How to Play High Card Flush
How to Play High Card Flush
High Card Flush (HCF) is a modern card game known for its suit-focused gameplay. It debuted at Harrah’s Laughlin in the summer of 2011. Recognizing its potential, Red Card Gaming purchased the game. In 2012, Galaxy Gaming acquired the rights and expanded it globally. By December 2012, at the Cutting Edge Table Games Conference, High Card Flush won the “Best New Table Game” award. Since then, it has become increasingly popular on casino floors and online gaming platforms.
In this guide, we’ll cover how to play High Card Flush, including the rules, wagers, payouts, hand rankings, and strategies.
High Card Flush Objective and Wagers
High Card Flush is played with a single standard 52-card deck. Players compete against the dealer and, depending on the wager, against a pay table.
The objective is simple:
Form the highest possible flush hand from seven cards.
Unlike traditional poker, High Card Flush ranks hands based on the number of cards in the same suit, not traditional poker hand rankings.
Bet Types and Payouts
There are two main wagers and two optional side bets in High Card Flush.
Main Bets
- Ante
- Raise
These wagers compare your hand directly to the dealer’s hand and pay even money when you win.
Optional Side Bets
- Flush Bonus
- Straight Flush Bonus
Side bets are based on pay tables and are independent of the Ante and Raise wagers. You can lose the main hand and still win a bonus payout.
High Card Flush Rules
Below are the core rules of the game:
- Up to 6 players can participate.
- Each player must place an Ante wager before cards are dealt.
- The dealer and each player receive seven cards face down.
- After reviewing their hand, players may either fold or raise.
- The standard Raise bet equals the Ante.
- If a player has 5 or more suited cards, they may raise 2x to 3x their Ante.
- The dealer must qualify with at least a nine-high three-card flush.
- If the dealer does not qualify, Ante and Raise bets are paid even money.
- Side bets are paid according to the pay table regardless of the main hand result.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Play High Card Flush
- Place your Ante bet and optional side bets.
- Review your seven cards.
- Decide to fold or raise:
- Raise 1x your Ante with 2–4 suited cards.
- Raise 2x with 5 suited cards.
- Raise 3x with 6 or 7 suited cards.
- The dealer reveals their cards.
- Compare hands.
- If your flush outranks the dealer’s, you win even money on Ante and Raise.
Tie-Breaking Rules
If both you and the dealer have the same number of suited cards:
- Compare the highest card.
- If tied, compare the second-highest.
- Continue until a winner is determined.
Example:
Player: A-10-8-2 (4-card flush)
Dealer: A-10-7-5 (4-card flush)
The player wins because the third card (8) beats the dealer’s third card (7).
High Card Flush Hand Rankings
Hands are ranked strictly by the number of suited cards:
- 7-Card Flush
- 6-Card Flush
- 5-Card Flush
- 4-Card Flush
- 3-Card Flush
- 2-Card Flush
More suited cards always beat fewer suited cards.
High Card Flush Strategy
There are two primary strategic approaches.
Mousseau Strategy
- Raise with any four-card flush or better.
- Raise with certain strong three-card flushes (T-8-6 or higher).
- Make the maximum allowed Raise whenever possible.
Estimated house edge: 2.71%.
Optimal Strategy
- Raise 2x with J-9-6 or higher.
- Fold 9-7-4 or lower.
- Hands between 9-7-5 and J-9-5 depend on risk tolerance.
Estimated house edge with optimal play: 2.64%.
Flush Bonus
The Flush Bonus pays based on the number of suited cards in your hand.
House edge: approximately 7.8%.
Flush Bonus Pay Table
| Flush Hand | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7 Card | 300:1 |
| 6 Card | 100:1 |
| 5 Card | 10:1 |
| 4 Card | 1:1 |
Straight Flush Bonus
The Straight Flush Bonus pays when your suited cards also form a straight flush.
House edge: approximately 13.11%.
Straight Flush Bonus Pay Table
| Straight Flush | Payout |
|---|---|
| 7 Card | 8000:1 |
| 6 Card | 1000:1 |
| 5 Card | 100:1 |
| 4 Card | 60:1 |
| 3 Card | 7:1 |
Final Thoughts
When High Card Flush launched in 2012, Galaxy Gaming’s sales manager Dean Barnett famously said, “If you can count and tell the difference between a spade and a club, you can play.”
High Card Flush is straightforward and fast-paced. By understanding the raise structure and applying optimal strategy, you can reduce the house edge and improve your overall experience.