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How does a royal flush differ from a straight flush?

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Five playing cards showing a flush in clubs: king, ten, eight, seven, and five of clubs. — poker A poker hand containing five cards of the same suit but not in sequence is called a flush.

In poker, both a royal flush and a straight flush consist of five cards of the same suit in sequential rank. The primary difference lies in their specific composition and ranking:12

Royal Flush: This is the highest-ranking hand in poker. It is a specific type of straight flush consisting of an ace, king, queen, jack, and 10, all of the same suit. Because the cards are fixed, all royal flushes are of equal value.342
Straight Flush: This hand consists of any five cards of the same suit in sequence that are not a royal flush. If multiple players hold a straight flush, the hand with the highest top card wins (for example, a sequence ending in a 10 beats one ending in a 7).12

Essentially, a royal flush is the highest possible version of a straight flush.4