How to Play the Nut Flush Draw: What the Ace of the Suit Adds
How to play the nut flush draw starts from what the ace of the suit adds. A♠5♠ on K♠ 7♠ 2♦ makes the best possible flush whenever a spade comes, so a lower flush loses to it. The ace is also an overcard that can pair, and holding it means no opponent can hold the nut flush draw. Against a made hand, the draw still needs its cards to come.
Check a flush draw yourself
Enter A♠5♠ against Q♠J♠ on K♠ 7♠ 2♦, then add a spade on the turn:
The nut flush draw against made hands
Equity with the turn and river to come, on K♠ 7♠ 2♦:
| Opponent's hand | What it holds | A♠5♠'s equity | Q♠J♠'s equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| K♥Q♣ | top pair | 45.9% | 38.1% |
| 7♥7♣ | set of sevens | 25.6% | — |
Against the same top pair, the nut draw has 7.8 points more than Q♠J♠: its ace can pair into a hand that beats top pair, where a queen or a jack only makes a smaller pair.
Flush draw against flush draw
| Hands | A♠5♠'s equity |
|---|---|
| A♠5♠ against Q♠J♠ | 79% |
| A♠5♠ against T♠9♠ | 77.9% |
| A♠5♠ against Q♠J♠, turn 3♠ | 100% |
Keep going
- A flush draw against the hand it chases: flush draw vs top pair.
- The draw against a set: set vs flush draw.
- When the flop already has three of a suit: the monotone flop.
- What the ace of the suit removes: poker blockers.
- Betting the draw: the semi-bluff.
- One spot every day: the daily poker puzzle.
- How to find the best possible hand on any board: the nuts in poker.
- Five cards of one suit, and which flush wins: the flush in poker.
Sources
- Every equity is computed by exact enumeration with the app's equity module, checked on October 11, 2026.