What is a Straight?

What is a Straight Poker Hand?

A Straight in poker is five unsuited cards in sequential order, e.g., 7♥ 8♦ 9♠ 10♣ J♦. Aces can be high or low in most popular forms of poker, including Texas Hold’em and Omaha. This means aces can be used to make these two Straights:

• A♦ 2♥ 3♣ 4♦ 5♠
• 10♥ J♦ Q♠ K♣ A♥

Finally, the highest card in a sequence determines the value of a Straight. For example, 9♦ 10♦ J♥ Q♣ K♥ beats 7♦ 8♥ 9♠ 10♥ J♣ because a King is worth more than a Jack.

Where Does Straight Rank in Poker?

A Straight ranks sixth on a standard poker hand chart. It’s harder to make Straights than Sets, but they’re more common than Flushes, Full Houses, and Quads.

Poker Hand Rankings

What Are the Odds of Making a Straight?

The odds of making a Straight in poker are 1 in 250 hands (i.e., 250:1 against) when we exclude Straight Flush and Royal Flush hands. In percentage terms, this equates to a 0.39% chance of making a straight with five cards dealt at random.

Before I delve deeper into the odds of making a Straight in poker, I’ll quickly mention the exclusions. It’s true that Straight Flushes and Royal Flushes are Straights. However, if you look at the ranking of hands in poker, you’ll see that they’re combinations in their own right.

That’s why Straight Flushes and Royal Flushes are defined separately, and, moreover, why they’re excluded from the calculations. You can learn more about these poker hands in our guides to Straight Flushes and Royal Flushes.

Odds of Hitting a Straight in Draw, Stud, and Hold’em

Back to standard Straights, the odds of hitting five cards in sequential order is useful when we’re playing Five-Card Draw, Stud, and Hold’em. That’s because you’ll have five cards at some point in a hand:

• Draw: you get five cards you can either hold or exchange.
• Stud: you receive three starting cards, then one additional card each betting round. Therefore, after two betting rounds, you’ll have five cards (three + two).
• Hold’em: you get two hole cards that can be used in conjunction with community cards. The community cards are dealt in three stages. The first stage is the flop, which contains three cards. At this point, you’ve got five cards.

Knowing there’s a 0.39% chance of hitting a Straight with five random cards isn’t as useful for Omaha because you start with four hole cards. Like Hold’em, the first three community cards are dealt at the same time.

Therefore, in Omaha, you have seven cards after the initial betting round. You can only use two of your hole cards. But, in the context of calculating odds, the fact that you have four cards to choose from matters.

It matters because it’s easier to make Straights when you’ve got four cards to choose from. Put another way, you’ve got a better chance of making a Straight in Omaha than other poker variants.

Odds of Hitting a Straight in Texas Hold’em

Because Texas Hold’em is the most popular variant, let’s look at some more numbers. We know the odds of hitting a Straight on the flop is 250:1 against (0.39%). This figure takes into account all possible hand combinations.

However, smart poker players know you shouldn’t play any two cards. Starting hands matter. Because of this, it’s worth looking at the chances of hitting a Straight with realistic starting hands.

Before I list the odds, you need to know what connectors and gappers are:

• Connectors = cards in direct sequential order, e.g., 4-5.
• Gappers = cards that are almost connected, e.g., 4-6 is a one-gapper because there’s one gap between 4 and 6.

Odds of Flopping a Straight in Hold’em

Now that’s clear, here are your chances of flopping a Straight in Texas Hold’em:

• The chances of hitting a Straight on the flop with connectors = 1.04%
• The chances of hitting a Straight on the flop with a one-gapper = 0.85%
• The chances of hitting a Straight on the flop with a two-gapper = 0.61%

Calculating Your Outs in Hold’em

If you don’t flop a Straight, the odds of hitting one on the turn and river depends on the number of cards that complete your hand (aka outs).

There are a few different scenarios here, so I won’t list them all. What I will do, though, is give you the basic rule for calculating your odds.

It’s called the Rule of 4 and 2. As the name suggests, you multiply your outs by 4 and 2:

• When you’re on the flop, you multiply your outs by 4. For example, if you’ve got 10 outs on the flop, there’s a 40% chance of hitting your hand by the river (i.e., you’ll hit your hand on the turn or the river).
• When you’re on the turn, you multiply your outs by 2. So, if you’ve got 10 outs, there’s a 20% chance you’ll hit your hand on the river.

You can use this rule to calculate your odds of hitting a Straight after the flop.

How to Play a Straight: 3 Basic Strategy Tips

Some straights are easy to play; others can be tricky. Here are three tips to help you win the maximum number of chips with a Straight in poker:

• High vs. Low Straights: high straights are better than low straights. That’s obvious, but it’s something beginners often forget. Be wary of boards containing a lot of cards that can give people a Straight. For example, an 8♦ 9♣ 10♠ flop is great if you’ve got 6♥ 7♦. However, because people play hands like Q-J, there’s a good chance you’ll lose to a higher Straight.
• Play Your Position: it’s better to be in a late position (i.e., closer to the button) than an early position because you’ve got more information to work with. If you’re in a late position with a Straight, it’s easier to get maximum value from your hand.
• Watch Out for Scary Boards: Straights can be beaten by Flushes and Full Houses, so watch out for boards with three suited cards and pairs.

Mistakes to Avoid with a Straight

The biggest mistake I’ve made over the years was chasing Straights when the odds weren’t on my side. By that, I mean it’s easy to get caught up in chasing outs without considering the cost.

Here’s a scenario that illustrates my points:

• You have: 5♦ 6♥
• The board: 7♣ 8♥ J♠ 2♦
• The pot: $50

You’ve got eight outs in this situation (4♥, 4♣, 4♦, 4♠, 9♥, 9♣, 9♦, and 9♠). With one card to come, there’s a 16% chance of hitting a Straight on the river.

Your opponent bets $50. The pot is now $100, and it costs you $50 to call. This equates to pot odds of 3:1. This means it costs $50 to call and make the pot $150.

In other words, a $50 call is equal to 1/3 of the final pot’s value. Expressed as a percentage, 3:1 becomes 33% (50 / 150 = 0.33 x 100 = 33.3%).

It’s a justifiable call, in mathematical terms, when the odds of hitting a hand and winning are greater than the pot odds.

So, in this example, you need the percentage of hitting to be greater than 33.3%. We have a 16% chance of hitting a Straight on the river, which means it’s best to fold.

Conclusion: How to Play a Straight in Poker

That’s how to play a Straight in poker. It’s not the most difficult hand to make, but getting maximum value from it can be tricky. Because of this, I recommend avoiding low-value Straights whenever possible so you can spend more time chasing high-value Straights. Do this, and you’ll have a much better chance of winning pots.