You’re sitting at a dusty table in Vegas, or maybe just on your couch grinding a micro-stakes tournament on PokerStars. The board reads 7-8-J-Q-2. You’ve got a 9 and a 10 in your hand. Your heart does that little flutter because you’ve got it—the straight. It feels like a monster. You jam your chips in, feeling like a genius, only to see your opponent flip over two diamonds that match three on the board.
Just like that, you’re felted.
Understanding poker what beats a straight isn't just about memorizing a chart you saw on a cereal box. It’s about the brutal math of the game. A straight is a strong hand, don't get me wrong. In Texas Hold'em, it’s often enough to take down a massive pot. But it’s also one of the most "trappy" hands in the game because it sits right in the middle of the hierarchy. It’s the gatekeeper. Anything above it starts getting into the territory of "premium" hands that can ruin your night in a single heartbeat.
If you’ve ever wondered why your straight keeps losing, you need to look at the hierarchy of poker hands through the lens of probability. The straight is five consecutive cards of different suits. It’s hard to get. But a flush? That’s five cards of the same suit. Statistically, it’s rarer. That’s why it wins.
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The Definitive List: Poker What Beats a Straight
Let’s get the raw rankings out of the way. If you have a straight, there are exactly five hand categories that will absolutely crush you.
First up is the Flush. This is the most common "straight-killer." Because it only requires five cards of the same suit, players often chase it with a "draw." If the turn or river brings that third or fourth spade, your straight is suddenly looking very shaky. Next is the Full House, affectionately known as a "boat." This is three of a kind plus a pair. It’s a powerhouse. If the board is paired—meaning there are two 4s or two Jacks on the table—the risk of someone having a full house skyrockets.
Then we get into the rare stuff. Four of a Kind (Quads) beats a straight every day of the week. Above that is the Straight Flush, which is essentially a straight where all the cards are the same suit. And finally, the undisputed king: the Royal Flush. That’s the 10-J-Q-K-A of a single suit.
- Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
- Full House: Three of one rank, two of another.
- Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same rank.
- Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
- Royal Flush: The unbeatable A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit.
Honestly, if you're holding a straight and someone has a Royal Flush, just stand up and clap. There’s nothing else you can do. The odds of hitting a Royal Flush are 1 in 649,740. You're more likely to get struck by lightning while holding a winning lottery ticket.
The "Suckout" and the Flush Threat
Most beginners lose money because they fall in love with their hand. They see the 5-6-7-8-9 and think they’re invincible. But look at the board. Is it "monotone"? If there are three hearts out there, any player holding two hearts—or even just one high heart if there are four on the board—has you beat.
The Flush is the natural predator of the straight. In a standard 52-card deck, there are 10,240 possible ways to make a straight, but only 5,108 ways to make a flush (excluding straight flushes). The math doesn't lie. Because the flush is roughly twice as rare, it sits higher on the totem pole. When the third suit hits the river, professional players like Daniel Negreanu or Phil Ivey immediately go into "pot control" mode if they only have a straight. They know the math changed.
Why the Full House is a Straight's Worst Nightmare
The Full House is a different beast entirely. You usually see this coming when the board pairs. Let’s say the board is 5-6-7-J-J. You have the 8-9 for the straight. You feel good. But your opponent has a Jack and a 5. Suddenly, they have Jacks full of fives.
You’re dead.
In big-stack cash games, "set mining" is a huge strategy. Players will limp in with a small pair like 2-2 or 3-3, hoping to hit three-of-a-kind on the flop. If they hit it, and then the board pairs later, they’ve got a Full House. This is how "straight over full house" coolers happen. A "cooler" is poker slang for a situation where two players both have massive hands, but one is mathematically destined to lose. You can't fold. You shouldn't fold. You just lose your stack and move on.
The Nuance of the Straight Itself
Not all straights are created equal. This is a nuance many people miss when asking about poker what beats a straight.
There is a "high" straight and a "low" straight. If you have 5-6-7-8-9 and I have 6-7-8-9-10, I beat you. Even though we both have a straight, mine is higher. The "Broadway" straight (A-K-Q-J-10) is the best possible non-flush straight. The "Wheel" (A-2-3-4-5) is the lowest.
"In poker, the second-best hand is the most expensive hand." — Anonymous Pro.
This quote is basically the unofficial slogan for the straight. It’s good enough to bet, but not always good enough to win. If you're playing Omaha (the version where you get four cards instead of two), straights are even more dangerous. In Omaha, a straight is often a "garbage" hand because it’s so much easier for someone else to have a flush or a full house.
Tactical Reality: When to Fold a Straight
It sounds like heresy. Folding a straight? Really?
Yes.
If you are playing a tight-aggressive player who suddenly starts shoving chips into the middle on a board with four spades, your 6-7-8-9-10 straight is likely toast. You have to be able to "read the texture" of the board. Expert players don't just look at their cards; they look at what the board allows to exist.
If the board is 9-9-10-J-Q, and you have the 8-K for a straight, you have to realize that anyone with a 9, a 10, a J, or a Q in their hand could have a full house. If someone has Q-Q, they have a full house. If they have 9-10, they have a full house. The straight is suddenly the "dummy" end of the hand.
Common Misconceptions About Hand Rankings
I’ve seen people at home games try to argue that a "Three Pair" beats a straight. Guess what? There is no such thing as three pair. You only ever use five cards in poker. If you have 2-2, 4-4, and 6-6, you just have Two Pair (the 6s and 4s). The 2s don't count.
Another one? People thinking a straight beats a flush because a straight is "harder to coordinate." It isn't. The permutations of five consecutive cards are more numerous than five suited cards. Period.
Practical Steps for Your Next Game
Stop overvaluing the "low end" of the straight. If the board is 6-7-8 and you have 4-5, you have a straight. But if anyone has 9-10, they have a higher straight. This is called being "ignorant." You’re playing a hand that can only win if no one else has a piece of the board.
- Check the suits: Always count how many cards of the same suit are on the board. Three or more? Your straight is in danger.
- Watch for pairs: A paired board means a Full House is possible. Tread carefully.
- Position matters: if you're the last to act, you can see how everyone else reacts to the board before you commit your chips.
- The Ace factor: Remember that Aces can be high or low for straights, but they are always high for flushes.
If you want to get serious, start using a "poker equity calculator." These apps let you plug in your cards and the board cards to see your exact percentage chance of winning. You’ll quickly see how fast your "winning" straight drops to 10% or 20% equity when the board gets messy.
The goal isn't just to know what beats what. It’s to know when your "great" hand is actually a "decent" hand. That’s the difference between a player who goes home broke and one who actually walks away with some profit.
Next time you hit that 5-card run, take a breath. Look for the flush. Look for the pair. If the coast is clear, bet big. But if that third heart hits the river and the guy across from you—who hasn't played a hand in an hour—suddenly goes all-in?
Fold.
Your straight isn't as pretty as you think it is.
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To truly master the game, your next step should be studying "board texture." Learn to categorize boards into "dry" (no draws possible) and "wet" (lots of straight and flush possibilities). This skill, combined with your knowledge of hand rankings, will turn you from a "calling station" into a feared player at the table. Grab a deck of cards, deal out a few random boards, and practice identifying the "nuts"—the best possible hand for that specific set of cards. It’s the fastest way to sharpen your instincts.