Does a flush beat a pair?

Yes. A flush beats a pair in poker — every time. In the ranking of 10 hand categories, flush is #5 and one pair is #9. Categories are compared first: even a seven-high flush beats a pair of aces — the category always decides first.

#5
Flush — wins

Five cards of one suit, any order.

A♣J♣8♣6♣2♣
#9
One Pair — loses

Two cards of the same rank.

10♠10♥A♦6♣3♠

How rare is each hand?

Rarity is exactly why the order is what it is. Out of 2,598,960 possible five-card hands, a flush shows up in 0.197% of them (5,108 combinations), while a pair appears in 42.3% (1,098,240 combinations). The harder a hand is to make, the higher it ranks.

Does a pair ever beat a flush?

No — never. The category comparison is absolute: the highest possible one pair still loses to the lowest possible flush. Ranks inside a category only matter when both players hold the same category.

Prove it to yourself

Which hand wins? Tap it.

More matchups