It is no secret that the first step of becoming a pro at poker is learning traditional poker hand rankings. Understanding how each hand ranks is the baseline of your strategy, as you’d be able to make more informed decisions and ultimately improve your chances of winning.
In this article, we are going to give you all the juicy details about a straight hand in poker, including what it is, how to build it, how to play it, and more!
WHAT IS A STRAIGHT IN POKER?
A straight hand wins when a card combination is formed out of any five consecutive cards (five cards with different ranks) with a different suit and built using two hole cards and five community cards — in a standard game of Texas hold ‘em, that is. In such hands, the suits don’t actually affect the state of a straight as in the case of other poker hands.
However, wrap-around straights using an ace as a bridge do not qualify as a straight. For example, a ‘straight’ combination featuring a queen, king, ace, three and two of different suits is considered an ace-high hand, not a straight. Don’t worry if this gets a little confusing; move on to the next section to see how this hand works:
HOW A STRAIGHT WORKS IN POKER
So, how would a straight work in poker games? In a 52-card deck, there are 10,200 possible combinations. Since a straight is formed out of any five consecutive cards, a straight can essentially be formed out of any card combination, as long as they are in ranked order, of course. Take the following examples:
- J-10-9-8-7
- 5-4-3-2-A
- A-K-Q-J-10
- 6-5-4-3-2
As you can see, the ace can be both at the low end of a combination (an ace-to-five straight) and at the high end of a combo (a 10-to-ace straight). The ace-high straight featuring all royal cards must not be confused with a royal flush. While a royal flush is comprised of all the same cards, the cards must also belong to the same suit to be classified as the highest-ranking hand in poker.
An ace-to-five hand makes the lowest-possible straight combination one can earn, while a 10-to-ace hand makes the highest-possible straight combination.
The way the strength of a straight poker hand is determined is by looking at the value of the highest-ranking card in the combination. For instance, a five-high straight (an ace-to-five straight, also known as a wheel) is beaten by a seven-high straight (also known as a broadway straight) since seven has a higher rank than five. Whether the hands belong to a different suit or not is not taken into consideration.
HOW DOES A STRAIGHT RANK ACCORDING TO POKER HAND RANKINGS?
When diving deep into poker hand rankings, the biggest question on every player’s mind is how two straights rank against each other. And, even more importantly, how does a straight hand rank against other poker hands? Let’s break it down:
POKER HANDS BEATEN BY A STRAIGHT
The straight ranks as the fifth-best winning hand a player can earn. In rankings-terms, it is not the best hand in the game, but also not the worst one, so it still can be used to the player’s advantage. Here is a list of every poker hand a straight beats:
- Three-of-a-kind: A three-of-a-kind features any three cards with the same rank.
- Two Pair: Two pairs feature any two cards of the same rank and another two cards of equal rank. If the same hand goes head-to-head, the player with the highest pair wins.
- One Pair: A pair of two cards of one rank.
- High Card: A high card is the lowest-ranked hand that does not match the criteria of any other hand. A high card is often used to break ties.
POKER HANDS THAT CAN BEAT A STRAIGHT
As we said, the straight is ranked fifth, so naturally, there are other hands that are stronger. These include:
- Royal Flush: An ace-high straight with all five cards of the same suit.
- Straight Flush: All possible straights with will five cards of the same suit.
- Four-of-a-Kind: A four-of-a-kind wins when players form a combination of four cards of the same value. The four-of-a-kind with the highest card wins.
- Full House: A full house features any three cards of one rank together with any two cards of the another rank.
- Flush: A flush features any five cards of the same suit but are not consecutive.
HOW TO PLAY A STRAIGHT IN TEXAS HOLD ‘EM
A straight can be beaten by many other hands, given its low rank, but it might turn out to be a winning hand if played correctly. There are many factors to consider in this gambling game, so here are a few tips on playing a straight in Texas hold ‘em cash games:
- You will benefit from better odds and better wagering opportunities if your two hole cards match two of the five community cards on the table.
- Keep an eye out on the type of straight draw you’re facing: open-ended or inside straight.
- You are more likely to hit an open ender with eight outs. An inside straight only provides four outs.
- Be mindful of your opponents who draw to flushes or full houses.
STRAIGHT PROBABILITIES
The probability of each poker hand being formed is largely affected by the type of poker game you’re playing, whether that’s a standard five-card draw game, or poker variants like Seven Card Stud. Which betting round you’re in also has a part to play.
Below we’ll take a look at the preflop, flop, turn and river probabilities of forming a straight in Texas hold ‘em:
| Betting Round | Probabilitiy | Explanation |
| Pre-flop | 0.39% | Based on five cards randomly drawn from a standard deck, excluding a royal flush and straight flush |
| Flop | 1.30% | When holding two connected cards J-10 through 5-4 |
| Turn | 16.90% | With an open-ended-straight-draw on the flop |
| River | 17.20% | From an open-ended-straight-draw |
And now, here is the probability of forming a straight in Pot Limit Omaha:
| Betting Round | Probabilitiy | Explanation |
| Pre-flop | 0.39% | Based on five cards randomly drawn from a standard deck, excluding a royal flush and straight flush |
| Flop | 4.90% | When holding four consecutive ranks from 4-5-6-7 to 8-9-T-J |
| Turn | 17.78% | Open-Ended Straight Draw – Eight Outs. For example: 4-5-Q-Q on flop of 6-7-K |
| 20.00% | Inside Broadway Draw – Nine Outs. For example: 5-10-J-K on flop of 7-Q-A | |
| 26.67% | Straight Draw – 12 Outs. For example: 7-9-J-Q on flop of 2-8-10 | |
| 28.89% | Wrap Draw – 13 Outs. For example: 5-6-8-9 on flop of 4-7-K | |
| 37.78% | Wrap Draw – 17 Outs. For example: 10-9-6-2 on flop of 8-7-A | |
| 44.44% | Wrap Draw – 20 Outs. For example: 10-9-6-5 on flop of 8-7-2 | |
| River | 18.18% | Open-Ended Straight Draw – 8 Outs. Example: 4-5-Q-Q on flop of 6-7-K |
| 20.45% | Inside Broadway Draw – Nine Outs. For example: 5-10-J-K on flop of 7-Q-A | |
| 27.27% | Straight Draw – 12 Outs. For example: 7-9-J-Q on flop of 2-8-10 | |
| 29.55% | Wrap Draw – 13 Outs. For example: 5-6-8-9 on flop of 4-7-K | |
| 38.63% | Wrap Draw – 17 Outs. For example: 10-9-6-2 on flop of 8-7-A | |
| 45.45% | Wrap Draw – 20 Outs. For example: 10-9-6-5 on flop of 8-7-2 |
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