A flush draw in poker is a hand with four cards of the same suit, needing one more card of that suit to complete a flush, the fifth-highest ranking poker hand.
In Texas Hold’em and Omaha, a flush draw occurs when you hold two suited cards and the board contains two more cards of your suit, or when you hold one suited card and the board shows three of that suit. With 13 cards in each suit and 4 already accounted for, you have 9 remaining cards (outs) that complete your flush. These 9 outs translate to approximately a 35% chance of making your flush by the river when you’re on the flop, making flush draws one of the most powerful drawing hands in poker.
The strength of a flush draw depends heavily on the rank of your suited cards. Holding the ace of your flush suit (the “nut flush draw”) means you’ll make the best possible flush if you hit, while lower flush draws risk losing to higher flushes. Position, pot odds, and opponent tendencies all factor into whether pursuing a flush draw is profitable.
How Does a Flush Draw Work?
A flush draw requires exactly four cards of the same suit between your hole cards and the community cards. The most common scenario involves holding two suited cards (like A♥K♥) and seeing two more hearts on the flop (such as Q♥7♥2♠). This gives you four hearts total, with nine hearts remaining in the deck as your outs.
Example 1: Nut flush draw on the flop
You hold A♠K♠ in the cutoff. After a raise and call preflop, the flop comes Q♠7♠3♦. You have the nut flush draw with any spade giving you the best possible flush. With two cards to come, you have roughly a 35% chance of completing your flush by the river.
Example 2: Non-nut flush draw in position
You hold 8♣7♣ on the button. The flop comes K♣5♣2♦. You have a flush draw, but it’s not the nut flush draw since any opponent with A♣ or Q♣J♣ would make a better flush. Still, your 9 outs give you significant equity in the hand.
Types of Flush Draws
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nut Flush Draw | You hold the ace of the flush suit | A♥Q♦ on K♥J♥4♦ |
| Second Nut | You hold the king (no ace on board) | K♠J♠ on Q♠9♠2♦ |
| Backdoor Flush Draw | You have 3 cards of suit, need runner-runner | A♦K♣ on Q♦7♦2♠ |
| Combo Draw | Flush draw plus straight draw | 9♥8♥ on 7♥6♥2♣ |
Flush Draw vs Other Draws
Flush draws are stronger than most other draws in poker. With 9 outs, a flush draw has more outs than an open-ended straight draw (8 outs) or a gutshot straight draw (4 outs). However, a flush draw has fewer outs than powerful combo draws that combine flush and straight possibilities (12-15 outs).
Unlike straight draws where all completions have the same value, flush draws have a clear hierarchy. The ace-high flush beats all other flushes, making nut flush draws significantly more valuable than non-nut flush draws.
Key Facts
- Outs: 9 cards complete your flush
- Flop to river: ~35% chance to hit (34.97% exactly)
- Turn to river: ~19.6% chance to hit (19.57% exactly)
- Ranking: Flushes rank by highest card (A-high beats K-high)
- Suits: All suits are equal in value (no suit ranking in hold’em)
Hear It at the Table
Key Takeaway
A flush draw gives you 9 outs to make a flush, translating to roughly a 35% chance by the river when on the flop. While powerful, not all flush draws are created equal, holding the ace of your suit ensures you’ll make the nuts if you hit, while lower flush draws must consider the possibility of running into a bigger flush.
Pro Tip: When you have a flush draw in position, you can often take a free card on the turn if your opponent checks. This gives you a “free” 20% chance to hit your flush on the river without investing more chips.
