What Poker Hand Beats a Straight?

In poker, a straight is a hand that contains five cards of sequential rank, not all of the same suit. If two players have a straight, the player with the highest-ranking card wins.

A straight beats a three of a kind.

The highest straight is an ace-high straight, also known as a Broadway straight. The Lowest straight is a wheel: five consecutive cards, all in the same suit, starting with Ace, Two, Three, Four, and Five.

Aces can be high or low in a straight. An Ace-high straight (A-K-Q-J-10) is called a Broadway straight, while a Five-high straight (5-4-3-2-A) is called a wheel or bicycle.

Straights with higher ranking cards are more powerful; thus, they are more likely to win if both hands make straights.

The following table shows the probability of making various types of straights.

Type of Straight

Odds

Ace-High (Broadway)

1 in 20,358

King-High

1 in 4164

Queen-High

1 in 1579

Jack-High

1 in 720

Ten-High or Lower (Wheel) 1 in 254.

PRO TIP:In poker, a Straight is beaten by a higher-ranked Straight or any of the five-card hands that rank above it in the poker hand ranking system. These include a Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush and Royal Flush.