Although Fixed Limit Texas Holdem is a game of high cards, it’s not all about high cards. There are hands other than high pairs that can be profitable, including straights and flushes. It is unlikely you will flop a straight right away, but if you have two connected cards, you may flop a straight draw. How you play these straight draws can have a considerable effect on your bankroll.
The first thing to understand is that there are a number of different kinds of straight draws in poker. The first is an open-ended straight draw. This is a straight draw where a card on either side can make your hand. For example, you have T, J and the flop is 9, Q, 4. This is an open-ended straight draw because you can make your straight with the bottom end, the 8, or the top end, the K. This kind of draw gives you eight “outs,” or ways to make your hand. The next kind of straight draw is a gut shot. This is a draw where you need the card in the middle to make your straight. For example if you have T8 with the same flop of 9 Q 4, you now have a gut shot straight, because only the J will give you a straight. This gives you only four outs: the four Js. The third kind of straight draw is a double gut shot. This is a situation where you still need an in-between card to make a straight, but there are two opportunities to do so. If you have T, 9 and the board is K, J, 7, you have a double gut shot. The 8 will give you the 7 through J straight, and the Q will give you the 9 through K straight. Like an open-ended straight draw, you have the maximum number of outs to make a straight, eight. visitez le site
You usually don’t want to put in money chasing single gut shot straights because the amount you will get paid when you hit will not balance the amount of times you put money in the pot and missed. In contrast, you have a roughly four-to-one chance of hitting your open ended or double gutted draw, so if the pot has or is likely to have more than four times the amount you have to put in, it’s worth it to draw at your straight. However, when you’re playing at poker sites online you will find that a lot of people make a habit of chasing single gut shot straight draws. This is something you should keep in mind and try to take advantage of.
A few things to keep in mind: If there are two of a suit out there to go with your straight draw and your cards do not match that suit, you probably cannot count cards of that suit among your outs, as you cannot discount the likelihood that they will make a winning flush for someone else. Also, you do not want to be drawing to the bottom or “ignorant end” of the straight. For example if you have T, 8 and the flop comes 9, J, K, you probably do not want to invest too much in this hand. If you hit a 7 for a 7 to J straight, you may be beaten by Q, T giving someone a straight to the K, and if a Q comes, you can be dead to A, T, a straight to the Ace. If you are drawing to a straight, you want to make sure it is the best straight when you hit it.
Straight draws can be highly profitable to play if you play them correctly. If you don’t, they can be very costly, so be sure you have a good understanding of the hand’s potential before you put too much money in the pot chasing them.
