Gut Shot Straight Draw and how to play them

If you are a poker player then you have probably been in the position where you have gotten a gut shot straight draw. When this happens you know that you are going to win if you catch your card, but you also know that the odds are not on your side. If you have been miss-leaded then you may even thing that you do have good odds. The fact however, is that you really don’t have a good chance to win with a gut shot straight draw.

When you are playing any hand you should look at the pot odds and the chances you have to win the and before you make a decision. If you are going to play a gut shot straight draw then you should be getting at least 8:1 on your money to justify that play. That means if you are going to call a $100 bet there should be at very least $800 in the pot, and that is on the flop. On the turn, there should actually be double that. So in order to call a gut shot straight draw on the turn of $100 there should be well over $1600 to call that bet.

As you could clearly see there is really not often a time to call with a gut shot straight draw. If you do, then you are probably just throwing away your money. The reason why you would want to call with gut shot straight draw if you are getting 8:1 on your money is because if you do that every time then you will make money in the long run. This gives a good reason for you to be playing a hand like that. If you were getting anything less then you would fold without thinking twice.

If you are playing good poker then you are never going to call with a gut shot straight draw unless you are getting great pot odds. If you do then you are just a terrible player and you will lose almost every time. It is very foolish to play when there are only four cards in the deck that can help you.

It is a different story however, if you are the one doing the betting. This would be something that is called a semi-bluff and sometimes these are the best ones. It helps if you have more outs when you make a play like that, but at least you have some outs. You must sense some weakness in your opponents and have reason to believe that they will fold. If you do then making a good bet with an inside straight draw can be a good play. If your opponent folds then you are going to win the pot right then and there and if he calls at least you have a chance to win. The thing to remember is that you don’t have a good chance at all to win the hand. Never rely on your straight coming up in order for you to win. If you think your opponent is going to call you then don’t bet; just get out of the way.

It is very simple; unless you have the right odds you just don’t play a gut shot straight draw. These are some of the absolute worst draws that you can have in poker. There just simply not enough outs to give you a good chance of catching a straight. If you are smart you will just stay away from gut shot straight draws.