Flush vs Three of a Kind: Which Wins?
Does a flush beat three of a kind? Yes, every time. The flush is #5 and trips are #7, so even three aces lose to the smallest flush.
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Does a flush beat three of a kind? Yes — every time, and it is never close. The flush ranks #5 on poker’s ten-hand ladder and three of a kind ranks #7, with a straight at #6 sitting between them. The strength of the trips is beside the point: three aces still lose to the weakest flush. This is one of the most common coolers in Texas Hold’em, so it is worth understanding exactly why the answer never changes.
To keep the two hands straight: a flush is five cards of the same suit, out of sequence, such as A♣ J♣ 8♣ 5♣ 2♣. Three of a kind — also called trips or a set — is three cards of one rank plus two unrelated cards, such as 9♦ 9♠ 9♣ K♥ 4♣. The flush stands two full ranks higher.
Where each hand ranks
| Rank | Hand | Example |
|---|---|---|
| #4 | Full house | K K K 7 7 |
| #5 | Flush | A♣ J♣ 8♣ 5♣ 2♣ |
| #6 | Straight | 9 8 7 6 5 |
| #7 | Three of a kind | 9 9 9 K 4 |
The straight sitting between them tells the whole story: a flush beats both a straight and three of a kind, while three of a kind loses to both. For how trips fare one step up, see three of a kind vs straight.
The rarity that fixes the order
Poker ranks hands by how hard they are to make, and the combinations settle it:
| Hand | Ways to make it | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Flush (non-straight) | 5,108 | #5 |
| Straight (non-flush) | 10,200 | #6 |
| Three of a kind | 54,912 | #7 |
Three of a kind can be made 54,912 ways — more than ten times as many as the 5,108 flushes. Fewer combinations means a higher place on the ladder, so the flush outranks trips. The math is the rule, not a coincidence layered on top of it.
A cooler in action
The community board is A♣ 9♦ 7♣ 4♣ 2♥.
- With
9♠ 9♥, you play9♠ 9♥ 9♦ A♣ 7♣— three of a kind, nines, a flopped set. - With
K♣ 5♣, your opponent playsA♣ K♣ 7♣ 4♣ 5♣— an ace-high club flush.
A flopped set is usually a hand you commit with, but three clubs on the board handed your opponent a flush. Flush is #5, trips are #7, so the flush wins. This is the textbook version of the spot: a set runs straight into a completed flush on a suited board, and there is no card value that rescues the trips.
Trips or a set — same rank
Players use two names for three of a kind, and neither affects the outcome against a flush. A set is made with a pocket pair, where one of your matching cards hits the board; trips usually means two of the three cards are on the board and one is in your hand. Both are three of a kind, both ranked at #7, and both lose to any flush. The distinction only changes how disguised your hand is, not its place on the ladder. For the flush side of the picture, review the poker flush rules.
Ties, and what still beats a flush
Two flushes are compared card by card from the top, and suits never break the tie — an ace-high flush beats a king-high flush. But a flush is not the top of the chart either. A full house, four of a kind, a straight flush, and a royal flush all beat it; three of a kind, a straight, two pair, one pair, and high card all lose to it. So when you hold a flush, you are ahead of trips every time, and your only real worry is a full house or better, which requires the board to be paired.
That habit of scanning the board is what separates a costly set from a safe one. Three of a kind dominates two pair, one pair, and high card, which is most of what you will face — the danger only appears on a suited or connected board, where a flush or straight can quietly outrank it. On a dry board your set is close to the nuts; on a wet board it is a strong hand that can still finish second to a flush. For the flush against a weaker holding, see flush vs two pair, and for the whole order in one place, the hand rankings hub before your next Texas Hold’em game.