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If you have been into poker games, then you must be aware of the importance of straight poker hands. A straight poker hand is a valuable card combination in traditional poker hand rankings, with higher chances of winning major hands. It is easy to identify a straight hand as all five cards are in sequential order but not of the same suit.
Straight poker hands are generally weak or strong hands, which can help players win frequent betting hands if played with an informed strategy. In straight poker, the suit has no meaning in determining the winning hand, and the highest-ranking card in straight poker determines the strength of the hand in five-card poker. Let us take a closer look at what we really know about straight poker hands in five different card games.
What is a Straight Poker?
Straight in poker is a hand that consists of five cards in sequential rank, but not of the same suit. It is a valuable card and is found in the middle of the poker hand rankings. It is easy to find a straight hand as all five cards are in sequence.
The strongest straight you can make is often called “Broadway”, Ace-King-Queen-Jack-10.
This hand consists of all the highest-ranking cards in the combination. While the lowest straight hand (five high straight), you can form is A-2-3-4-5 (Ace high straight or ace to five straight). It is often termed a bicycle or wheel.
The characteristics of a straight hand are easily traceable. Let's understand some important points.
All the five cards in a straight hand are in consecutive numerical order.
The cards can be from different suits.
The Ace card can be used to form the highest card combination (Broadway) or the lowest card combination (Bicycle).
What Does a Straight Hand Look Like?
A straight hand consists of five cards in sequential order. The word “Straight” depicts the fact that there are cards in a row. Five consecutively ordered cards form a straight, not of the same suit.
The above card forms ten high straight as it consists of five sequential cards in consecutive order. Below are some examples of straight poker hands
How Does a Straight Hand Rank?
A Straight Poker hand sits in the middle of the poker hand rankings, above three of a kind and below flush. If you have obtained a straight hand, you have a strong chance of winning the bet, as a straight hand can beat three of a kind and every other hand below that in the poker hand rankings.
The straight hand in poker ranks sixth in the poker hand rankings. It is just below the flush hand and above the three-of-a-kind hand. A straight hand can easily beat a three-of-a-kind hand, two pair, one pair, high card. However, a straight hand ranks below Royal flush, full house, four-of-a-kind, straight flush, and flush. These hands dominate straight hands in poker. It is important for the players to know straight poker rules to make a winning bet and maximize profit.
In the above image, all the hands above the straight poker are stronger hands when compared to straight poker hands. While the hands below the straight are weaker.
What beats a straight in poker?
In poker, straight poker hands can be beaten by hands ranking below it in the poker hand rankings chart. A straight poker hand can easily defeat a three of a kind hand and all hands that rank below it because it is ranked higher in the poker hand rankings chart.
However, the hands above straight, such as Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush, dominate it and can beat the straight in poker.
| Poker Hands | Example |
| Royal Flush | A-K-Q-J-10 |
| Straight Flush | 5-6-7-8-9 |
| Four of a Kind | 9-9-9-9-2 |
| Full House | Q-Q-Q-7-7 |
| Flush | 3-6-9-J-K |
But this is not all, as the order of poker cards and their equivalent ranking also matter in poker. The highest straight poker hand wins the game. Suppose you have a hand of Q-J, and your opponent has 6-5. The board is K-9-10-8-7. In this case, you win with K-Q-J-10-9 making a straight hand, while your friend will lose with 10-9-8-7-6-5 straight hand. Hence, the ranking of cards matters when placing a winning bet in poker.
What can a straight hand beat?
Straight poker hands stand at sixth position in the hands ranking list and, hence, are valuable in poker. A straight poker hand ranks above three of a kind, two pair, one pair, and high card hand and can easily beat them in poker games. Let us check some of the hands that straight can beat in poker.
| Poker Hands | Example |
| Three of a Kind (Trips or Set) | 10-10-10-4-7 |
| Two Pair | J-J-5-5-2 |
| One Pair | Q-Q-8-3-7 |
| High Card | A-J-8-4-6 |
Drawing a Straight
Many times, players do not have a straight in their first hand. However, they need one or more cards to complete their straight hands. For example, if you initially have a 9-8 in your hand and the board has K-7-6-5-3, you can easily obtain your straight hand and win bets.
The probability of drawing a straight hand in poker depends on the number of remaining cards in the deck and the number of cards left to be dealt. There are a number of strategies you can use to draw a straight hand in poker. Let's check out some of them below.
1. Know your outs
Outs are the number of remaining cards left in the deck that can be used to obtain a straight hand in poker. Suppose you have 8-9 cards in your hand, and the board has 6-7-K, then you can complete a straight hand using either a 5 or 10. The player will have four outs, which are the remaining 5s or 10s in the deck.
2. Drawing odds
You can calculate your drawing odds, i.e., the chance of hitting a straight in the next card or both in the next card, followed by the river. Use the four and 2 rule to determine the odds for drawing a straight poker hand. Multiply your outs obtained by 4 to get a percentage (approx.) of hitting your hand by the next round, or multiply by 2 to know the percentage (approx.) of hitting your hand by the last hand (river).
3. Implied odds
If you believe that the potential future straight hand will help you win, then it might be justified to complete your straight even if the immediate odds are not in favor. You might consider folding your hand or making small bets until you complete your straight.
4. Assess your opponent's action
It is very important to read your opponent's betting pattern and their potential cards. You must size your bet accordingly. If your opponent is making an aggressive play, then it might be that they already have a strong hand and are drawing for a better hand.
However, if they are making small bets or frequent folds, then it might be that they have weaker holdings and are waiting to make a fighting pair. Whatever it is, you might consider bluffing or other strategies to keep track of your opponent's play.
5. Read your board texture
You need to read the game board properly and evaluate whether there are high-ranking cards on the board that can complete a strong straight hand. You need to be careful, as drawing a straight hand in these situations can be riskier, especially when there are chances of stronger hands like flushes or higher straights.
Strategies for Playing Straights
Playing straight-handed requires strategic thinking while considering the context of the game. Players must implement these strategies to win more poker chips from their straight poker hands. Some important points are mentioned below that players might implement to maximize their bets.
1. Pre-Flop Strategy
You must look for starting hands that can easily form high-ranked straights, such as 9-10, 7-8, etc., and play these hands according to your position. Suppose you have a starting hand of connected cars, such as 8-9.
Consider raising if no one has raised before you or if the raise is not too large.
You can raise if you have good implied odds to win a large pot if you hit your straight.
You can adopt an aggressive approach in a late position when there are several callers you might want to raise to take advantage of your position.
While in an early position, you might want to be more cautious.
Consider calling when you have good pot odds, especially when implied odds are higher. You can raise with connected hands to build a pot and apply pressure, especially from the middle to late position.
2. Post Flop Play
Players must assess the board texture and look for higher outs or straight draws. Check for the potential to draw higher straights based on the community cards. Look for a maximum payout, and why not? After completing your straight bet for value with weaker hands, you can extract more poker chips from your opponents.
Assess the strength of your hand and the board's texture. Look for strong draws and drawing odds.
Protect your hands by betting larger to keep opponents from making higher odds and locking in a winning bet.
You might consider raising or betting (semi-bluffing) to make your opponents fold.
If you are having a strong draw in the post-flop stage, apply pressure to your opponent. Consider semi-bluffing (raising or betting) to put your opponent under pressure and set up a bigger win.
If you miss your draw at the turn stage, you might want to make small bets to control the size of the pot. It is a crucial strategy when there is potential for stronger hands on the board.
Make bets which are likely to be called by weaker hands.
Avoid overbetting, as this might alert the opponents.
Read your opponent's actions and betting patterns. Interpret this information to determine your next action accordingly.
3. Bluffing
Bluffing is an important strategy in poker, especially for straight hands. It might help you to be less predictable among your opponents, as they might have a hard time guessing your next move or strategy. You can build your pot, especially when you have a strong hand. It also sometimes helps you win the pot without revealing your hand when your opponent folds. Make aggressive moves, apply pressure on your opponent, and win the bet.
Straight Poker Probabilities
When you draw five random cards from a standard deck of 52 cards, the probability that you will obtain a straight is 0.395%, which is quite low. There are only 10 distinct ways of making a straight hand.
However, there are 10,200 total possible ways of obtaining a straight draw hand, all from different suit combinations (except royal flush and straight flush).
In Texas Hold'em, the probability of getting a straight poker hand from five community cards on the board is 4.62%. The ace can act as an ace-high hand, ace-high straight (broadway straight), or low-end card ( five high straight). Let us have a look at the probabilities of obtaining a straight hand during various stages of the poker game.
Probability of Straight in Texas Hold’em
| Stages | Probability | Description |
| Pre-Flop | 0.39% | Probability of being dealt a five-card hand from a deck of 52 cards to make a straight hand (except royal flushes and flushes) |
| Flop | 1.30% | Straight from the connected starting hand from J-10 through 5-4 |
| Turn | 16.90% | The probability of hitting one of the 8 outs to make an open-ended straight draw from flop to turn. |
| River | 17.20% | It is the probability of completing an open-ended straight draw from the turn to the river. |
Probability of Straight Poker Hands in Omaha
| Stages | Probability | Description |
| Pre Flop | 0.39% | Five-card hand that forms a straight from a deck of 52 cards. Excluding royal and straight flushes. |
| Flop | 4.90% | Holding four consecutive ranked cards from 4-5-6-7 to 8-9-T-J |
| Turn | 17.78% | Open-ended straight draw with 8 outs. For example- if you hold 4-5 on a flop of 6-7-Q, the turn must be either 3 or 8. |
| 20% | Broadway Straight hands with one card left to give you 9 outs. | |
| 26.67% | 12 out Straight draw. For example- Having a 7-9 on a flop of 8-10-2. The turn must be 6 or J to complete the straight. | |
| 28.89% | 13-card wrap draw. Much more common in Pot Limit Omaha. For example- Holding 5-6-8-9 on a flop of 4-7-K. The turn needs to be a 3,5, 6, or 10 to complete a straight hand. | |
| 37.78% | 17 Card Wrap Draw For example- Holding a 10-9-6-2 on a flop of 8-7-A. The turn must be 5, 6, or J to complete the straight. | |
| 44.44% | 20-card wrap Draw with many chances of getting a straight. For example- holding 10-9-6-5 on a flop of 8-7-2. The turn can be a 4, 6, or J to make a straight. | |
| River | 18.18% | Open-ended straight draw with a chance of completing the turn to the river. For example- Holding 4-5 on a flop of 6-7-Q. The river must be 3 or 8 to complete the straight. |
| 20.45% | Probability of completing a Broadway straight hand from turn to river. Example- A player having 10-J on a flop of 7-Q-A requires a K (king) to complete the straight draw | |
| 27.27% | 12 Out Straight draw from turn to the river. Example- A player holding 7-9 on a flop of 8-10-2. The river needs to be a 6 or J to complete the straight. | |
| 29.55% | It is a 13-card wrap draw. For example- A player holding a 10-9-6-2 on a flop of 8-7-A. The river must be a 5,6 or J to complete the straight. | |
| 37.78% | It is a 17-card wrap draw. For example- A player with 10-9-6-2 on a flop of 8-7-A needs 5,6, or J to complete the straight. | |
| 45.45% | It is a 20-card wrap draw. For example- A player holding 10-9-6-5 on a flop of 8-7-2. The turn can be a 4, 6, or J to make a straight. |
Types of Straights in Poker
Check the different types of straights based on their strengths and cards given in the table below.
1. Small Straight Poker Hand
It is the smallest possible straight poker hand. Also, known as a wheel or bicycle.
For example, A-2-3-4-5 (Five high straight)
2. Royal Straight Poker
It consists of the highest possible straights. Also known as Broadway.
For example, A-K-Q-J-10
3. High Straight Poker
It consists of high-ranked cards in a sequential manner.
For example, J-10-9-8-7
4. Insight Straight Poker
It is also known as Gutshot Straight. It consists of four non-consecutive cards, with only one possible card to make a straight.
For example, if a player's hand is 9-8 on a flop of J-Q-4, then only a 10 card can make a straight.
5. Wrap Around Straight Poker
This straight hand consists of the ace, which falls in the middle of the construct. It takes multiple outs, generally 8 outs, to complete a straight.
If a player is holding 6-7-8-9 on a 5-7-J loop, straight can be completed by either 4 or 10.
6. Ace Straight Poker
It is a straight that starts or ends with either a high-end Ace or a low-end ace.
For example, High-end ace: 10-J-Q-K-A
Low-end ace: A-2-3-4-5
7. Low Straight Poker
Straight with the weaker combination of poker cards.
For example, A-2-3-4-5
8. Broadway Straight Poker
The highest possible straight (10 high straight)
For example 10-J-Q-K-A
9. Jack High Straight Poker
A straight that consists of Jack as the highest card.
For example, 7-8-9-10-J
10. Straight Poker Ace
A straight poker ace has either a low or high ace.
For example, High-end ace: 10-J-Q-K-A, Low-end ace: A-2-3-4-5
11. Wheel Straight Poker
A lowest possible straight hand that starts with an ace.
For example, A-2-3-4-5
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Let's review some common mistakes people make while playing straight hands and discuss how to avoid them.
Overestimating weaker hands: Sometimes, players overvalue their straight poker hands and ignore their opponent’s strength, especially with a five-hand straight or 6 high straight. If there is potential for higher straights on the board, play cautiously.
Ignoring the board texture: Players often ignore the board texture when it shows the possibility of higher-ranking hands, such as flushes or full houses. If stronger hands are possible, then consider folding.
Frequent Passive Gameplay: Some players often avoid raising or betting. Instead, they most often check or call. Players shall adopt an aggressive approach with stronger hands. Consider betting or raising to build pot and protect against potential draws.
Ignoring Poker Rules: Many players ignore the basic straight poker rules and do not take a tutorial on how to play straight poker before engaging in tournaments or cash games. However, players must know the straight poker rules before diving deep into the game.
Chasing Inside Straight Draw Frequently: Even when the odds are not in their favor, players generally chase their favorite straights. Always approach this draw if there is good potential to win.
Not assessing the opponent’s mind: Reading your opponent’s mind and observing their playing pattern can help you decide your next move and adjust accordingly.
Game Position: Many players ignore their position in the game before taking a call or raising. It is advised to play with caution during the early phase of the game and consider raising in a late position.
