Straight
A straight is five cards in consecutive rank, of any suits, which beats three of a kind and loses to a flush.
The ace works at both ends, so ace king queen jack ten is the highest straight and ace two three four five is the lowest. That low one is called the wheel, and it counts as a five high straight rather than an ace high hand.
It is uncommon on its own: 10,200 of the 2,598,960 five card hands, or 0.392%. On a board where one is possible it is worth checking whether you hold the top end, because two players making different straights on the same board is a routine way to lose a stack.
an example
your cards
board
The queen, jack, ten, nine and eight run together, so you have a queen high straight. Anybody holding a king and a ten has the higher one, and anybody holding a nine and a seven has a lower one that still looks like a straight to them.
This example is made up. The real one is in your own hand history: find straight in your own hands and see how often it came up and what it cost you.
related terms
Open ended straight draw
An open ended straight draw is four cards in a row where a card at either end completes the straight, which gives it eig ...
Flush
A flush is five cards of the same suit, which beats a straight and loses to a full house.
Straight flush
A straight flush is five consecutive cards all of the same suit, the best hand class there is.
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Knowing the word is not the same as seeing it.
Real spots where you say which hand wins, and it keeps score.