Straight
Hands Level · Beginner Aliases: run, five in a row
A straight is five cards in consecutive rank order, of any suits.
What is Straight
A straight is five cards of consecutive rank, suits irrelevant — 5-6-7-8-9, for instance. The ace can sit at the top to make T-J-Q-K-A or at the bottom to make A-2-3-4-5, but it cannot wrap around from king to two. When two players both hold a straight, the highest card in the five decides it. Read a straight from the best five of the seven visible cards; both hole cards do not have to play. On paired boards or boards with three of a suit, a straight is still strong but full houses and flushes remain possible. Before betting, work out which worse hands can call rather than treating every connected board as the nuts.
On the felt
Table6-max cash game
PositionBTN vs BB
Flop7♣6♦5♠K♣2♥
ActionShow down a nine-high straight with 9♥8♥
Example
You hold 9♥8♥ on the button and the board is 7♣6♦5♠K♣2♥, giving you a 5-6-7-8-9 straight. An opponent with A♠A♦ has only one pair, and your straight wins at showdown.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the ace can bridge king and two. It plays as either the highest or the lowest card, never Q-K-A-2-3.
- Stopping the read once you see five in a row. Flushes, full houses and higher straights can all still beat you.
Related terms
Bad Beat
A bad beat is a hand that was a heavy favourite when the chips went in but lost to an unlikely runout.
Cooler
A cooler is a collision where both players hold very strong hands and neither can reasonably avoid it.
Flop
The flop is the first three community cards, dealt together, and the second betting street.
Full House
A full house is a five-card hand made of three of a kind plus a pair.
Kicker
A kicker is a side card that is not part of the main hand and breaks ties between equal hands.
Nuts
The nuts is the strongest possible hand on the current board — no legal holding can beat it.