The Broadway Straight - Poker

A Broadway (or Broadway Straight) is a straight, ten through to ace (10-J-Q-K-A) - and not of the same suit. The odds of hitting is such that you would only hit this hand once in every 131.8 hands.

In the ranking of poker hands, a broadway can only be beaten by a Flush (1 in 508.80), Full House (1 in 694.16) , Four of a Kind (1 in 4.165.00), Straight Flush (1 in 72,193.33) and Royal Flush (1 in 649,740.00).

An ace high straight is a big hand but you should be aware of flush and full house possibilities. Situations you should be wary of are two or three of the same suit on the board (see board cards) or when the board pairs (giving an opponent the potential to hit a full house). It's very easy to become blinded by the hand in front of you.

Most of the time, it's a powerful hand and one that you should get paid on. Very often you will make money with players chasing the flush, with a pair or two pair and especially those that have hit the lower end of the straight. For instance, you hold AK and your opponent holds 8-9 and the board comes 10-J-Q. You would be surprised how many players find this difficult to lay down - many players will go broke defending. Extract the maximum. In limit games you will get called all the way so be sure to bet it up. It's much of the same in low limit games where players will tend to call you with any hand combination.

No limit is a different story. If you hit your Broadway on the flop, you might want to slow play and give other player the chance to build the pot. If it checks round on the flop, you can put in a small bluff sized bet. Don't go too passive. You might want another card to peel off to give opponents slight better hands but checking the flop and turn means you'll be posting a big bet on the river - it's less likely to induce action. Of course, if you're an aggressive player, making a continuation bet might be the best play, especially if that's your standard play. Anything less could raise suspicions.

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