Poker Hand Crossword Clue Answers

If a crossword clue points to a poker hand, the answer almost always comes down to letter count — the most common fills are FLUSH, PAIR, ROYAL, NUTS, and STRAIGHT. Poker gives crossword setters a rich vocabulary of short, vowel-friendly words, so the trick is matching the length of the answer to the clue. Count your squares, then pick the term that fits.

Quick lookup: poker-hand answers by length

Match the letter count in your clue to the likely answer:

Letters	Likely answer	Typical clue
3	ACE / NUT	”Top card” / “Best-possible-hand prefix”
4	PAIR / NUTS / TREY	”Two of a kind” / “The best hand, in slang” / “Card that’s a 3”
5	FLUSH / ROYAL	”Same-suit poker hand” / ”___ flush (top hand)“
5	TRIPS	”Three of a kind, informally”
6	STREET	”Straight, in slang”
8	STRAIGHT	”Five cards in sequence”
13	STRAIGHTFLUSH	”Second-best poker hand (no space)”

These cover the large majority of poker-hand clues you’ll meet in daily puzzles. When two answers fit the length, the crossing letters decide it.

The classic clue: “highest hand in poker”

This is the single most common poker crossword clue, and the answer depends entirely on the squares:

• 5 letters → ROYAL. Short for royal flush, the top-ranked hand. This is the usual fill.
• 13 letters → STRAIGHTFLUSH. Occasionally the setter wants the second-highest hand written as one word.
• 4 letters → NUTS. If the clue reads “best possible hand, in slang,” the answer is the poker term for the unbeatable holding.

The genuine highest hand is the royal flush, so ROYAL is the safe first guess when you see five squares. Read the real ranking in what is the highest hand in poker.

”Flush” and other suit clues

Flush clues are common because FLUSH is a clean five-letter word. Watch the wording:

• “Same-suit poker hand (5)” → FLUSH.
• ”___ flush, the best flush (3)” → NUT.
• “All one suit, in poker (6)” → SUITED.

If the clue is “poker term, all one suit” and wants a longer word, SUITED is the usual answer. The hand itself — five cards of one suit — is explained in royal flush explained, which also covers the top flush of all.

Handy short poker words setters love

Because crosswords prize short, common letters, a handful of poker words appear constantly:

• ACE (3) — the top card, or a verb for a perfect score.
• PAIR (4) — two matching cards.
• TREY (4) — a three; a favorite for the “card” clue.
• NUTS (4) — the best possible hand.
• RAISE / CHECK / CALL (5) — betting actions, not hands, but common in poker-themed grids.

Keep these in mind and most poker clues fall quickly.

Reading the clue’s tone

Setters signal which kind of answer they want through wording, and learning the tells saves guesswork:

• “Formally” or a plain definition → the textbook word: FLUSH, STRAIGHT, PAIR.
• “Informally,” “in slang,” or “casually” → a nickname: BOAT (full house), TRIPS (three of a kind), QUADS (four of a kind).
• A wordplay or ”?” clue → a pun on a poker term used outside poker, e.g. “flush” as in wealthy, or “ace” as in expert.

That last category is where poker words earn their keep. FLUSH doubles as “wealthy,” ACE as “expert,” and PAIR as “couple.” When a poker clue has a question mark, expect the answer to lean on that second, non-poker meaning.

A few longer answers to keep handy

Not every poker answer is short. When the grid gives you room, these appear:

Letters	Answer	Clue style
9	FULLHOUSE	”Three plus two, in poker (no space)“
11	FOUROFAKIND	”Quads, spelled out (no spaces)“
12	THREEOFAKIND	”Trips, formally (no spaces)”

Puzzle grids drop the spaces, so count carefully — FULLHOUSE is nine letters as one string. When a long entry crosses several answers, fill the crossings first and let them reveal the word.

Quick summary

• Let the letter count decide — the clue’s number in parentheses is the key.
• “Highest hand (5)” → ROYAL; 13 letters → STRAIGHTFLUSH; 4 → NUTS.
• Flush clues → FLUSH (5), or NUT / SUITED depending on length.
• Slang clues → nicknames like TRIPS, BOAT, TREY.

Bottom line

Poker crossword clues are really length puzzles: match the squares to the term and the crossings confirm it. Keep FLUSH, PAIR, ROYAL, and NUTS at the front of your mind, and reach for the nickname list when a clue says “slang.” Brush up on the real hands in what is the highest hand in poker and royal flush explained, grab more terms from poker hand nicknames, and see the whole game at the hand rankings hub or the Texas Hold’em tables.