Straight in Poker: Five Cards in a Row
A straight is five cards in a row, in any suits: 7‑8‑9‑T‑J. It beats three of a kind and every weaker hand, and loses to a flush and everything above. Between two straights, the higher top card wins; with the same top card, the pot is split. Connected cards like 9‑8 flop a straight only 1.31% of the time.
Compute a straight
J♣T♣ on 9♥ 8♦ 7♣: the nut straight
J♣T♣ has 7‑8‑9‑T‑J, the best possible hand on this flop. Equity with the turn and river to come:
| Opponent | What it holds | J♣T♣'s equity |
|---|---|---|
| 6♠5♠ | a lower straight, 5 to 9 | 99.5% |
| A♥A♦ | a pair of aces | 96.7% |
| T♦6♦ | a ten-high straight | 89.4% |
| 9♠9♦ | a set of nines | 65.2% |
A lower straight is drawing dead: it can only split the pot, when the turn and river are a ten and a jack. T♦6♦ already has a ten-high straight, 6 to T: a jack gives both hands the same jack-high straight and splits the pot, and two diamonds give it a flush and the win. The set is the real threat: if the board pairs an 8 or a 7, or the turn and river pair each other, it becomes a full house, and a fourth nine makes four of a kind; it keeps 34.8% against the nut straight.
Straight against straight
- The top card decides. 7‑8‑9‑T‑J beats 6‑7‑8‑9‑T. The cards below the top one never matter, since they follow in order.
- Same top card, split pot. Two jack-high straights tie, whatever the suits: see split pots.
- The ace plays high or low. T‑J‑Q‑K‑A is the highest straight, A‑2‑3‑4‑5 the lowest, a five-high straight: see the wheel straight. There is no wraparound such as Q‑K‑A‑2‑3.
- The nut straight is the highest straight possible on the board, here J‑T: see the nuts.
How often a straight comes
| Start | Straight |
|---|---|
| 9‑8, on the flop | 1.31% |
| 9‑8, by the river | 9.3% |
Most straights arrive later, on the turn or the river, from a draw: see the gutshot and the open-ended draw, and why suited connectors are worth playing.
Keep going
- Which hands beat which: poker hand rankings.
- One step above: the flush in poker.
Sources
- Equities enumerated exactly over every turn and river; straight odds counted over every flop and every board.