Gambling terms, explained straight

Poker

Straight poker with ace

A straight poker hand in which the ace is used either as the highest card (A-K-Q-J-10) or the lowest card (A-2-3-4-5) to complete a five-card consecutive sequence.

Cards in a straight
5
Ace-high straight
10-J-Q-K-A
Ace-low straight
A-2-3-4-5

Key points

  • The ace can be high or low in a straight, but cannot wrap around (e.g., K-A-2-3-4 is not valid).23
  • A straight with an ace is ranked by its highest card; an ace-high straight beats a king-high straight.1
  • In standard poker, a straight ranks above three of a kind and below a flush, with the ace-low straight being the lowest possible straight.1

Where this term is used

Not the same as

  • High straight poker — a straight where the ace is specifically the top card (10-J-Q-K-A), not a straight with ace used low

Sources

  1. List of poker hands en.wikipedia.org Defines the straight hand and the ace's high/low role in standard poker rankings.
  2. Poker Rules - Pagat pagat.com Confirms the ace can be high or low in a straight and that K-A-2-3-4 is invalid.
  3. Run (cards) - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Describes the run (straight) concept and the ace's dual usage in consecutive sequences.

Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.