What is a Straight in Poker? – Poker Players Guide to the Straight Hand in Poker

A straight poker hand is one of the more common sights in poker, with odds of 253.8/1 against this hand being dealt. However, it’s also the sixth-ranked poker hand and one that’s regularly beaten.

But what hand can a poker straight beat? We’ll explore this below, while asking what strategies you can deploy when playing this hand from different positions!

What Does a Straight Look Like in Poker?

In simple terms, a straight in poker features five cards of any suit in sequential order. As we’ve touched on, this is the sixth highest hand in poker. Interestingly, there are only 10 possible straight poker hands in a standard 52-card deck.

What are the Odds and Probability of Hitting Straight Poker Hands?

There are odds against each poker hand being drawn, which imply the probability of such outcomes occurring. With a poker straight hand, its odds of 253.8/1 imply a 0.3925% probability of it being drawn during a game.

Where Does a Straight Rank in the Poker Hand Ratings Chart?

If you want to know what beats a straight in poker, you’ll need to understand where it stands in the overall hierarchy. A straight poker hand ranks sixth in the poker hand ranking chart, behind a Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House and Flush. This ranking is out of 10 hands in Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker variants.

What Does a Straight Beat in Poker?

Now you know what beats a straight in poker, it’s important to analyze which hands a straight can overcome. Remember, a straight hand ranks just below the middle of the poker hand rankings when playing Texas Hold’em and Omaha iterations. However, a straight in poker beats the following hands:

Does a Poker Straight Beat A Royal Flush?

Remember, a straight poker hand carries odds of 253.8/1 and has an implied probability of 0.3925%. However, the Royal Flush is the game’s best hand and vanishingly rare. In fact, there are odds of 649,739/1 against this being drawn, so there’s just a 0.000154% of this being drawn during a game.

Does a Straight Beat a Straight Flush?

A straight flush is similar to a straight hand, but it features sequential cards of the same suit. This hand beats a straight but is also much rarer, as there are odds of 72,192.33/1 against this being drawn. These odds imply just a 0.00139% probability of this outcome occurring.

Does a Straight Beat Four Of A Kind?

A “Four-of-a-Kind” also beats a straight in poker, while the odds of this being drawn are considerably higher at 4,164/1. Ultimately, these odds imply a 0.02401% probability of you hitting this hand during a game, so you’re much more likely to be dealt a straight.

Does a Straight Beat a Full House?

No, a straight doesn’t beat a full house either. This hand combines three-of-a-kind with a pair of any suit, while the odds against this hand being drawn are 693.1667/1. This implies a 0.1441% probability of you being dealt the necessary cards to construct this hand.

Does a Straight Beat a Flush?

A flush comprises five non-sequential cards of the same suit, and is the fifth-ranked poker hand. This is one place higher than a straight poker hand, while the odds against it being drawn are 507.8019/1. This implies a probability of 0.1965%. There are 1,227 potential flush combinations in a standard 52-card deck.

What Poker Hands Does Straight Beat?

These five poker hands all beat a straight poker hand. However, there are four remaining hands that a straight can overcome: namely three-of-a-kind, two pairs, one pair and the highest card. Let’s take a closer look at these hands:

• Three Of A Kind – As the name suggests, three-of-a-kind features three numerically identical cards of different suits. There are 858 potential combinations of this hand, which carries odds of 46.32955/1 and an implied probability value of 2.1128%.
• Two Pairs – Interestingly, there are also 858 distinct two-pair hands in poker. However, this hand is twice as common as three-of-a-kind, with odds of 20.03535/1 against this hand being drawn. This implies a 4.7539% probability of this particular outcome occurring.
• One Pair – Landing a straight in poker cards can unlock 2,860 potential variations. As this hand features just one matching numerical pair, there are odds of just 1.366477/1 against it being drawn. The implied probability value here is also considerably higher at 49.9%.
• High Card – Every poker hand will feature a high card, which simply describes the highest value card drawn. There are 1,277 distinct hands in play here, while the odds against this outcome are 0.9953015/1. In theory, the cumulative probability of this hand being drawn is 100%.

Who Wins if Both Players Have a Straight?

One of the most commonly asked questions in poker is “does a higher straight beat a lower straight”? The answer is that it does, as ties of this type in any game are determined by which straight features the highest value card.

So, a King high straight defeats a Jack high straight, while a Jack high straight would defeat a hand with a highest value card of 10. When playing a hand of this type, it’s crucial that you understand which straight is higher in poker and how this may affect your chances of winning in real-time.

What Are The Odds Of Hitting a Straight With Connected Cards?

The odds of 253.8/1 imply a 0.3925% probability of a straight poker hand being drawn. However, not only do different straight poker rules have a direct impact on odds, but the probability of this hand being drawn can change markedly after every round of betting. Here’s our analysis of how odds can change during the course of a game.

What Strategies Can You Use When Playing a Straight Poker Hand?

As you can see in our comprehensive poker position guide, there are different strategic locations on the table. These will impact how you play most hands, as you’ll need to strategize if you’re to fully optimize your chances of winning.

• How to Play a Straight from the dealer position: The dealer position is the best place from which to play any poker hand. This affords you time to observe the actions and decisions of all competitive players, while it optimizes your chances of winning even with a middle ranking hand such as a poker straight. As long as there’s an Ace of any card of the same suit available, you can raise with confidence and continue to compete for the pot.

• How to Play a Straight from the Small Blind position: When you play the straight hand in poker, the small blind is also a relatively favorable position. This position plays straight after the button (or dealer) and affords you the advantage of seeing what most other players do before acting. However, you also have to move immediately after the flop, while you’ll have to commit chips before seeing your hole cards. This should encourage a more conservative approach in line with your starting bankroll.

• How to Play a Straight from the The Cut Off Position: The cut-off seat sits immediately to the right of the dealer, and players in this space are able to garner some crucial information from previous players. This can inform your decisions and allow for more cards to be played, including tactical pairs and pocket pairs. This affords you a significant advantage when playing for or against a straight hand, as you can garner the strength of your opponents and potentially minimize losses over time.

What is the Best Site to Learn Poker Hands and Straight Poker Rules?

Straight hands in poker can be challenging to play due to their relatively low ranking. However, it’s easy to get to grips with poker straight rules and see how this hand compares to others, simply by reading our how to play poker guide at ReadWrite.

CoinPoker is a site that hosts several detailed tutorials online, including those that are focused on Texas Hold’Em, Omaha Hold’em and 5-card Omaha. So, you can target specific games and learn how to play straight poker hands in different iterations.

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Conclusion

At this stage, you should know what is a straight in poker and how this hand compares to others. Despite being a beginner’s straight poker guide, this resource also covers some key points of information and lessons. These include:

1. What is a Straight Poker Hand? – Our guide includes the straight poker meaning and definition, and how hands of this type are composed.
2. The Best Straight Poker Examples  – There are only a few straight poker examples, with 10 distinct hands of this type available. These comprise five cards of any suit in sequential order.
3. How are Straight Hands in Poker Ranked?  – This is categorized as the sixth-highest ranked poker hand, so it can be incredibly tough to play. You’ll have learned that straight hands in poker don’t offer significant value overall.
4. What are the Highest Straights in Poker?  – Not all possible straights in poker have been created equal. The highest-value cards will settle tied hands of this type, so a poker straight with an ace is the best possible example.
5. How to Play Specific Hands  – In addition to imparting knowledge on the highest straight in poker, we’ve also covered the best strategies for playing this hand for different positions on the table.

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