For players learning how to play online poker, the different card rankings and rules are the most important aspects. While it can be confusing and time-consuming, beginners need to know the best poker hands from the worst and what hand beats another during the game.

One of the most common questions from people learning to play poker games online is “Does a full house beat a flush?” If it's the short answer you're after, then yes, a flush outranks a full house. However, it pays to have more knowledge about the two when learning which hand beats the other and how the rankings are formed to add more nuance to your poker game.

Here's a closer look at a full house and a flush and what you need to know about how they are ranked.

How Are Hands Ranked in Poker?

One of the most critical things to keep in mind when learning about poker rankings is that they are based on the number of possible combinations to form the hand. Therefore, the lower the number of combinations a hand has, the higher it is ranked. The top starting hands will also have the lowest possible number of combinations.

What Is a Flush in Poker?

A flush is easy to recognize in poker. It's simply a combination of five same-suit cards, with at least one of them being non-sequential. 

Examples of flush combinations in poker:

• King-high flush: king, jack, 7, 5, 4 of spades.
• Ace-high flush: ace, king, 9, 7, 6 of hearts.

Straight Flush

Of course, there is more than one type of flush in poker. A straight flush also consists of five same-suit, sequential cards. The straight flush is a stronger hand than a flush.

Examples of straight flush combinations:

• 10-high straight flush: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 of hearts.
• Queen-high straight flush: queen, jack, 10, 9, 8 of spades.

Royal Flush