FLOP
As you go through a typical round of poker, your hand will alter and evolve with every stage as, of course, you would be discarding and replacing cards as you go. Naturally, the probability of earning a royal flush also changes with each stage.
Let’s look at the different ways of getting a five-card royal flush with the same hand during texas hold’em:
With 19,600 different possible flops, flopping the Royal Flush is quite rare (1 in 19,600), which equals 0.05%.
ODDS OF HITTING A ROYAL FLUSH ON TURN
The chances here are 1/47, which is roughly 2.1%.
For open ended, this rises to 2/47, which is roughly 4.3%.
ODDS OF HITTING A ROYAL FLUSH ON RIVER
To calculate the chance of being dealt a royal flush with five card hands, let’s show the odds of not catching the gunshot first.
Odds of not catching the gunshot Royal Flush on the river =45/46 or roughly 95.7%. Subtract this from 100 and you get a figure of 4.3%.
IMPLIED ODDS OF A ROYAL FLUSH
Royal flushes have excellent implied odds when hitting, and they can force your opponent into a corner.
Royal flushes made with two of our hole cards always carry better implied odds than straight flushes made with one of our hole cards. With one hole card, there will be four royal flush already on the board.
In short, the royal flush has excellent implied odds as other players are usually forced into facing off with worse hands.
ROYAL FLUSH TIPS
Aside from getting familiar with the odds, there are a few other things to keep in mind. Luckily, at EnergyCasino, we’ve got no shortage of helpful tricks.
To improve your chances of being dealt a royal flush, you should take note of the following tips:
- Try poker games with less than a full deck – For a game like Royal Hold’em, many of the regular cards are stripped from the playing deck.
- Go for wild cards – Wild cards can substitute for any card, boosting your chances of forming one royal flush.
- Use a money management strategy – The probability of being dealt a royal flush is pretty low. Manage your funds with a proper strategy to safeguard them.
- Give the demo a try first – The demo mode is an excellent way to try your hand at poker without putting real money on the line.
- Use a playing strategy – The best way to ensure you’re betting efficiently is by using a playing strategy to help you make smarter decisions.
There’s way more where these came from, though. Head to our blog to check out what else we’ve got in store!
ROYAL FLUSH STAGES PROBABILITY IN TEXAS HOLD’EM
- Odds of flopping a royal flush with two suited cards between 10 and Ace – 0.005%
- Odds of catching the gutshot royal flush on the turn – 2.1%
- Odds of catching the open-ended royal flush on the turn – 4.26%
- Odds of catching the gutshot royal flush on the river – 2.17%
- Odds of catching the open-ended royal flush on the river – 4.35%