Getting five consecutive cards in a hand of poker is pretty rare, online or at live sites. Your chances of making a straight in Omaha by the river are about 11.3%, and just 4.6% in Texas Hold’em. But when you do make your straight, you’ll have one of the highest-ranking hands in the poker game – and chances are you’ll scoop up a healthy pot in the process.
It’s relatively easy to play your straight once you have all five of the cards you need. Playing online a four-card straight draw is one of the trickier parts of building a sound strategy. This guide will show you the different moves new beginners should make at poker table with different types of straight draws, and some of the odds players will face in these situations.
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Types of Poker Straight Draws
When you find yourself with four cards to a straight, your eyes light up and your mouth starts watering for that extra cash money. But not all straight draws are created equal. If the four cards you already have are consecutive, like Ten-Nine-Eight-Seven, you have an outside straight draw, also known as an open-ended straight draw. In this case, you’ll complete your poker hand with either a Jack or a Six. That’s eight outs to make your straight.
If there’s a single free gap in your four cards, like Ten-Eight-Seven-Six, that’s another poker story. You have an inside straight draw, also known as a gutshot. This draw only gives you four outs to make your straight: the four Nines in the deck. Because your chances of completing a gutshot are small compared to an open-ender, your strategy needs to treat these poker hands differently when trying to win.
There’s also a third category of straight draw you should know about. That’s the double inside straight draw, or double belly-buster for the old-school poker fans. You will sometimes look down at your hole cards and the poker board and see a run of near-consecutive cards, like Ten-Eight-Seven-Six-Four. This gives you eight sneaky outs to a straight: the four Nines (making T9876), and the four Fives (making 87654). Generally speaking, you can play the double belly-buster the same way as an open-ender, but your chances of getting paid will be higher when you complete, since your opponents might not recognize the draw potential of a disconnected board like Ten-Seven-Four when you’re holding Eight-Six.
Another important thing to pay attention to when playing is how many of your hole cards are included in your straight draw. If the board comes out Seven-Six-Five and you have an Eight, that’s not nearly as good a situation as having both the Eight and the Seven on a Six-Five-Deuce board, since it’s easier for your opponent to also make a straight. Plus, it’s much better to have the Eight on a Seven-Six-Five board than the Four. That’s because you’ll make a higher straight when the Eight comes in than vice-versa. Always proceed with caution when you have the “dumb” end of the straight.
How to Play Poker With a Straight Draw
Omaha adds several extra layers to players’ draw strategy, since they’ll have four hole cards and the opportunity to make a wrap – that’s five or more consecutive cards to a straight in poker. Players can have up to 20 outs when they make a wrap playing in Omaha, but this is more advanced territory. For now, we’ll concentrate on Texas Hold’em poker strategy.
Open-Ended Straight Draw Strategy
On the whole, it’s usually a good idea to play your draws quickly in Hold’em when you’re on the flop – that means betting or raising rather than checking or calling. Doing this gives you two ways of winning real money online: by making your opponent fold, or failing that, by completing your draw on the turn or river. This is the recommended approach for beginner players, and often the right play regardless of skill level of the players.
If players get to the turn and the draw has yet to complete, choosing whether or not to double-barrel with another street of aggression is a tough choice. But it’s easier if the turn card is a blank that doesn’t connect well with the rest of the board. When this happens, a turn bet is more likely to induce a fold from the players’ opponent. Beginners might want to avoid double-barreling as a rule of thumb if the turn isn’t a blank – and save the rare triple-barrel bluff for experts should your draw fail to complete by the river.
Gutshot Straight Draw Strategy
With four fewer outs to make your straight, your gutshot doesn’t have as much equity as an open-ender, so bluffing with these hands isn’t recommended for beginners in poker online for real money. However, a gutshot can be an excellent bluff candidate on the flop for more experienced players. This move is best used when facing an opponent with a wide range; for example, if the button opens and you call from the big blind. When they continuation bet, you can raise with your gutshot and often get them to fold, especially if the board comes out with three low cards.
When to Chase Straight Draws
There’s a time to play draws aggressively, and a time to play them passively by checking, hoping to see the next card for free and complete your draw. This can be the right choice when players are out of position and first to act versus the pre-flop aggressor, or in any multi-way situation. If players’ opponent fires a small c-bet instead of checking back, and they have the pot odds to continue, consider calling and seeing if the next card fills out the straight. The passive approach makes even more sense during online poker tournaments, where the emphasis is on survival rather than chip accumulation.
Poker Odds for Straight Draws
Your real money pot odds for completing that straight draw will depend on the size of the cash pot and your chances of making your best hand. To quickly estimate the latter, remember the Rule of Four and Two: Multiply your outs by four on the flop and two on the turn. An open-ended or double inside draw has eight outs, giving you roughly a 32% chance of completing with two more cards to come, or 16% with just one more card. A gutshot with four outs will give you about half that chance: 16% and 8% respectively.
Now that you know these basic approaches for what to do with your straight draws, you can log into the Bovada poker site and play online poker today with more confidence in your overall Hold’em poker strategy. Get these concepts ingrained before moving on to more advanced straight draw concepts, and as always, best of luck at the poker tables, Omaha or Texas Hold ‘Em.
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