Anyone know the reason why royal flush rank the highest?

[aa88wildbill]

Your question was, anyone know the reason why royal flush rank the highest? Because it's the hardest hand to get. That is about.0032% two obtain a royal flush, about.0279% two obtain a straight flush. And the suit has nothing to do with the rank.

 

[PurgatoryD]

My family used to play five card stud, and we played it "Canadian." It was the only game where you could play a four-card straight or flush. They beat a single pair (or no pair) but lost to everything else. The four-card flush beat the four-card straight.

Another cool variation! I love it!

 

[vinnie]

Another cool variation! I love it!

We always played this spread-limit (bet/raise any amount between $0.05-$0.50). Yeah, all our games were penny poker. Even as adults, we still play for change. I really want to play it PL. But, I can't get any of my family to play it these days. They're all Hold'em obsessed. Sometimes we can get a couple rounds of 7-card stud in (NL -- don't ask how this works because it doesn't work well, pure degenerate sickness), or draw (also NL).

I've pressed for some PL-5-card-Canadian, but it's not happened yet. I have taught my 6-year old to play 5-card. It was easier for him to learn than Hold'em, and he still likes it.

 

[Tom1559]

Simple answer is that it is based on the odds of you hitting it. Odds of hitting a royal are approximately 1 in 650,000. Odds of hitting a straight flush which is the next hand down are approximately 1 in 72,000.

 

[pokerjack43]

We always played this spread-limit (bet/raise any amount between $0.05-$0.50). Yeah, all our games were penny poker. Even as adults, we still play for change. I really want to play it PL. But, I can't get any of my family to play it these days. They're all Hold'em obsessed. Sometimes we can get a couple rounds of 7-card stud in (NL -- don't ask how this works because it doesn't work well, pure degenerate sickness), or draw (also NL).

I've pressed for some PL-5-card-Canadian, but it's not happened yet. I have taught my 6-year old to play 5-card. It was easier for him to learn than Hold'em, and he still likes it.

For NL stud you can try "Mexican Stud" it removes 1 round of betting so becomes four rounds like holdem and is a bit easier on the bankroll swings.

deal exactly the same as 7 card stud, except deal 2 up before starting to bet. (miss out the first round.) Bring in is still the lowest hand. It plays much better than NL 7 card stud(in my opinion), its not just an all in fest.

 

[S3mper]

Actually I don't agree with that

Example.

Ah Kh Qh, Jh Th is only one combination

but here

Kh Qh Jh, Th, 9h is another "ONLY ONE" combination

___

so the chance/possibility to draw this two are barely the same.

Actually that's incorrect because Kh Qh Jh 10h 9h is just a straight flush and there are more combinations of a straight flush then a royale flush, the reason why royale flush is a royale flush is because its an unbeatable hand but a straight flush is not unbeatable and it can be beaten by a higher straight flush even for the example you given which would be the 2nd best possible nuts heres the example:

the board comes Kh Qh Jh 10h 2s you hold the 9h I hold the Ah I win and this si why royale flush is better then everything else

 

[left52side]

As mentioned several times before the royal is the highest because of the posibility of getting a royal is the hardest combination of cards to get.

 

[Chemist]

Not strictly true.
The probability of a straight flush A,2,3,4,5 is exactly the same as the probability of a royal straight flush A,K,Q,J,10.

 

[PurgatoryD]

Not strictly true.
The probability of a straight flush A,2,3,4,5 is exactly the same as the probability of a royal straight flush A,K,Q,J,10.

LOL! Good point! OK, so how about this instead:

The straight flush is the least common hand, and of all the straight flushes, the royal flush contains the highest ranked high card. (So straight flush ace high beats straight flush five high.)

Does that work?

 

[S3mper]

Not strictly true.
The probability of a straight flush A,2,3,4,5 is exactly the same as the probability of a royal straight flush A,K,Q,J,10.

lol yes A,2,3,4,5 straight flush is same as a royale flush but a straight flush odds aren't the same as a royale flush cause there is more combinations of straight flushes then a royale flush.... I've had a few straight flushes, I have never had a royal flush..

 

[Chemist]

The point was that A12345 isn't just any straight flush.
It is the same limited combination as a royal flush and should therefore really rank second highest. Ahead of all the other easier to catch open ended straight flushes if the criteria really is hardest hands to make, but as we know it doesn't.

 

[S3mper]

The point was that A12345 isn't just any straight flush.
It is the same limited combination as a royal flush and should therefore really rank second highest. Ahead of all the other easier to catch open ended straight flushes if the criteria really is hardest hands to make, but as we know it doesn't.

It doesn't matter if the straight flush is open ended its lower< I know what you are saying but they are all the same exact combination/odds its just as hard to get an 2-3-4-5-6 straight flush then an A-2-3-4-5 straight flush it doesn't matter if it was open ended to get there or not

Yes its just as easy to hit an A as it is to hit a 2 but the way of the game just has it that way, this argument is kind of like why is things this way?? Why don't we count 1 4 2 3 6 7 its just the way it is but other then that the chart is decided on which one is harder to make in a game a pair is easier to get then 2 pair and so on and so on...

That's like saying the wheel A-2-3-4-5 should be higher then a straight 5-6-7-8-9- because it was in the middle and open ended,

 

[PurgatoryD]

Good points... any single straight flush has the same exact odds of coming up as any other single straight flush.

Of all the ranked hands, the straight flush is the most rare. Of the straight flushes, the royal is ranked highest because its high card is the ace.

See, considering the royal flush as a separate ranked hand just causes problems. It's just a straight flush!

 

[Chemist]

See, considering the royal flush as a separate ranked hand just causes problems. It's just a straight flush!

That is very true, it really is irrelevant. As a straight flush beats four of a kind and a royal flush is just the highest straight flush.

But coming back to the other point, in the course of playing there are two ends to catch most straights apart from the top end and bottom end which are constrained and so harder to chase and catch, even though the cards themselves have the same exact combination/odds, chasing 2 possible cards to complete a hand is easier than chasing just one card. Like an open ended draw is better than a gut shot.

 

[DunningKruger]

Whether or not it's spades or clubs doesn't matter because it is only possible to have 1 person to have a royal flush in any Given hand

It's actually because suits have no rank in holdem. Just in case anyone green is reading this topic, let's be clear that if two players go to showdown with AA33J, it is a split pot situation regardless of who is holding which ace or w/e.

 

[PurgatoryD]

even though the cards themselves have the same exact combination/odds, chasing 2 possible cards to complete a hand is easier than chasing just one card.

Absolutely. In that case, technically speaking, you are chasing two different straight flushes, so yes, twice the probability!

 

[Chemist]

:wink: :top:

 

[Enzo1089]

The reason that the royal flush is highest is not a historical thing. It is purely mathematical. Probability-wise, hitting a royal flush is the rarest hand in poker, with odds of 1/649,740. Hitting any straight flush, including royal flushes is a probability of odds 1/64,964.

The math behind this is actually pretty simple. From the beginning, the chance of getting one card needed for a royal flush is 20/52. Once you have that, there are 4/51 cards...then 3/50....then 2/49....then 1/48. By the rules of probability, to get the odds of this, you multiply these together. When not reduced, that fraction is 480/311,875,200. It just so happens that 480 goes evenly into 311,875,200. This reduces to 1/649,740.

The math for a straight flush is honestly even easier. There are 40 combinations of straight flush available.
A 2 3 4 5
2 3 4 5 6
3 4 5 6 7
4 5 6 7 8
5 6 7 8 9
6 7 8 9 10
7 8 9 10 J
8 9 10 J Q
9 10 J Q K
10 J Q K A (Royal)

Those are the 10 straight combinations. Multiplied by the 4 suits gives you 40 possible combinations of a straight flush.

There are 52 cards in a deck of cards. Meaning the total amount of possibilities of card combinations you can have is 52! (factorial). Since we are looking for 5 card combinations...the formula is B! / (A! * (B - A)!) where B is 52 (cards in deck) and A is 5 (number of combination).

You then end up with 52! / (5! * (52 - 5)!) --> 52! / (60 * (47!))
After some typing into my calculator...that gives you 2,598,960.

40 possible straight flushes... 40/2,598,960 = 1/64,974.
Also works with the royal flushes...don't know why I did that the long way.
4 possible royal flushes... 4/2,598,960 = 1/649,740.

Sorry if the math hurts anyone's head, but it had to be done

And this should debunk anyone who thinks that the odds of getting a straight flush are the same as the odds of getting a royal flush. I lol'd at those posts.

 

[DunningKruger]

I think the point about the straight flush having the same odds was for any one particular straight flush. As in, a straight flush to the 9 is no more or less likely than a broadway straight flush.

But yes, the probability of getting either a royal flush or a straight flush is obv greater than the probability of getting exactly a royal flush.
1 / [(52 5)/40] > 1 / [(52 5)/4].

 

[midgetfactory]

The odds of hutting a royal flush are greater than hittiin any other hand, simples

 

[PurgatoryD]

I think the point about the straight flush having the same odds was for any one particular straight flush. As in, a straight flush to the 9 is no more or less likely than a broadway straight flush.

+1

Yes, this was the distinction I was making. And yes, it is a minor distinction, but hey, this is a poker message board, so we're going to split some hairs from time to time. Technically speaking, there are nine other straight flushes, and each one is just as rare as the royal flush.

I think this was the reason for ranking the straight flush that was finally settled on:

The straight flush is the least common hand, and of all the straight flushes, the royal flush contains the highest ranked high card.

 

[Abedin120]

Because it's to difficult to have royal flash on some table. All cards are ranked from the easiest to the hardest that you can make on the poker, so it's easy to make one pair, two pairs or set, but the royal flash is the hardest from those to can make it.

 

[Jblocher1]

while i have 3 3 in hand,what about odds bout coming another 3 at table?

I'm pretty sure it's 1/8. Or about 12.5% chance.

 

[DunningKruger]

The probability of ~not~ flopping a set is 48/50 × 47/49 × 46/48, which is ~0.88245. The odds of seeing at least one 3 on the flop are therefore ~11.755% or approximately 8½ to 1 against. This also accounts for the rare possibly of flopping quads as well as sets, which for all practical purposes is the figure most people are interested in.

 

[MisterLongFace]

The odds of hutting a royal flush are greater than hittiin any other hand, simples

this is incorrect, as has been made clear i think by the discussion here