In Texas Hold’em, a straight must consist of five consecutive cards, so 4, 3, 2, A, K does not count as a straight because the Ace (A) can only be the smallest or largest card but not in the middle. Examples of valid straights include 5-6-7-8-9 and 10-J-Q-K-A. In the standard 52-card deck, there are 4 Aces, and a straight must be linear and consecutive without skipping.
Why is A both the highest card and 1?
This is a characteristic of poker rules, where the Ace can be the highest card in the highest straight 10-J-Q-K-A and the smallest card in the lowest straight A-2-3-4-5. For example, 10, J, Q, K, A is the highest straight in Texas Hold’em, while A, 2, 3, 4, 5 is the lowest straight. Both combinations are straights – that is, five consecutive cards.
Highest straight: Ace in 10-J-Q-K-A, also known as “Broadway.”
Lowest straight: A-2-3-4-5, also known as the “wheel.”
Why not count 4, 3, 2, A, K?
Because the Ace cannot simultaneously play the role of the highest and lowest card in the same straight, this means that K, A, 2, 3, 4 is not a straight. A straight starts from any endpoint and increases or decreases sequentially.
Linear straight 5-6-7-8-9, from 5 to 9 without any jumps.
Non-linear straight K-A-2-3-4, Ace is both the highest and lowest, so it doesn’t work.
Poker expert Doyle Brunson once said, “Ace is called ‘Bullet’ or ‘Rocket.'”
In home games or poker variants (such as Pai-Gow Poker), the use of the Ace may be different, for example accepting K-A-2-3-4 as a “round-the-corner straight,” but this does not apply in Texas Hold’em.
Are the “straight” rules in Texas Hold’em fixed?
Yes, a straight consists of five consecutive cards and must be linearly consecutive, such as 5-6-7-8-9 is a valid straight, but K-A-2-3-4 is not.
Valid straights:
8-9-10-J-Q
A-2-3-4-5
10-J-Q-K-A
Invalid straights:
K-A-2-3-4
4-3-2-A-K
5-6-7-8-9 vs. 4-5-6-7-9 The former is OK, the latter NO
A-2-3-4-5 vs. 2-3-4-5-A The former is OK, the latter NO
K-Q-J-10-9 vs. K-Q-J-10-2 The former is OK, the latter NO
Straight rules in different poker games
Texas Hold’em
Valid straights: A-2-3-4-5, 5-6-7-8-9, 10-J-Q-K-A
Invalid straights: K-A-2-3-4, 4-3-2-A-K
Valid straight: Player’s hand 7-8, community cards 9-10-J, straight is 7-8-9-10-J
Invalid straight: Player’s hand K-2, community cards A-3-4-5, cannot form K-A-2-3-4
Valid straights: A-2-3-4-5, 9-10-J-Q-K
Invalid straights: K-A-2-3-4
Valid straights: K-A-2-3-4, A-2-3-4-5, 10-J-Q-K-A
Invalid straights: 4-3-2-A-K
