The straight in poker is a hand that can have great potential if you play it strategically and manage to match specific cards and colours. However, it is a hand that is quite common, especially if you play Texas Hold’em. That is why we should not risk too much by betting all our chips on a straight unless we see it clearly -as we explain below in the different possible straights in poker-.
This is because it has preference over other hands, but as all players have the possibility of making a straight, there are also several possibilities of winning the hand or even a straight draw. In this article we are going to explain what the different types of straights in poker are, which ones take precedence and some tips on how to play your cards with this hand.
Read on for more information.
Types of poker straights
As we explained, we can find several types of poker straights, especially if we play Texas Hold’em in which players have 5 cards to complete their hand. Below, we explain which are the possible straights in poker:
- Royal Flush: It is the maximum play that exists in poker and, therefore, the most difficult combination to achieve. In fact, the chance that a player can have a Royal Flush is 1 in 30,940 or 0.000323%. A royal flush is a hand with all cards of the same suit, consecutive and ending in AS. In other words, the straight flush in its maximum expression, consisting of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten.
- Straight Flush: This straight flush stands out because it is a consecutive straight flush of the same suit. An example of a straight flush would be 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 7 + 8 of spades. As it is an extremely difficult hand to see, it has greater advantages over other hands.
- Royal flush: The straight can be open or inside straight and is achieved by combining consecutive cards of different colours or suits. In the case of the classic open straight, we find one that is complemented by the community cards at the ends of the straight. For example, if we have a 5 + 6 + 7 in our hand and in the community cards there is a 4 and an 8. The inside straight, on the other hand, occurs when the community cards complement it in the middle. For example, if we have a 4 + 7 + 8 and the community cards are 5 and 6. In any case, this has no influence on who will win the hand, only the highest straight should be taken into account.
Who wins in poker?
As mentioned in this article, the straight flush is a mid-power hand because it beats the lowest hands, but there are other hands that beat it. In general, the straight usually beats other poker hands such as the three of a kind, the double pair, the pair or the high card, while it loses to a full house, a poker hand and the flush. However, everything changes depending on the type of straight you have. Here is the scheme you should always keep in mind to know which hand is better:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Poker
- Full House
- Colour
- Classic staircase
- Trio
- Double Pair
- Couple
- High Card
Who wins in poker: Flush or straight?
When we talk about a flush hand in poker we mean a hand in which the player has a total of 5 cards of the same suit, even if they are not a straight – in which case it would be a straight flush. To answer the question in poker, who wins, flush or straight, there are three possibilities:
- If it is a straight against a straight: In this case, the straight flush has no chance because the chances of having a hand of the same colour are smaller than those of a straight flush, and therefore the straight flush has the upper hand.
- If it is a straight flush against a flush: The winning hand in this case would be the straight flush, since the odds of having this hand are more difficult.
- If it is a royal flush against a flush: As you can imagine, the royal flush beats the straight hand. This is the best play we can have in poker, but also the most difficult to get.
Can there be a straight draw in poker?
The answer is yes. Although rare, a straight draw in poker is possible, for example, between straight flushes of the same colour, but especially in straight flushes. It is very unlikely that there are repeated royal flushes, although if this were the case, the pot would be split. The same is true for straight flushes, although an example could be when making a straight 10 + 9 + 8 + 8 + 7 + 6 of spades, on the one hand, and 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 7 + 6 of clubs on the other. However, it is practically impossible for it to be repeated.
In any case, it must be borne in mind that a straight flush draw in poker can occur, even if it is not a flush draw. In these cases, it would be resolved as follows:
- If there is a tie between classic straights: this is resolved by looking in favour of the higher hand.
- If there is a tie between straight and flush: Even if the straight flush is the highest, the straight flush always wins.
- If there is an identical tie: The pot is split.
