Royal flush

Also: royal

A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit: the best possible hand in poker, and a straight flush at the same time. The odds of being dealt one by the river in hold'em are about 1 in 31,000.

Example. Two royal flushes in one session is a once-in-a-lifetime story.

Related terms

Full glossary

Quads

Four of a kind. It is beaten only by a straight flush, and many cardrooms pay a bad-beat jackpot when quads or…

Broadway

The ace-high straight, A-K-Q-J-10, and by extension any of the five cards from ten to ace ('broadway cards'). …

Nuts

The best possible hand given the cards on the board. If the board shows three hearts including the king, an ac…

Backdoor draw

A draw that needs both the turn and the river to complete — for example three cards to a flush on the flop. Ba…

Combo draw

A hand with two draws at once, most commonly a flush draw plus a straight draw. Combo draws often have more eq…

Domination

When two hands share a card and one has the better kicker, the weaker hand is dominated: it wins only about 25…

Draw

A hand that is not yet made but can become strong if the right card comes: four cards to a flush (a flush draw…

Full house

Three of a kind plus a pair, ranked by the three of a kind first. Nicknamed a 'boat'. It beats a flush and los…