Straight Poker Hand Rank & the Most Useful Strategy Tips

Have you always wondered how to play your straights to their full potential and get paid off? Getting the most out of your straights takes finesse and strategy, but can lead to massive returns. We will look over the odds and probabilities of making a straight, as well as some important strategic tips you can use to maximize your profits.

Before all that, let’s start with some basics and learn what a straight is, how it is made, and what different types of straight draws exist in poker. 

What Is a Straight in Poker?

A straight is a powerful poker hand made up of five consecutive cards of various suits. For example, 5♥ 6♠ 7♠ 8♣ 9♣ makes up a Nine-high straight (from 5 to 9). A straight is a valuable hand, but can be vulnerable depending on the board and the situation. 

The best straights are the one made using both of your hole cards and three community cards.If you hold 9♥ T♣ on a board of A♥ 3♠ 7♠ 8♣ 6♣, you’ve made the best version of the straight. This high straight is known as “the nuts” or the “nut straight.” Overplaying the lower end of the straight or a poker straight with just one hole card can be dangerous, as such hands can be vulnerable. This is especially the case on paired boards or boards where a flush is possible. 

Playing your straights in poker right comes down to understanding the odds, knowing how to read the board texture, and assessing your opponents. Using the right strategies, a straight can become one of the biggest moneymakers in your poker arsenal. 

What Is a Straight Flush?

Now that you know what a straight is, you may be wondering what a straight flush is. A straight flush is a similar, but much more valuable hand, made up of five consecutive cards of the same suit. For example, while 7♦ 8♠ 9♦ T♥ J♣ makes a straight, 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ T♥ J♥ makes a straight flush. If you can make a straight flush in poker, it’s incredibly hard to lose, and you’ll beat any regular straight at showdown.

A straight flush is an incredibly rare poker hand, as it requires five very specific cards. However, whenever you do have a straight flush, you can be sure you have the best hand. A straight flush comes along once in a blue moon, and is one of the prettiest sights in all of poker. 

How Does a Straight Rank in Poker?

Looking at the official poker hand rankings, you will notice that a straight is ranked in the middle. The hand is stronger than the likes of three-of-a-kind and two pair, but weaker than flushes, full houses, and stronger hands. Yet, a poker straight is the best possible hand on many boards, and is especially powerful in games like Texas Hold’em and Seven Card Stud. 

If you play Pot Limit Omaha or Five Card Pot Limit Omaha, straights lose some of their value. The extra hole cards make it more likely that a player will make a full house or a flush. On paired boards or ones with three suited cards, straights rarely win big pots in Omaha poker. Yet, if such hands are not possible, the high end of the straight is still the best hand. 

What is the best straight in poker?
The best straight in poker is made up of the five highest ranked cards in the deck, such as T♥ J♣ Q♥ K♠ A♦. This straight is also known as “The Broadway.”

What is the worst straight in poker?
The worst straight in poker is made up of the five lowest ranked cards in the deck, such as A♣ 2♠ 3♥ 4♦ 5♣. This straight is also known as “The Wheel.”

What Beats a Straight in Poker?

A straight can be beaten by a flush, a full house, four-of-a-kind, a straight flush, and a royal flush. Note that four-of-a-kind, straight flush, and royal flush are very rare poker hands, which means a straight is most susceptible to flushes and full houses. 

On average, a straight will be the best hand in most cases in Texas Hold’em. Remember that the board has to have three cards of the same suit for a flush to be possible, and have a pair on it for a full house to be possible. In all other cases, the high end of the straight is the best possible hand. 

What Does a Straight Beat in Poker?

A straight beats all high card, one pair, two pair, and three-of-a-kind combinations. Since these are the most common hands in Texas Hold’em, a straight wins more often than not. In fact, a straight is the best possible hand on many poker boards, which makes it quite powerful. 

Whenever you get a straight, think about the possible hands your opponents can have. If your straight is the best possible hand, you will be looking to get paid by hands like three-of-a-kind and two pair. Such hands will often pay you off as their relative hand strength can be quite high on many boards. 

Straight vs Straight – Who Wins?

The situation where two players have a straight comes up somewhat often in poker. For example, on a flop of 9♦ T♠ J♣, you may have K♠ Q♠ and your opponent may have 8♦ 7♦. In this case, both you and the other player have a straight, but yours is higher. The higher end of the straight is always the winner in straight-over-straight situations. 

To understand what beats what, just consider how high a straight goes. If your 5-card straight reaches the J♦ and your opponent’s only reaches a T♥, you win the pot.

If you make a straight with just one hole card, it is worth thinking about two-card straight combos your opponents may have. In such situations, it is important not to overplay your hand, as a higher straight possibility looms. 

What Is the Probability of Getting a Straight?

It’s time to talk statistics and probabilities? Making a straight on the flop is somewhat rare, although not impossible. On the other hand, making a straight draw is a lot more common. What is a straight draw? It is a four-card hand that’s missing one more card to make a straight. 

There are two types of straight draws in poker. An open-ended straight draw is the one that can be completed by cards on two ends. For example, if you have J♦ T♦ on a board of 9♣ 8♠ 4♦, you can complete your open-ended straight with any Q or 7. 

An inside straight draw (or gutshot) can be completed only by one card. For example, if you have J♦ T♦ on a board of 9♠ 7♦ 4♣, you can only complete your inside straight draw with any 8. 

Now, let’s take a look at the odds and probabilities of making a straight in different situations:

As you can see, the chances of flopping a straight are quite slim, but once you make a straight draw, your hand becomes quite playable. Open-ended straight draws, in particular, have a great chance of completing and giving you a straight by the time the river card is dealt. 

What is the Probability of a Straight Improving?

A straight is not the most dynamic of poker hands, as it can rarely improve to a better hand. However, a straight can improve to a higher straight or a straight flush in some situations. Improving your straight doesn’t always mean your hand gains any extra absolute value. Yet, here is a look at the different ways a straight can improve and the odds of it happening:

Straight Strategy: 3 Useful Tips for Playing Straights

A straight is a strong poker hand, but you can only extract full value from it if you play it right. Applying the right strategies with your straights will give you a chance to get the maximum value from your opponents and dominate in your games. 

Here are a few useful strategy tips on how to play your straights and get the best results every time:

Play Aggressively on Dynamic Boards

Flopped straights are particularly strong hands that can get a lot of value in many situations. This is especially true on dynamic boards like 9♥ 6♥ 5♣ where your opponent can have many different made hands or draws. 

On a board like this, you will want to apply an aggressive playing style. If faced with a bet, put in a big raise and expect to get a lot of action. Players will have hands like sets, two pair, or flush draws, which are very hard to fold on the flop. For these reasons, putting in the big bets and raises can work like a charm when you have a straight on a dynamic board. 

Adjust Your Bet Sizing

Bet sizing is a key poker strategy for getting the most favorable results in every situation. With your straights, you will want to adjust your bet sizing strategy depending on the board texture and your opponents’ perceived hand ranges. 

We already talked about one example where big bet sizes can work well. There are other situations where you may want to bet smaller to get value, or overbet the pot to make your hand look like a bluff. For example, if you make a fairly obvious straight on the river, make a small bet to get paid by one pair. If you make a gutshot straight and it looks like your opponent may have a set, think about overbetting the pot to get max value. 

Consider Implied Odds

Another key concept you need to think about when drawing to a straight are implied odds. Implied odds indicate the amount of money you may win if you make your hand, and these are especially important when you are drawing to a straight. 

For example, imagine having T♥ 9♣ on a board of J♥ 7♦ 4♣ and facing a flop bet of $70 into a $100 pot. Your hand is not very strong and may not warrant a call according to direct odds. However, if you are up against an aggressive opponent, you may want to peel off a card. If you make your straight, you may win another $1,000 or more, as they find it hard to fold a value hand or keep on bluffing you. 

Get Straight Into the Action with CoinPoker

Now that you know what a straight is and how to play it, all that’s left is to practice. At CoinPoker, you can play in affordable low-stakes poker games, as well as freeroll tournaments that require no deposit. This is the best way to practice your poker skills and learn how to play your poker straights in real game scenarios.

Join CoinPoker now to access a massive selection of real money games and claim the world’s best online poker bonus worth $1,500 on your first deposit. 

FAQs