Does a royal flush beat a straight flush?

A royal flush is the top end of the straight-flush category, ace through ten of one suit. Any lower straight flush, like nine high, loses to it. It is the best possible hand in poker and cannot be beaten, only tied across suits.

On a board of T♠ J♠ Q♠ 8♠ 2♦, one player holds 9♠ 7♠ for a queen-high straight flush and the other holds A♠ K♠ for the royal flush. Both players hold a straight flush, and the one with the higher top card wins, exactly as with ordinary straights.

Two straight flushes in one hand is the rarest cooler in poker, so there is nothing to learn about folding here; the point is the ranking rule. Straight flushes are ranked by their top card, and the ace-high version has its own name. Below the straight flush sit four of a kind and then the full house, which is where real money changes hands far more often.

Quick tip: A royal flush is the highest straight flush, so it beats every other straight flush.