Straight in Poker: Rules, Rankings, Tie-Breakers and Examples

The straight is the most common “big” hand in Hold’em and the one players share most often. It shows up about once in 22 hands for a player who sees the river, more often than a flush or a full house, and at a full table somebody has one about once every four deals. It’s also a hand full of small traps: the ace that can’t wrap around, the wheel that looks high but is the lowest straight, the idiot end of a connected board, and the ace kicker that doesn’t play.

This guide covers the straight from definition to showdown: how straights rank and how two of them are compared, what counts when you have seven cards to choose from, and the exact odds in five cards, by each street in Texas Hold’em, for every type of starting hand, at tables of every size, and in Omaha, Short Deck, Seven Card Stud, draw poker, lowball and video poker. After that come how Hold’em straights are made, the nut straight and the idiot end, reading the board, straight draws and pot odds, worked examples, how to play the hand, showdown rules, common mistakes, a quiz and a quick-reference summary.

Every probability here was calculated by the TopSitesPoker.com editorial team, either exactly, by counting every possible combination of cards, or by large simulations where exact counting isn’t practical. The only exception is the video poker straight frequency, which comes from the Wizard of Odds. Each example was checked with a hand evaluator.

What Is a Straight in Poker?

A straight is five cards of consecutive rank, in at least two different suits. 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠ is a straight: nine, eight, seven, six, five. If all five cards were the same suit, the hand would be a straight flush, a far stronger hand. A straight is named by its highest card, so that hand is a “nine-high straight.”

The ace plays both ends. It can top the highest straight, A-K-Q-J-10, called “Broadway,” or start the lowest one, 5-4-3-2-A, called the “wheel” or “bicycle,” where the ace counts as a one. It can’t do both at once: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight, because straights don’t wrap around the corner.

That gives exactly ten straights by rank, from five-high up to ace-high. Each can be made from 4⁵ = 1,024 combinations of suits, minus the four in which every card is the same suit (those are straight flushes), so there are 1,020 of each and 10,200 straight hands among the 2,598,960 possible five-card hands.

Straight	Cards	Nickname	Five-card hands	Share of seven-card straights
Ace-high (the best)	A-K-Q-J-10	Broadway	1,020	12.1%
King-high	K-Q-J-10-9	—	1,020	9.8%
Queen-high	Q-J-10-9-8	—	1,020	9.8%
Jack-high	J-10-9-8-7	—	1,020	9.8%
Ten-high	10-9-8-7-6	—	1,020	9.8%
Nine-high	9-8-7-6-5	—	1,020	9.8%
Eight-high	8-7-6-5-4	—	1,020	9.8%
Seven-high	7-6-5-4-3	—	1,020	9.8%
Six-high	6-5-4-3-2	—	1,020	9.8%
Five-high (the worst)	5-4-3-2-A	The wheel, or bicycle	1,020	9.8%
All straights	—	—	10,200	100%

Exact counts by TopSitesPoker.com. The last column counts all 6,180,020 seven-card hands whose best hand is a straight.

In five cards, all ten straights are equally likely. With seven cards, Broadway pulls ahead: it’s 24% more common than any other straight. The reason is that every other straight can be “upgraded.” If your seven cards contain 9-8-7-6-5 and a ten, your best hand is the ten-high straight, not the nine-high one. Nothing sits above Broadway, so it never loses its place to a bigger straight.

 

Five ranks in a row, not all one suit, named by the highest card.

Where the Straight Ranks

A straight is the sixth-best hand in standard poker. The full order is royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. Here’s how it compares with its neighbors:

Hand	Five-card hands	About once in	Seven-card hands (best five)	About once in
Full house	3,744	694	3,473,184	38.5
Flush	5,108	509	4,047,644	33.1
Straight	10,200	255	6,180,020	21.6
Three of a kind	54,912	47.3	6,461,620	20.7
Two pair	123,552	21.0	31,433,400	4.3

Exact over all 2,598,960 five-card hands and all 133,784,560 seven-card hands. Seven-card counts are by the best five-card hand. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

In five cards, a flush is twice as rare as a straight, and three of a kind is more than five times as common. With seven cards the gap to three of a kind almost disappears: as a best hand, three of a kind is only about 5% more common than a straight. The ranking is still set by five-card odds, though, so in every standard poker game a straight beats three of a kind and loses to a flush.

What a straight beats, and what beats it

• It beats three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card, every time in standard poker.
• It loses to a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straight flush, a royal flush and a higher straight.
• It ties with any straight of the same height. Because suits don’t count, ties are common: in Hold’em, two players who both hold a straight end up splitting the pot more often than not.

Straight Rules: What Counts and What Doesn’t

A straight looks like the simplest hand in poker, but a surprising number of showdown arguments start with one. These are the rules that apply in nearly every standard game:

• Five consecutive ranks. Four in a row is a straight draw, not a straight, and counts for nothing at showdown.
• Suits can be anything, as long as they aren’t all the same. Five consecutive cards of one suit are a straight flush.
• The ace is high or low, never both. A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are straights; Q-K-A-2-3 and K-A-2-3-4 are not.
• Only the highest card matters in a tie-break. Two straights are compared by their top card alone. Straights of the same height tie and split the pot, whatever the suits.
• With more than five cards, the best five play. Six or seven cards in a row give you the highest straight among them.
• Hold’em and other board games: you can use two, one or none of your hole cards with the five community cards.
• Omaha: you must use exactly two of your four hole cards and exactly three board cards, so a straight needs two cards from your hand that fit.

At showdown, cards speak: a straight is a straight even if you don’t announce it, as long as your cards are shown [TDA 13]. Deliberately miscalling a hand can be penalized, and to win any part of the pot you’re expected to table all your hole cards [TDA 14, 20], including when the board’s straight plays for you.

Straight or not? Look-alike hands

Cards	Is it a straight?	Why
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠	Yes	Five in a row, mixed suits: a nine-high straight
A♠ K♦ Q♣ J♥ 10♠	Yes	Broadway, the highest straight
5♥ 4♣ 3♦ 2♠ A♥	Yes	The wheel: the ace plays as a one, and it’s the lowest straight
Q♠ K♥ A♦ 2♣ 3♠	No	Straights don’t wrap around; this is just ace-high
9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥	No, better	All one suit: a straight flush
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 5♣ 4♠	No	The six is missing; this is a nine-high hand with an inside straight draw
10♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 7♠	No	A pair of sevens; you need a six or a jack
Hold’em: J♥ 10♦ on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠	Yes	Both hole cards play: J-10-9-8-7
Seven cards: 10♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠ 5♥ 4♦	Yes	Seven in a row; the best five are 10-9-8-7-6
Omaha: 10♥ 2♣ 3♦ 4♠ on J♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ K♦	No	Only the 10 fits, and Omaha needs exactly two hole cards
Omaha: 10♥ 6♣ 3♦ 2♠ on J♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ K♦	Yes	10 and 6 from your hand with 9-8-7 from the board: 10-9-8-7-6
Short Deck: A♠ 9♥ 8♦ 7♣ 6♠	Yes	With the 2s through 5s removed, the ace plays below the six
Deuce-to-seven lowball: 7♠ 6♥ 5♦ 4♣ 3♠	Yes, and that’s bad	In this game straights count against you; the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2

Each hand checked with a hand evaluator by TopSitesPoker.com, with Omaha hands evaluated using exactly two hole cards and three board cards.

The wraparound row is the one that causes the most trouble in home games. Some players assume that because the ace can be high or low, it can also link the two ends of the deck. It can’t, in any standard game. The Omaha rows are the other common trap: a Hold’em player sees J-9-8-7 on the board and a ten in hand, but in Omaha one card that fits isn’t enough.

Straight Tie-Breakers: Comparing Two Straights

Comparing two straights takes one step: look at the highest card of each. The higher top card wins. If both straights have the same top card, they’re identical in rank, and the pot is split. There’s nothing else to check, because once the top card is fixed, the other four cards of a straight are fixed too.

That makes the straight different from most hands. There are no kickers: a card outside the five never counts. Suits never count either. And the ace’s double role has one consequence worth remembering: the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, is the lowest straight, even though it contains an ace, because its top card is the five.

Straight A	Straight B	Winner	Why
10-9-8-7-6	9-8-7-6-5	A	Ten-high beats nine-high
A-K-Q-J-10	K-Q-J-10-9	A	Broadway is the highest straight
6-5-4-3-2	5-4-3-2-A	A	The wheel’s top card is the five, so it’s the lowest straight
8♠ 7♥ 6♦ 5♣ 4♠	8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠ 4♥	Tie	Same top card; suits don’t count

Standard high-hand ranking, as used in Hold’em, Omaha, Stud and draw games.

 

Only the top card counts; there are no kickers in a straight.

Straight against straight in Hold’em

With community cards, players often share most of a straight, so the comparison usually comes down to who holds the card at the top:

Board	Player 1	Player 2	Result
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠	10♥ 2♦: 10-9-8-7-6	5♥ 5♦: 9-8-7-6-5	Player 1 wins: the ten tops the nine
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠	J♥ 10♦: J-10-9-8-7	10♥ 2♦: 10-9-8-7-6	Player 1 wins: jack-high beats ten-high
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠	10♥ 2♦: 10-9-8-7-6	10♣ 3♥: 10-9-8-7-6	Split pot: the same straight
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 2♣	A♠ 10♥: 10-9-8-7-6	K♣ 10♦: 10-9-8-7-6	Split pot: the ace and the king don’t play
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠	A♦ A♥: 9-8-7-6-5	Q♥ J♥: 9-8-7-6-5	Split pot: both play the board’s straight

Each result checked with a hand evaluator by TopSitesPoker.com.

The fourth row is the one players argue about. Both players have a ten-high straight, and the ace in Player 1’s hand is outside those five cards, so it doesn’t count. There’s no such thing as a kicker in a straight.

How often do straights split?

Because two players can hold straights of exactly the same height with different suits, straight-against-straight showdowns end in a split more often than they’re won. We simulated 200,000,000 heads-up Hold’em deals with both players seeing the river. Both players had a straight in about one deal in 110, and in those showdowns:

• 62.1% were split pots: both players had the same straight.
• 28.0% were won by a straight one step higher, such as ten-high over nine-high.
• 9.9% were won by a straight two or more steps higher.

About 41% of these showdowns came on a board that was itself a straight, and on those boards the pot was split 74% of the time. When you and an opponent both have a straight, you’ll usually share the pot, and when you don’t, the winner usually beats the loser by a single card at the top.

Suits never break ties

In standard poker, suits have no rank when the pot is awarded. Identical straights split the pot, whatever their suits. If the pot can’t be divided evenly in a flop game, the odd chip is assigned by position, not by suit: under the TDA rules it goes to the first winning player to the left of the button [TDA 21]. In Stud games, the odd chip goes to the high card by suit, one of the few places where suit order matters.

Straight Odds

A straight is uncommon in five cards and one of the most common strong hands in seven. Here are the odds for the situations players ask about most, counting hands whose best five-card hand is a straight:

Situation	Straight hands	Probability	About once in
Dealt five cards (Five Card Draw before the draw)	10,200 of 2,598,960	0.392%	255 hands
Texas Hold’em, by the flop	10,200 of 2,598,960	0.392%	255 hands
Texas Hold’em, by the turn (6 cards)	361,620 of 20,358,520	1.78%	56 hands
Texas Hold’em, by the river (7 cards)	6,180,020 of 133,784,560	4.62%	21.6 hands
Seven Card Stud (7 cards)	6,180,020 of 133,784,560	4.62%	21.6 hands
Omaha, by the river (4 hole cards, exactly 2 used)	Simulated	11.3%	8.9 hands
Short Deck, five cards (36-card deck)	6,120 of 376,992	1.62%	62 hands
Short Deck Hold’em, by the river	1,169,940 of 8,347,680	14.0%	7.1 hands
9/6 Jacks or Better video poker, optimal strategy	Sourced figure	1.12%	about 89 hands

Exact counts by TopSitesPoker.com, except Omaha (a TopSitesPoker.com simulation of 200,000,000 hands) and video poker (the published figure for full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better with optimal strategy, from the Wizard of Odds). Short Deck counts treat A-6-7-8-9 as a straight and count hands with a straight and no flush, full house or four of a kind. Hold’em, Stud and Omaha figures assume the hand is played to the end.

 

Seven cards make a straight about 12 times as common as five. Log scale.

Why seven cards make such a difference

In five cards, every card has to fit. With seven, any five of them can form the straight, and the two left over can be anything. That’s why a Hold’em player who sees the river has a straight about 12 times as often as a player dealt five cards: once in 21.6 hands instead of once in 255.

Omaha pushes it further. Four hole cards give six different two-card combinations to fit with the board, and a player who sees the river has a straight as their best hand about once in 9 hands. Short Deck, with only nine ranks, turns the straight into an everyday hand: once in about 7 hands by the river.

Street by street in Hold’em

Counting every starting hand and every board, a player who sees every card makes a straight about once in 255 hands by the flop, once in 56 by the turn and once in 21.6 by the river. Of all the straights a player holds on the river, 8.2% were already complete on the flop and 37.5% by the turn; the other 62.5% were completed by the river card. Like the flush, the straight is mostly a hand you draw to.

How often somebody has one

Straights come up a lot at a full table. In our simulations with every player seeing the river, one of two players had a straight in 8.3% of deals, about once in 12, and at a nine-handed table someone had one in about one deal in four. It’s the most common hand of straight or better you’ll see at showdown.

Straight Odds by Starting Hand

In Texas Hold’em, your chance of a straight depends on how close together your two hole cards are. Connected cards like 8-7 can both fit into four different straights; cards five or more ranks apart, like Q-7, can never be in the same straight, so one of them is always a bystander. Here are the exact odds for every type of starting hand, for a player who sees every card:

Your starting hand	Examples	Share of starting hands	Straight by the flop	By the turn	By the river	Share of all straights
Connectors (no gap)	8-7, J-10, A-K, A-2	15.7%	1.00%	3.37%	7.17% (1 in 13.9)	24.3%
One gap	9-7, Q-10, A-3	14.5%	0.81%	2.91%	6.48% (1 in 15.4)	20.3%
Two gaps	10-7, K-10, A-4	13.3%	0.59%	2.34%	5.60% (1 in 17.9)	16.1%
Three gaps	J-7, A-10, A-5	12.1%	0.33%	1.64%	4.47% (1 in 22.4)	11.7%
Four or more gaps	Q-7, K-2, 9-3	38.6%	Impossible	0.76%	3.01% (1 in 33.2)	25.2%
Pocket pairs	7-7, Q-Q	5.9%	Impossible	0.42%	1.90% (1 in 52.7)	2.4%
All hands	—	100%	0.39%	1.78%	4.62% (1 in 21.6)	100%

Exact counts over every flop, turn and river for every starting hand, counting hands whose best hand is a straight. The ace counts at either end, so A-2 is a connector and A-5 has three gaps. Includes straights on the board. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

 

Each rank between your hole cards removes straights they can make together.

Each gap costs you straights. Connectors make one by the river about once in 14 hands; hands with four or more gaps between their cards, about once in 33, and those straights use at most one of your cards. Pocket pairs are worst of all, because two cards of the same rank count only once in a straight.

Suited hands make slightly fewer straights than the same ranks unsuited: offsuit connectors make a straight 7.28% of the time and suited connectors 6.84%. The difference isn’t a disadvantage. Some of the suited hands’ straight boards also give them a flush, which is a better hand.

Which hands make the most straights?

Among the hands that fit together, the ones in the middle and those near the top of the deck aren’t equally good. We counted every board for eleven starting hands, and checked each straight against every possible opponent hand:

Starting hand	Straight by the river	Uses both hole cards	The straight is the nut straight	When you have a straight, a random opponent beats you
J♠ 10♥	9.18% (1 in 10.9)	70.2%	77.7%	4.2%
8♠ 7♥	9.08% (1 in 11.0)	66.5%	41.6%	6.9%
5♠ 4♥	9.18% (1 in 10.9)	65.8%	38.1%	7.1%
8♠ 7♠	8.53% (1 in 11.7)	65.6%	41.0%	7.4%
9♠ 7♥	7.75% (1 in 12.9)	58.5%	33.8%	6.6%
10♠ 7♥	6.46% (1 in 15.5)	46.7%	25.2%	5.6%
J♠ 7♥	4.76% (1 in 21.0)	31.7%	9.9%	6.1%
A♠ 5♥	4.43% (1 in 22.6)	34.1%	10.6%	8.1%
A♠ K♥	3.30% (1 in 30.3)	57.8%	78.7%	6.8%
Q♠ 7♥	3.05% (1 in 32.8)	0%	15.4%	5.6%
7♠ 7♥	2.30% (1 in 43.5)	0%	2.0%	8.9%

Exact over all 2,118,760 boards for each hand, and every possible opponent holding when the hand has a straight; both players see the river. “The nut straight” means no higher straight is possible with that board. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

J-10 is the best straight-making hand in Hold’em: it can fit into four straights, from 7-8-9-10-J up to Broadway, and because those straights are high, its straight is the nut straight more than three times in four. 5-4 makes exactly as many straights, but they’re low ones, and it holds the nut straight only 38% of the time. A-K makes a straight only a third as often as J-10, because the ace and king fit together only in Broadway, but when it does, the straight is usually unbeatable by another straight. It does split often, 12.9% of the time against a random hand, because on a board like A-Q-J-10, any other player holding a king has Broadway too.

Pocket pairs rarely make straights, and when they do, they’re almost never the nut straight: with 7♠ 7♥, only 2% of your straights are the best one possible.

How Hold’em Straights Are Made

A Hold’em straight can use both of your hole cards, one of them, or none. Counting every combination of two hole cards and five board cards whose best hand is a straight, and the fewest hole cards each straight needs:

How the straight is made	Example	Board shows	Share of all Hold’em straights
Both hole cards	J♥ 10♦ on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠	Three of the five ranks	39.7%
One hole card	10♥ 2♦ on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠	Four of the five ranks	53.3%
No hole cards: the board’s straight plays	Q♥ Q♦ on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠	All five ranks	7.0%

Exact over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards; 129,780,420 of them have a straight as the best hand. Each straight is counted by the fewest hole cards it needs. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

More than half of all Hold’em straights need only one hole card, a bigger share than for flushes, where one-card and two-card flushes are about equally common. The reason is that the board can hold four of a straight’s five ranks without holding four cards of anything else: 9-8-7-6 with any fifth card is a common board, and every player with a ten or a five has a straight.

The nut straight, and the “idiot end”

The nut straight is the highest straight possible on the board. On 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠, it’s J-10-9-8-7. A player holding 6-5 has a straight too, 9-8-7-6-5, but it’s the lowest one possible on that board, and players call that the “idiot end” or “sucker end” of the straight: J-10 and 10-6 both beat it. Counting every Hold’em straight, here’s how often it is the nut straight, and how many higher straights the board allows:

Your straight	Share of all straights	Most ranks of one straight on the board: three	Most ranks of one straight on the board: four
The nut straight	28.7%	54.4%	17.0%
One higher straight possible	37.0%	28.4%	45.7%
Two higher straights possible	20.7%	12.7%	28.5%
Three or four higher straights possible	6.6%	4.5%	8.8%
None: the board’s straight plays	7.0%	—	—

Exact over every Hold’em hole-card and board combination with a straight as the best hand; the last two columns are shares within each type of board. “Higher straights possible” counts straights with a higher top card that the board’s ranks allow. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

 

All Hold’em straights played to the river, by the higher straights the board allows.

Only about two straights in seven are the nut straight. On a board with at most three ranks of any one straight, it’s a bit better than half. On a board with four, where one card is enough, it’s only 17%, because a board like 9-8-7-6 lets a ten make one straight and a ten with a jack make a higher one, and anyone holding a five has the idiot end.

A higher straight being possible doesn’t mean an opponent has it, of course. It means the question to ask before putting a lot of money in is how many opponents could plausibly hold the one or two hands that beat you.

Reading the Board: When a Straight Is Possible

In Hold’em, a straight needs at least three of its five ranks on the board, because you only have two hole cards. So the first question on every street is how many ranks of any one straight the board already shows. Here’s how often each board texture appears:

Most ranks of one straight on the board	Flop (3 cards)	Turn (4 cards)	River (5 cards)	What it means
Two or fewer	81.5%	52.3%	25.3%	Nobody can have a straight yet; on the river, nobody can have one at all
Three	18.5%	43.8%	61.0%	A straight needs two hole cards that fit
Four	—	3.9%	13.3%	A single card makes a straight
Five	—	—	0.39%	The board is a straight; everyone has at least that

Exact over all possible boards of each size. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

The numbers explain why straights are so common in Hold’em: by the river, three boards in four allow somebody to have a straight. On 61% of river boards, a straight needs two hole cards that fit, and on 13.3% a single card is enough. A board that is itself a straight comes about once in 254 deals.

Compare that with flushes. A flush is possible on only 37% of river boards, and a one-card flush on 4.5%. That’s the practical reason straights feel so much more common at showdown, and why a straight on a connected board is often only one of several at the table.

Three ranks, four ranks, five ranks

• Three ranks on the board, such as 9-8-7 or 9-7-6: a straight needs two hole cards, so only hands that fit the board can have one. The top of the straight matters: on 9-8-7, J-10 has the nuts, 10-6 has the middle and 6-5 has the idiot end.
• Four ranks on the board, such as 9-8-7-6: one card makes a straight. Anyone with a ten or a five has one, and a ten beats a five. With a single five, you have the lowest straight on the board.
• Five ranks on the board: everyone has at least the board’s straight. Only a card that extends it at the top improves it, and the pot is usually split.

When the board itself is a straight

When all five board cards form a straight, every player still in the hand has it, and the pot is split unless someone can improve it:

Board	Hands that improve it (of 1,081)	What improves it	Heads-up: split pot
A♠ K♥ Q♦ J♣ 10♠	0	Nothing: Broadway is the highest straight, and no flush or full house is possible	100%
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠	178 (16.5%)	Any ten	71.0%
5♠ 4♥ 3♦ 2♣ A♠	178 (16.5%)	Any six	71.0%
9♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♥ 5♦	214 (19.8%)	Any ten, or two spades for a flush	65.3%

Exact over every hand from the 47 unseen cards, and every pair of hands for the heads-up split. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

On a Broadway board with no three cards of a suit and no pair, the pot is always split: nothing beats the board, and everyone has it. On any other board straight, one card at the top improves it. A card below the board doesn’t help: on 9-8-7-6-5, holding a four gives you 8-7-6-5-4, which is lower than the board’s straight, so you still play the board. With a wheel on the board, the ace is already playing low, and only a six extends it.

How Strong Is Your Straight?

A straight’s strength depends on three things: whether it’s the highest straight the board allows, whether a flush is possible, and whether the board is paired. Here’s how that plays out on four river boards, counting every hand an opponent could hold:

Board and your hand	What you have	Opponent hands that beat you (of 990)	Hands that tie
Three ranks of a straight, no flush possible: 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠
J♥ 10♦	Jack-high straight, the nuts	0	9
10♥ 6♦	Ten-high straight	12: any J-10	9
6♥ 5♦	Nine-high straight, the idiot end	28: J-10 and 10-6	9
K♥ K♦	Three kings (no straight)	48: every straight	0
Four ranks of a straight: 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠
J♥ 10♦	Jack-high straight, the nuts	0	9
10♥ 2♦	Ten-high straight	12: any J-10	117
5♥ 2♦	Nine-high straight, the idiot end	170: any hand with a ten	117
K♥ K♦	Three kings (no straight)	324	0
Three spades on the board: 9♠ 8♠ 7♦ 2♠ K♥
J♥ 10♦	Jack-high straight, the nut straight	45: every flush	8
10♥ 6♦	Ten-high straight	56: 45 flushes and 11 higher straights	8
A♠ 3♠	Ace-high flush, the nuts	0	0
Paired board: 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 9♣ K♠
J♥ 10♦	Jack-high straight, the nut straight	28: 27 full houses and four nines	9
10♥ 6♦	Ten-high straight	40	9
K♥ K♦	Kings full of nines	1: the last two nines	0

Exact counts over every possible opponent holding, with a hand evaluator by TopSitesPoker.com.

On the first board, even the idiot end loses to only 28 of 990 hands, all of them higher straights, and the nut straight can only be tied. Add a fourth rank to the board and everything changes: 5♥ 2♦ still has a straight, but now any ten beats it, 170 hands, and 117 other hands, every one of them holding a five and no ten, share the same straight. The ties are the other side of four-rank boards: with 10♥ 2♦, more than one hand in nine splits the pot with you.

The third and fourth boards show the straight’s two natural enemies. Three cards of a suit let 45 flushes beat even the nut straight; a pair on the board lets 27 full houses and one four of a kind do the same. When an opponent bets big on these boards, the straight you hold isn’t the question. The question is whether they have the flush or the full house.

A Straight at the Table: How Often, and How Often It Loses

The odds so far describe one player’s cards. At a real table, the questions are how often anyone makes a straight, and how often a straight runs into something bigger. We simulated 400,000,000 Texas Hold’em deals for each table size from two to nine players, with every player seeing the river.

Players	Someone has a straight by the river	A straight loses to a higher straight	A flush beats a straight
2	1 in 12.0 deals	1 in 291 deals	1 in 431 deals
3	1 in 8.6 deals	1 in 127 deals	1 in 174 deals
4	1 in 6.9 deals	1 in 77 deals	1 in 102 deals
5	1 in 5.9 deals	1 in 54 deals	1 in 70 deals
6	1 in 5.2 deals	1 in 42 deals	1 in 53 deals
7	1 in 4.7 deals	1 in 34 deals	1 in 42 deals
8	1 in 4.3 deals	1 in 29 deals	1 in 35 deals
9	1 in 4.0 deals	1 in 26 deals	1 in 30 deals

TopSitesPoker.com simulation, 400,000,000 deals per table size, every player seeing the river. The last two columns count deals in which at least one straight was beaten that way at showdown.

Heads-up, someone has a straight about once in 12 deals; at nine players, once in four. A higher straight is the most common threat at every table size, with the flush close behind.

How often a straight wins at showdown

Here’s what happens to every straight in those simulated deals, from the point of view of the player holding it:

Players	Wins	Splits	Loses	To a higher straight	To a flush	To a full house	To four of a kind or a straight flush
2	80.7%	12.2%	7.1%	3.7%	2.5%	0.8%	0.1%
3	70.6%	16.3%	13.1%	6.9%	4.6%	1.5%	0.2%
4	62.3%	19.5%	18.3%	9.5%	6.3%	2.1%	0.3%
5	55.3%	22.0%	22.7%	11.7%	7.8%	2.8%	0.5%
6	49.4%	24.0%	26.6%	13.6%	9.1%	3.4%	0.6%
7	44.4%	25.5%	30.1%	15.2%	10.2%	3.9%	0.7%
8	40.1%	26.7%	33.2%	16.6%	11.3%	4.5%	0.8%
9	36.5%	27.6%	35.9%	17.7%	12.3%	5.0%	0.9%

TopSitesPoker.com simulation, 400,000,000 deals per table size, every player seeing the river. Includes straights on the board.

 

Every player seeing the river; includes straights on the board.

The splits are the straight’s signature. Heads-up, 12.2% of all straights end in a split pot, and at nine players more than a quarter do, because on boards with four ranks of a straight, several players often hold the same one-card straight. So a straight at a full table, with everyone in to the river, wins outright only about a third of the time and loses about as often. Heads-up, it wins 81% of the time and loses only 7%.

The flush board is the danger

Splitting the same simulations by whether the board allows a flush, three or more cards of one suit, shows where most of the risk comes from:

Board	Share of all straights	Straight loses heads-up	Six players	Nine players
No flush possible	63.0%	4.7%	18.9%	26.1%
A flush possible	37.0%	11.2%	39.8%	52.6%

TopSitesPoker.com simulation, 400,000,000 deals per table size, every player seeing the river.

 

Three cards of one suit on the board about double a straight’s losses.

When three cards of a suit are on the board, a straight loses about twice as often, or more. That lines up with the board-by-board counts in the previous section: on 9♠ 8♠ 7♦ 2♠ K♥, 45 flushes beat even the nut straight.

One card or two?

The number of the straight’s ranks on the board matters just as much:

• Three ranks on the board (you need two hole cards): heads-up, a straight loses 4.6% of the time and splits 0.9%.
• Four ranks on the board (one card is enough): it loses 7.4% and splits 10.5%, because other players often hold the same card.
• A straight on the board: it splits 71.8% of the time, and loses 15.5%, to a player holding the card above the board’s straight or to a flush or full house.

At nine players the same three boards give losses of 26.0%, 37.1% and 69.5%.

What these numbers mean in a real game

Real hands aren’t played with everyone going to the river. Most players fold before the flop, and those who stay in to call big bets on a suited or connected board hold stronger hands than a random deal would give them. So treat the simulations as a picture of how crowded the top of the rankings gets, not a prediction for any single pot. Three practical points follow:

• Two hole cards on a three-rank board is the straight you can bet with confidence, especially when no flush is possible.
• On a four-rank board, expect company. Anyone with the same one card shares your straight, and anyone with the card above it beats you.
• Three cards of a suit change the hand. A straight on a flush-possible board is a bluff-catcher against big bets from players who rarely bluff.

Drawing to a Straight

About five Hold’em straights in eight are completed on the river, so most straights start as draws. The two classic straight draws are the open-ended draw, four cards in a row that can be completed at either end, like 9-8-7-6 needing a ten or a five, and the gutshot, four cards with a gap in the middle, like 9-8-6-5 needing a seven. Here are the exact chances:

Your draw	Example	Outs	On the turn	On the river (if the turn misses)	By the river (from the flop)
Open-ended straight draw	9♠ 8♥ on 7♦ 6♣ 2♠	8	17.0%	17.4%	31.5%
Double gutshot	9♠ 7♥ on J♦ 8♣ 5♠	8	17.0%	17.4%	31.5%
Gutshot (inside straight draw)	9♠ 8♥ on 6♦ 5♣ K♠	4	8.5%	8.7%	16.5%
One-ended draw	A♠ K♥ on Q♦ J♣ 3♠	4	8.5%	8.7%	16.5%
Open-ended draw plus a flush draw	9♠ 8♠ on 7♠ 6♦ 2♠	15	31.9%	32.6%	54.1%
Gutshot plus a flush draw	9♠ 8♠ on 6♠ 5♦ K♠	12	25.5%	26.1%	45.0%
Backdoor straight draw	9♠ 8♥ on 7♦ 2♣ K♠	Needs two in a row	—	—	4.4%

Exact, counting clean outs against 47 unseen cards on the flop and 46 on the turn. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

 

Clean outs; a set or a flush draw can cut these numbers.

Counting straight outs

An open-ended draw has two ranks that complete it, and four cards of each: 8 outs. From the flop, the chance of hitting one of them on the turn or river is 1 − (39/47 × 38/46) = 31.5%, and with one card to come it’s 8 of 46, or 17.4%. A gutshot has only one completing rank, 4 outs, and gets there 16.5% of the time from the flop. A double gutshot, like 9-7 on J-8-5, needs either a ten or a six, so it has 8 outs, exactly as many as an open-ended draw, even though it doesn’t look like one.

The one-ended draw is easy to overrate. A-K on Q-J-3 looks like a big draw, but only a ten makes the straight, so it’s a 4-out draw like any gutshot. The same goes for A-2-3-4, which only a five completes. A backdoor straight draw needs both the turn and the river: with 9-8 on 7-2-K, a jack and a ten, a ten and a six, or a six and a five all work, 48 of the 1,081 possible turn-and-river pairs, 4.4%.

Not every out is clean

Raw outs assume that every completing card wins. Against a set, a card that pairs the board can give your opponent a full house; against a flush draw, a completing card of their suit gives them the better hand. Here’s how straight draws fare against real hands on the flop, counted over every possible turn and river:

Flop	Your hand	Opponent	Your chance to win by the river
7♦ 6♣ 2♠	9♠ 8♥ (open-ended, two overcards)	A♥ 7♠ (top pair)	50.0%
Q♠ 9♥ 3♣	J♣ 10♦ (open-ended)	A♥ K♦ (two overcards)	47.2%
7♦ 6♣ 2♠	9♠ 8♥ (open-ended)	2♥ 2♦ (a set)	25.9%
7♠ 6♠ 2♦	9♥ 8♥ (open-ended)	A♠ K♠ (nut flush draw, two overcards)	28.4%
J♦ 7♣ 2♠	9♠ 8♥ (gutshot)	Q♥ Q♦ (overpair)	20.3%
8♠ 7♣ 6♥	10♦ 9♣ (a made straight)	8♥ 8♦ (a set)	65.1%
8♠ 7♠ 6♥	10♦ 9♣ (a made straight)	A♠ K♠ (nut flush draw)	63.4%
8♠ 7♥ 6♦	5♣ 4♦ (the idiot end)	10♥ 9♣ (the nut straight)	0.5%

Exact over all 990 turn-and-river combinations for each matchup, with a hand evaluator by TopSitesPoker.com; ties count as half a win. No cards are folded or known to be dead.

An open-ended draw with two overcards is a coin flip against top pair: 50.0%. Against a set it’s nearly a 3-to-1 underdog, because the set fills up on many of the same runouts. Against a flush draw that also has two overcards, it wins only 28.4% of the time, since two of its eight outs are spades that give the opponent a flush. A made straight on the flop isn’t safe either: a set still wins about 35% of the time, and a nut flush draw about 37%. And the idiot end against the nut straight is almost drawing dead: it can only split, when the board runs out to a higher straight both players share.

Pot odds: when a straight draw is worth a call

Suppose it’s the turn, you have an open-ended draw and nothing else, the pot is $100 and your opponent bets $50. You have to call $50 to win $150, so you need to win at least 25% of the time. Your straight comes in 8 times in 46, 17.4%, so on the pot odds alone, calling loses money. To break even you’d need to win about $88 more, on average, on the river when you hit: 17.4% × ($150 + $88) ≈ 82.6% × $50, about $41 either way.

With a gutshot the math is much worse. Four outs from 46 is 8.7%, and to make the same call break even you’d need to win about $375 more when you hit. That’s why the old advice to avoid chasing gutshots holds up: without a lot of money behind, or another draw to go with it, calling bets with four outs costs money in the long run.

Straight Examples

These examples cover the straights you’ll meet most often in Texas Hold’em, the spots where one straight beats another or the pot is split, and how Omaha, Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw change the picture. Every hand was checked with a hand evaluator.

Example 1: the nut straight

You hold J♥ 10♦ and the board is 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠. Your best five cards are J-10-9-8-7, a jack-high straight. No flush is possible, the board isn’t paired, and no higher straight fits this board, so nothing beats you. The only hands that tie are the nine other combinations of a jack and a ten.

Example 2: the idiot end

Same board, 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠, but you hold 6♥ 5♦ for a nine-high straight, 9-8-7-6-5. Your opponent holds 10♣ 6♠ for 10-9-8-7-6 and wins. You made a straight, but you made it at the bottom end, where any ten that fits beats you. On this board, 28 of the 990 hands an opponent could hold beat you, and many of them are the kind of hands that call big bets.

Example 3: the same one-card straight

The board is 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠. You hold 10♥ 2♦ and your opponent holds 10♣ 3♥. Both of you have 10-9-8-7-6 and split the pot. On four-rank boards like this one, a split is common: 117 of the 990 hands an opponent could hold have exactly your straight.

Example 4: the wheel loses to a six-high straight

The board is 5♦ 4♣ 3♠ K♥ 9♦. You hold A♠ 2♥ for the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A. Your opponent holds 6♠ 2♣ for 6-5-4-3-2. Both are straights, and the wheel is the lowest one, because its top card is the five.

Example 5: no wraparound

You hold A♠ 2♦ and the board is K♣ Q♥ 3♦ 7♠ 9♣. Q-K-A-2-3 looks like five in a row, but straights don’t wrap around the ace. You have ace-high, and any pair beats you.

Example 6: straight against flush

You hold J♥ 10♦ on 9♠ 8♠ 7♦ 2♠ K♥ for the nut straight. Your opponent holds A♠ 3♠ and has an ace-high flush. A flush beats a straight, and on this board 45 of the 990 hands an opponent could hold have one.

Example 7: straight against a full house

You hold J♥ 10♦ on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 9♣ K♠, the highest straight this board allows. Your opponent holds K♥ 9♥ for nines full of kings. The pair on the board turned your nut straight into a hand that 27 full houses and one four of a kind beat.

Example 8: no kicker

The board is 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 2♣. You hold A♠ 10♥ and your opponent holds K♣ 10♦. Both of you have 10-9-8-7-6. Your ace isn’t one of the five cards, so it doesn’t count: the pot is split.

Example 9: Broadway on the board

The board is A♠ K♥ Q♦ J♣ 10♠. Every player still in the hand has Broadway, the highest straight, and with no three cards of a suit and no pair on the board, nothing can beat it. Whatever the hole cards, the pot is split among everyone who shows down.

Omaha: the 20-out wrap

You hold 9♠ 8♥ 5♦ 4♣ on a 7♠ 6♥ 2♦ flop. You don’t have a straight yet, but a ten, nine, eight, five, four or three on the turn makes one, using two of your cards and three from the board: 20 cards in all. That’s a “wrap,” Omaha’s biggest kind of straight draw, and it makes at least a straight by the river 69.7% of the time. On a 10♣ turn, for example, your 9-8 and the board’s 10-7-6 make 10-9-8-7-6.

Seven Card Stud: counting dead cards

After fifth street you hold 9-8-7-6 with two cards to come, an open-ended draw with 8 outs. Ignoring every other card at the table, you’ll make the straight 31.5% of the time. With five opponents showing 15 upcards between them, it’s 44.4% if none of those upcards is a ten or a five, and 18.1% if five of them are.

Five Card Draw: drawing one

You’re dealt 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♠. Throw away the king and draw one card: 8 of the 47 cards you haven’t seen, the tens and the fives, complete the straight, 17.0% of the time. With a gutshot like 9-8-6-5, only the four sevens work, 8.5% of the time.

How to Play a Straight

A straight wins most heads-up pots, but it’s also the hand most often shared, and most often second-best on a board full of possibilities. Playing it well starts with three questions about the board.

Step 1: is a flush or full house possible?

Three cards of one suit on the board mean flushes are possible; a pair means full houses are. Either one changes a straight from a strong hand into a hand that can be beaten by a single big bet. Heads-up, a straight loses 4.7% of the time when no flush is possible and 11.2% when one is. Against a player who rarely bluffs, a big raise on a suited or paired board usually means you’re behind.

Step 2: is yours the nut straight?

Find the highest straight the board allows and compare it with yours. On 9-8-7, J-10 is the nuts, 10-6 is in the middle and 6-5 is the idiot end. If a higher straight is possible, ask how many hands make it and whether your opponent would have played them this way. A straight made at the idiot end on a coordinated board deserves the same caution as a weak flush.

Step 3: one card or two?

With three of the straight’s ranks on the board, you need two hole cards, and few opponents can share your straight. With four ranks on the board, one card is enough, so expect to split the pot sometimes and to be outdrawn at the top: on 9-8-7-6, any ten beats a five, and a jack-ten beats a single ten.

Playing a flopped straight

Flopping a straight, like 10-9 on 8-7-6, is strong, but the board is dangerous for you as well as for your opponents. A set still wins about 35% of the time by filling up, and a nut flush draw with two overcards about 37% on a two-tone flop. That’s a reason to bet: sets, two pair, overpairs and draws all tend to call, and each of them has real chances if they see the turn and river for free. When a fourth card to a higher straight or a third card of a suit arrives, slow down.

Making your straight on the turn or river

When your straight card arrives, everyone at the table sees a more connected board. Opponents with one pair or two pair often become cautious, but many will call a moderate bet. Size your value bets so those hands can call. When the card that completes your straight is also a third card of a suit or pairs the board, be more careful: it may have completed someone else’s hand too.

Playing straight draws

• Prefer draws to the nut straight. An open-ended draw at the top, like J-10 on 9-8-2, usually makes the best straight when it hits. A draw to the idiot end can hit and still lose.
• Count your real outs. On a two-tone board, two of your eight outs may complete a flush for an opponent. Against a set, a card that pairs the board helps them, not you.
• Bet some of your draws. An open-ended draw completes 31.5% of the time from the flop, and betting it can win the pot immediately. Draws with extra outs, like an open-ended draw with a flush draw, are strong enough to raise.
• Don’t chase gutshots. Four outs from 46 on the turn is 8.7%. Unless the bet is small and the money behind is large, calling costs you.

Before the flop: connected cards add a little

Connectors and one-gappers make straights more often, but a straight is still a rare hand: even the best straight-making hand, J-10, gets there only about once in 11 hands if it sees every card. Connected hands are worth playing when they can win a big pot when they hit and give up cheaply when they don’t, which usually means in position and against opponents with deep stacks. A hand doesn’t become worth playing because its cards are next to each other.

The Straight in Other Games

Omaha

Omaha’s four hole cards make straights far more common: a player who sees the river has one as their best hand about once in 9 hands, more than twice the Hold’em rate. They also create Omaha’s signature draw, the “wrap.” Because your four cards can fit the board in several ways, a flop can leave you with far more than the 8 outs of a Hold’em open-ended draw:

Your hand	Flop	Cards that make a straight on the turn	Straight or better by the river
K♠ Q♥ 7♦ 2♣	J♠ 10♥ 4♦	8 (aces and nines)	32.7%
Q♠ J♥ 10♦ 3♣	9♠ 8♥ 2♦	13	49.9%
J♠ 10♥ 8♦ 7♣	9♠ 6♥ 2♦	13	52.7%
9♠ 8♥ 5♦ 4♣	7♠ 6♥ 2♦	20	69.7%

Exact over every turn card and every turn-and-river combination, using exactly two hole cards and three board cards. Calculated by TopSitesPoker.com.

The flip side is that Omaha straights are often shared or beaten. With so many players holding connected cards, the nut straight matters much more than in Hold’em, and a straight on a suited or paired board is frequently second-best by the river. Remember the two-card rule too: four cards in a row on the board and only one card that fits in your hand is not a straight in Omaha.

Short Deck (6+ Hold’em)

Short Deck removes the 2s through 5s. The ace still plays at both ends, so A-6-7-8-9 is the lowest straight and A-K-Q-J-10 the highest, six straights in all. In five cards, a straight becomes rarer than three of a kind: 6,120 of the 376,992 hands, about 1 in 62, against 16,128 for three of a kind, about 1 in 23. That’s why some Short Deck rule sets rank three of a kind above a straight. With seven cards the order flips: a Short Deck player who sees the river has a straight about once in 7 hands and three of a kind without a straight about once in 14. Rule sets differ, so check whether the game you’re playing ranks straights above or below three of a kind.

Seven Card Stud

In Seven Card Stud, each player’s best five of seven cards plays, so the straight odds match Hold’em’s river figure: 4.62%, about once in 22 hands for a player who stays to seventh street. The difference is information: your opponents’ upcards show you which of your outs are gone, and a draw with several outs visible elsewhere is worth far less than it looks.

Five Card Draw

You’re dealt a pat straight about once in 255 hands. Drawing one card to an open-ended straight gets there 17.0% of the time, and to a gutshot 8.5%.

Lowball and split-pot games

• Deuce-to-seven lowball: straights count against you. 7-6-5-4-3 is a straight, a high hand, so it loses to any seven-low; the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 in mixed suits. The ace is always high, so A-2-3-4-5 is ace-high, not a straight or a good low.
• Ace-to-five lowball and Razz: straights and flushes are ignored, and the ace is low, so the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, is the best possible hand.
• Hi-lo split games: in Omaha Hi-Lo and Stud Hi-Lo, the wheel can win both halves: it’s a straight for the high half and the best possible low.

Video poker

In Jacks or Better, a straight pays 4 for 1 on almost every pay table, and with optimal play on a full-pay 9/6 machine it comes up about once in 89 hands. Straight draws are some of the most misplayed hands in video poker. Here are common decisions in 9/6 Jacks or Better, with the expected return per credit bet for each option:

Dealt	Option 1	Option 2	Best play
10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ 9♦	Keep the straight: 4.00	Hold 10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠: 19.60	Break the straight and draw for the royal
K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♥ 2♦	Hold K-Q-J-10: 0.87	Hold K♠ Q♠ J♠: 1.50	Three to a royal
6♠ 7♥ 8♦ 9♣ 6♦	Hold 6-7-8-9: 0.68	Hold the sixes: 0.82	The low pair
9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ K♦	Hold 9-8-7-6: 0.68	Hold the K♦: 0.47	The open-ended draw
K♠ Q♥ J♦ 9♣ 2♠	Hold K-Q-J-9: 0.53	Hold K-Q-J: 0.50	The inside straight with three high cards
A♠ 2♥ 3♦ 4♣ 9♠	Hold A-2-3-4: 0.40	Hold the A♠ alone: 0.47	The ace alone

Expected returns calculated exactly by TopSitesPoker.com over every possible draw, for full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better. Straight frequency: Wizard of Odds.

An open-ended straight draw with no high cards is worth 8/47 × 4 = 0.68 credits for every credit bet: better than a single high card, worse than any pair. A-2-3-4 looks like a straight draw, but only a five completes it, so it’s worth less than just holding the ace.

Straights at Showdown and in Promotions

At showdown

• Show all your cards. Cards speak, so a straight wins even if you announce “two pair” [TDA 13]. To win any part of the pot, you’re expected to table all your hole cards [TDA 14, 20], including when the board’s straight plays for you. Showing only the card that makes your straight and mucking the other can cost you the pot.
• Count to five, and don’t wrap around. Four cards in a row, or Q-K-A-2-3, is not a straight. Announcing one you don’t have can mislead an opponent into folding a winner, and deliberate miscalls can be penalized.
• Compare the top cards only. When two straights meet, the higher top card wins, and equal tops split the pot. A card outside the five never counts, so an ace in one player’s hand doesn’t break a tie.
• Keep your cards until the pot is pushed. Under TDA rules, cards are dead once the dealer pushes them into the muck or they can no longer be identified and retrieved [TDA 15], and most rooms work the same way. If you think your card extends the board’s straight, show it before letting go.
• In flop games, odd chips go by position, not suit. Split pots between identical straights are common, and under TDA rules any odd chip goes to the first winner to the left of the button [TDA 21]. In Stud, the odd chip goes to the high card by suit.

The TDA rules apply only in events and rooms that adopt them. Many home games and some cardrooms use their own procedures, so check the posted rules where you play.

Promotions and jackpots

A straight almost never wins a high-hand promotion, because over a qualifying period of an hour or more, a flush, full house or better usually turns up. Bad-beat jackpots need much bigger losing hands, typically a high full house or four of a kind, so a straight losing to a higher straight, or to a flush, doesn’t qualify. Some table games and video poker machines pay bonuses for straights, but those pay tables are set by the game, not by poker’s hand rankings. The exact rules differ by room and game, so check the posted requirements.

Common Straight Mistakes

Mistake	Example	The fix
Wrapping around the ace	Q-K-A-2-3	The ace is high or low, never both; this is ace-high
Calling four in a row a straight	10-9-8-7 with a pair of sevens	You need five consecutive ranks
Thinking the wheel is a high straight	5-4-3-2-A against 6-5-4-3-2	The wheel’s top card is the five; it’s the lowest straight
Looking for a kicker	A-10 against K-10 on 9-8-7-6-2	Both have 10-9-8-7-6; the ace doesn’t play, and the pot is split
Overvaluing the idiot end	6-5 on 9-8-7-2-K	Any 10-6 or J-10 beats you; count the higher straights
Ignoring three cards of a suit	J-10 on 9♠ 8♠ 7♦ 2♠ K♥	45 flushes beat even the nut straight; respect big raises
Ignoring the paired board	J-10 on 9-8-7-9-K	27 full houses and one four of a kind beat you
Expecting to scoop on a four-rank board	10-2 on 9-8-7-6-K	Anyone with a ten shares the pot, and a J-10 beats you
Counting a one-ended draw as open-ended	A-K on Q-J-3	Only a ten completes it: 4 outs, not 8
Chasing gutshots	Calling a half-pot turn bet with 9-8 on 6-5-K-2	8.7% to hit; you need 25% to call
Using one hole card in Omaha	10-2-3-4 on J-9-8-7-K	Omaha needs exactly two hole cards that fit
Assuming Short Deck ranks straights the same way	A straight against three of a kind	Some Short Deck rule sets rank three of a kind higher; check the rules

Each example checked with a hand evaluator by TopSitesPoker.com.

Test Yourself: Straight Quiz

Ten questions on reading, comparing and playing straights. Decide before you read the answer. Every hand was checked with a hand evaluator.

#	Question	Answer	Why
1	Is Q-K-A-2-3 a straight?	No	Straights don’t wrap around the ace; it’s ace-high
2	Which wins: 5-4-3-2-A or 6-5-4-3-2?	6-5-4-3-2	The wheel’s top card is the five, so it’s the lowest straight
3	Hold’em: the board is 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 2♣. A♠ 10♥ against K♣ 10♦: who wins?	Split pot	Both have 10-9-8-7-6; straights have no kicker
4	Hold’em: the board is 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠. 6♥ 5♦ against 10♣ 6♠: who wins?	10♣ 6♠	Ten-high beats nine-high; 6-5 has the idiot end
5	What’s the nut straight on 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 2♣ K♠?	J-10	J-10-9-8-7 is the highest straight the board allows
6	How many outs does an open-ended straight draw have, and how often does it hit from the flop to the river?	8 outs, 31.5%	Two completing ranks, four cards each, two cards to come
7	You hold A-K on Q-J-3. How many straight outs do you have?	4	Only a ten makes the straight; it’s a one-ended draw
8	Which starting hand makes the most straights in Hold’em?	J-10 (tied with 5-4)	Both fit four straights; J-10’s are higher, so they’re more often the nuts
9	Hold’em: the board is A♠ K♥ Q♦ J♣ 10♠. What can beat you?	Nothing	Everyone has Broadway, and no flush or full house is possible; the pot is split
10	Omaha: you hold 10♥ 2♣ 3♦ 4♠ and the board is J♠ 9♦ 8♣ 7♥ K♦. Do you have a straight?	No	You must use exactly two hole cards, and only the ten fits

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a straight in poker?

A straight is five cards of consecutive rank that aren’t all the same suit, such as 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ 6♣ 5♠. It’s the sixth-best hand in standard poker, below the flush and above three of a kind.

Does a straight beat three of a kind?

Yes, in standard poker a straight always beats three of a kind. Short Deck is the exception to watch: with the 2s through 5s removed, straights become rarer than three of a kind in five cards, and some Short Deck rule sets rank three of a kind higher.

Does a flush beat a straight?

Yes, always. A flush is about half as common as a straight in five cards, so it ranks higher in every standard poker game.

What beats a straight?

A higher straight, a flush, a full house, four of a kind, a straight flush and a royal flush.

If two players have a straight, who wins?

The one with the higher top card. If both straights have the same top card, they’re equal and the pot is split. Suits and cards outside the five never count.

Is the ace high or low in a straight?

Either, but not both at once. The ace tops Broadway, A-K-Q-J-10, and starts the wheel, 5-4-3-2-A, where it counts as a one.

Is Q-K-A-2-3 a straight?

No. Straights don’t wrap around the corner of the deck. That hand is just ace-high.

What are the highest and lowest straights?

The highest is A-K-Q-J-10, called Broadway. The lowest is 5-4-3-2-A, the wheel or bicycle, because its top card is the five.

Does a straight have a kicker?

No. All five cards are part of the straight, and nothing outside them counts. On 9-8-7-6-2, A-10 and K-10 both have 10-9-8-7-6 and split the pot.

What are the odds of getting a straight?

1 in 255 in a five-card hand. In Texas Hold’em, a player who sees every card has a straight about once in 56 hands by the turn and once in 21.6 by the river. It’s the same 1 in 21.6 in Seven Card Stud and about 1 in 9 in Omaha.

What are the odds of hitting an open-ended straight draw?

With 8 outs on the flop, you hit by the river 31.5% of the time: 17.0% on the turn, and 17.4% on the river if the turn misses.

What are the odds of hitting a gutshot?

With 4 outs on the flop, 16.5% by the river; with one card to come, 8.7%.

Which starting hands make the most straights?

J-10 and 5-4, each about 9.2% of the time by the river when you see every card. Both fit into four different straights. J-10’s straights are higher, so they’re the nut straight far more often. As a group, pocket pairs make the fewest, about 1.9%.

What is the nut straight, and what is the idiot end?

The nut straight is the highest straight the board allows. The idiot end, or sucker end, is a straight made at the bottom when a higher one is possible: on 9-8-7, 6-5 makes 9-8-7-6-5, and any J-10 or 10-6 beats it.

What happens when all five board cards make a straight?

Everyone still in the hand has at least that straight, and the pot is split unless someone holds the card that extends it at the top, or a flush or full house when the board allows one. Heads-up on a board like 9-8-7-6-5 with no three of a suit, the pot is split 71% of the time.

How often does a straight win?

Heads-up, with both players seeing the river, a straight wins about 81% of the time, splits 12% and loses 7%. At a nine-handed table with everyone seeing the river, it wins about 36%, splits 28% and loses 36%.

Straight: Quick-Reference Summary

Question	Answer
What it is	Five consecutive ranks, not all the same suit
How many exist	10 by rank; 10,200 five-card hands
Rank	Sixth: beats three of a kind; loses to a flush and everything above (some Short Deck rules rank three of a kind higher)
Comparing two	Highest top card wins; the same top card splits; no kickers; suits never count
Best and worst	A-K-Q-J-10 (Broadway) and 5-4-3-2-A (the wheel); no wraparound
Odds in five cards	1 in 255
Odds by the Hold’em river	1 in 21.6 (1 in 56 by the turn)
Connectors / hands with four or more gaps / pairs	About 1 in 13.9 / 1 in 33 / 1 in 53 by the river
How Hold’em straights are made	Both hole cards 39.7%; one hole card 53.3%; the board 7.0%
The nut straight	About two straights in seven (28.7%)
Draws	Open-ended 31.5% from the flop, 17.4% with one card; gutshot 16.5% and 8.7%
At showdown, heads-up	Wins 81%, splits 12%, loses 7%; loses 4.7% with no flush possible and 11.2% with one
Omaha / Short Deck	About 1 in 8.9 / 1 in 7.1 by the river
Video poker (9/6 Jacks or Better)	Pays 4 for 1, about once in 89 hands; keep a low pair over an open-ended draw

About This Guide

This guide uses the standard poker hand rankings used in casinos, cardrooms and online, and the TDA 2026 rules (version 1.0, September 7, 2026) where showdown procedure is concerned. House rules, especially on Short Deck, lowball variants, promotions and split-pot procedure, vary, and the rules of the room or site where you play always apply.

Every probability except the video poker frequency was produced by the TopSitesPoker.com editorial team rather than copied from other sources:

• Exact counts: five-, six- and seven-card counts over all 2,598,960, 20,358,520 and 133,784,560 hands; straights by top card; starting-hand, street, route and nut-straight figures over all 2,809,475,760 combinations of two hole cards and five board cards; board textures over every flop, turn and river; Short Deck over all 376,992 five-card and 8,347,680 seven-card hands; Omaha wraps over every turn and river; and every example, board, draw and opponent-holding figure over all possible remaining cards.
• Simulations: the overall Omaha figure from 200,000,000 simulated hands; the table-size, win-loss and loss-by-board figures from 400,000,000 simulated deals per table size; and the straight-against-straight figures from 200,000,000 heads-up deals, with every player seeing the river.
• Video poker: the hold values are exact over every possible draw. The straight frequency under optimal 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy is the published figure from the Wizard of Odds.
• Evaluator checks: every example, look-alike hand, comparison and quiz answer was verified with a hand evaluator, with Omaha hands evaluated using exactly two hole cards and three board cards.

Hold’em, Omaha and Stud figures assume every hand is played to the end. Real players fold often, so straights, and the coolers they create, appear less often in real games than these figures suggest.

The Bottom Line

A straight is five cards in a row, the sixth-best hand in poker. Comparing two is the simplest tie-break in the game: the higher top card wins, equal tops split, and nothing else counts, not suits and not kickers. The ace plays high or low, never both, so Broadway is the best straight and the wheel the worst, and nothing wraps around.

In Hold’em a player who sees the river makes a straight about once in 22 hands, connected hands like J-10 about once in 11, and an open-ended draw on the flop gets there 31.5% of the time. The straight is also the hand most often shared or outdrawn: check for three cards of a suit, a pair on the board and a higher straight before you put your stack in, and remember that on a four-rank board, a single card of the right rank is all anyone needs.