Two Tips for the Flush

A flush is a five-card poker hand of the same suit. If you know your ten poker hand rankings, it is right smack in the middle of it and only four other hands can beat it. These four include the full house, a four-of-a-kind, a straight flush, and the (ultimate!) royal flush. But here's a little tidbit about the suited five-cards: Don't presume to get it from only the initial two cards in Texas hold'em poker like you normally would assume for a full house or a straight. So, what tips are there concerning the flush?

The first tip is that the only way you can get it is if you get suited pocket (or hole) cards. That's your first two cards having the same suit. If you get unsuited cards at the pre-flop, it's highly unlikely that four same-suited cards matching either of your hole cards will turn up.

The second tip involves playing suited pocket cards for the flush. That is, wait for the flop. To work out this hand, the flop should turn up at least two cards matching your suited hole cards.

Look out for two things at the flop: One, if the first three community cards don't show at least two of the cards you need, then fold immediately; Two, if at least two cards do come up, it's reasonable to wait for that one card you need at the draw.

Also, if your hole cards are potentially good for a straight like a suited five and three, remember this: if the flop produces two cards (of dissimilar suits) to make the straight, it's logical to see the turn or the river for that missing link. If a four and a six come up at the flop, you only need a two or a seven at the draw for the straight.

There are two Texas hold'em poker tips for the flush. Tip number one, you can only play for a flush when you get suited hole or pocket cards. After that, the flop is when you can start working on how your suited hole cards can build up. Tip number two, a flush will depend on whether or not you get at least two other cards with your suit to come up at the flop. If they do come up, then the flush hand dream lives on (until the turn and the river, of course). But if they don't show, then push that flush dream aside.