Cards and hands
A draw is an unfinished hand: you need one more card to make a straight or a flush. Four cards of one suit are a flush draw; four cards in a row are a straight draw. The cards that complete it are your outs.
Types of draws
| Draw | Example | Outs | Odds by the river |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flush draw | A5 on K92 | 9 | 35% |
| Open-ended straight draw | 98 on 76K | 8 | 31.5% |
| Gutshot, inside straight draw | 98 on 75K | 4 | 16.5% |
| Combo draw | 98 on 762 | 15 | 54.1% |
| Backdoor flush draw | AQ on K72 | needs two spades | ≈ 4% |
Odds are for Hold’em from the flop to the river, seeing both cards. A combo draw has 15 outs: 9 for the flush and 8 for the straight, minus the two cards that make both.
Count the odds of your draw
Nut and non-nut draws
Not every draw is worth the same. A flush draw with the ace of the suit is a nut draw: if it hits, it is the best hand. A low flush draw can hit and still lose to a higher flush. Straight draws work the same way: drawing to the low end of a straight risks losing to a higher one. More in the nuts.
How to play draws
- Compare your odds with the price. Calling 10 into a pot of 30 makes a final pot of 40, of which you put in 25%. The call pays if your chance to hit is at least that share.
- Play draws aggressively. A bet or raise with a draw is a semi-bluff: the opponent may fold now, and if they call, you still have outs.
- Mind the turn. From the flop to the river your chance is almost twice the one-card chance. A big turn bet often makes the draw unprofitable.
- Draws are stronger in Omaha. With four to six hole cards you often have 13–20 outs. But the 2 + 3 rule still applies: a flush needs exactly two suited hole cards.
FAQ
An unfinished hand that needs one more card to make a straight or a flush.
Related terms
OutsCards left in the deck that improve your hand to a winner.NutsThe best possible hand on the current board.Flop, turn, riverThe three, fourth and fifth community cards and the betting rounds on them.SetThree of a kind made with a pocket pair and one board card.
Every poker term in one place
From check to satellite: short definitions and detailed explanations with card examples.