Straight (for example, 9-8-7-6-5)
A straight is a poker hand such as Q♣ J♠ 10♠ 9♥ 8♥, which contains five cards of sequential rank, of varying suits. It ranks above Three of a kind and below a Flush.
Two straights are ranked by comparing the high card of each. Two straights with the same high card are of equal value, and split any winnings (straights are the most commonly tied hands in poker, especially in community card poker games).
Straights are often described by the highest card, as in "queen-high straight" or "straight to the queen".
Examples:
8♠ 7♠ 6♥ 5♥ 4♠ ("eight-high straight") defeats 6♦ 5♠ 4♦ 3♥ 2♣ ("six-high straight")
8♠ 7♠ 6♥ 5♥ 4♠ ties 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♣ 4♥
Aces are a special case here: a hand such as A♣ K♣ Q♦ J♠ 10♠ is an ace-high straight (or "Broadway"), and ranks above a king-high straight such as K♥ Q♠ J♥ 10♥ 9♦. But the ace may also be played as a 1-spot in a hand such as 5♠ 4♦ 3♦ 2♠ A♣, called a Wheel or "bicycle" or five-high straight, which ranks below the six-high straight 6♠ 5♣ 4♣ 3♥ 2♥. The ace may not "wrap around", or play both high and low in the same hand: 3♣ 2♦ A♠ K♠ Q♣ is not a straight, but just ace-high no pair. The wrap-around is, however, one of the unconventional hands used in some home games.
When Wild cards are used, the wild card becomes whichever rank is necessary to complete the straight. If two different ranks would complete a straight, it becomes the higher. For example, in the hand J♦ 10♠ 9♣ (Wild) 7♠, the wild card plays as an 8 (of any suit; it doesn't matter). In the hand (Wild) 6♥ 5♦ 4♥ 3♦, it plays as a 7 (even though a 2 would also make a straight).
The general rule about poker hands having only five cards may come into play here. If playing a seven-card game you end up with K♠ K♣ K♥ Q♠ J♦ 10♦ 9♣, and your opponent has K♦ Q♦ J♥ 10♥ 9♠ 8♠ 7♣, your hands are tied. The best five-card poker hand you can make is a king-high straight, and the best hand he can make is also a king-high straight. The fact that you also have three kings and he also has a seven-card-long straight are both irrelevant. Of course, if his hand were instead A♥ K♦ Q♦ J♥ 10♥ 9♠ 8♠, his ace-high straight would defeat your king-high.
In Mexican stud, because the 8s, 9s, and 10s are removed from the deck, a hand such as 6-7-J-Q-K counts as a straight (to the king).
Flush (for example, K-J-8-7-4 of one suit)
A flush is a poker hand such as Q♣ 10♣ 7♣ 6♣ 4♣, which contains five cards of the same suit, not in rank sequence. It ranks above a Straight and below a Full house.
Usually, two flushes are compared as if they were No pair hands. In other words, the highest ranking card of each is compared to determine the winner; if both have the same high card, then the second-highest ranking card is compared, etc. The suits have no value: two flushes with the same five ranks of cards are tied.
Examples:
A♥ Q♥ 10♥ 5♥ 3♥ ("ace-high flush") defeats K♠ Q♠ J♠ 9♠ 6♠ ("king-high flush")
A♦ K♦ 7♦ 6♦ 2♦ ("flush, ace-king high") defeats A♥ Q♥ 10♥ 5♥ 3♥ ("flush, ace-queen high")
Q♥ 10♥ 9♥ 5♥ 2♥ ("heart flush") ties Q♠ 10♠ 9♠ 5♠ 2♠ ("spade flush")
Tie-breaking of flushes, or "flush-breaking", is a matter of controversy, especially in communal-card games such as Texas hold 'em. Some tables compare only the highest cards of the flush (if these are the same, the pot is split). This is known as top-only, as opposed to top-down, flush-breaking. The disadvantage of top-down flush-breaking is unanticipated kicker-screw. For example, a player with two low hole spades, when three out of four table cards are spades, may bet aggressively knowing he or she has the flush. If a fourth spade comes on the river, this player's hand is degraded from powerful to effectively useless. As the essential idea of poker is to bet on improving (or, at least, no worse than stagnating) hands, this is considered an undesirable situation. Top-only flush-breaking reduces the frequency with which such scenarios occur.
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