Four to a straight is not one fixed strategy play. An open-ended straight draw is stronger than an inside straight draw because more cards complete it. In Jacks or Better-style games, four to a straight may be correct in some spots, but it can lose to paying pairs, strong high-card holds, flush draws, or royal draws.
Quick Facts
- Four to a straight means four cards can form a five-card straight with one draw card.
- Open-ended draws usually have 8 completing cards.
- Inside straight draws usually have 4 completing cards.
- Some straight draws contain high cards that add extra value.
- A straight usually pays less than a flush in Jacks or Better paytables.
- The correct hold depends on paytable, ranks, and competing holds.
- Strategy charts are important because “almost a straight” can be weaker than it looks.
Plain Talk
Four to a straight looks simple until you ask which straight.
There is a big difference between:
5-6-7-8
and:
5-6-8-9
The first hand can be completed by either a 4 or a 9. That is open-ended. The second hand needs a 7. That is an inside draw.
Open-ended draws have more ways to hit. Inside draws have fewer. But even an open-ended straight draw may not be the best hold if the hand also contains a paying pair, four to a flush, or royal-flush cards.
The key is not whether the straight is possible. The key is whether the straight draw has the highest expected value.
How It Works
Straight draws are ranked by how many cards complete them and what else the hand can become.
| Draw Type | Example | Cards That Complete | Main Problem |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open-ended straight | 5-6-7-8 | 8 | Better than inside, but still not automatic |
| Inside straight | 5-6-8-9 | 4 | Fewer outs |
| High-card straight draw | 10-J-Q-K | 8 | Has high-pair backup |
| Low inside straight | 4-5-7-8 | 4 | Often weak |
| Straight-flush draw | 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ | 8+ value layers | May also be flush/straight flush draw |
In a 52-card video poker game, after holding four cards, there are 47 unseen cards. An open-ended draw with 8 outs completes about 17.02% of the time. An inside draw with 4 outs completes about 8.51% of the time.
Those are raw completion rates. Expected value also includes other results, like high pairs, flushes, or straight flushes.
The Wizard of Odds hand analyzer helps compare these holds because the answer depends on the full hand, not only the draw label.
Video Poker Hand Example
You are dealt:
5♣ 6♦ 7♥ 8♠ K♣
This is an open-ended straight draw. You can hold:
5♣ 6♦ 7♥ 8♠
A 4 or 9 completes the straight. There are four 4s and four 9s, so 8 cards complete the straight.
Now compare:
5♣ 6♦ 8♥ 9♠ K♣
This needs a 7. Only four 7s complete the straight. It is much weaker.
Now change it again:
10♣ J♦ Q♥ K♠ 3♣
This is an open-ended Broadway straight draw. It can be completed by an ace or 9, and the high cards also create high-pair backup. That makes it different from low open-ended draws.
From the Casino Side:
Casinos benefit from strategy errors that look reasonable. Four to a straight is one of those spots.
A player may hold an inside straight because “only one card is missing.” Another player may hold an open-ended straight over a better paying pair. These are not machine mistakes. They are player decisions.
Slot departments care about paytables, coin-in, and theo. If players make weak straight-draw choices, the effective return drops below the listed optimal return. Marketing may still comp based on theo estimates, but actual player results can be worse because the strategy is worse.
From a testing and compliance perspective, the machine must deal from the programmed card distribution and apply the approved paytable. It does not “know” that the player is chasing an inside straight. Standards such as GLI-11 and regulator technical documents such as the Nevada gaming-device technical standards are about game integrity, not player strategy quality.
Common Mistakes
- Treating inside and open-ended straight draws as equal.
- Holding four to a low inside straight over better high-card holds.
- Chasing a straight while throwing away a paying pair.
- Ignoring flush or royal possibilities in the same hand.
- Holding disconnected cards because they “look close.”
- Using one generic straight rule across all video poker variants.
- Forgetting that straights usually pay modestly compared with rare premium hands.
Hard Truth
“Almost a straight” is not a payout. The machine pays the final hand, not the hope you felt before the draw.
FAQ
What is four to a straight?
It is a four-card hold that can become a straight if the draw gives the right rank.
What is an open-ended straight draw?
It is a straight draw that can be completed at either end, such as 5-6-7-8 needing a 4 or 9.
What is an inside straight draw?
It is a straight draw with a missing middle card, such as 5-6-8-9 needing a 7.
How many cards complete an open-ended straight?
Usually 8 cards complete it: four of one rank and four of another.
How many cards complete an inside straight?
Usually 4 cards complete it: the four cards of the missing rank.
Is four to a straight better than four to a flush?
Not automatically. Flush payout, straight payout, card ranks, and overlapping draws all matter.
Should I chase inside straights in video poker?
Often no, especially low inside straights. Some high-card inside draws can be different because they carry high-pair value.
Deeper Insight
Straight draws create more beginner confusion than flush draws because they are not visually obvious. A flush draw is all one suit. A straight draw may be open, inside, high, low, suited, unsuited, or part of a straight-flush draw.
That is why a strategy chart does not simply say “hold four to a straight.” It ranks specific straight draws against pairs, high cards, flush draws, and royal draws.
The Wizard of Odds 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy shows this layered ranking. The better play is not based on how many cards are in sequence. It is based on expected return.
A straight usually pays less than a flush in Jacks or Better, and far less than a royal flush. But straights happen more often than royals. The strategy question is about average value, not jackpot fantasy.
Formula / Calculation
Open-Ended Straight Completion Probability = 8 / 47 = 17.02%
Inside Straight Completion Probability = 4 / 47 = 8.51%
Expected Value of a Hold = Average return from all possible draws after holding selected cards
Expected Loss = Total Amount Wagered × House Edge
Total Amount Wagered = Bet Size × Number of Hands
Formula Explanation in Plain English
An open-ended draw has about twice the raw completion chance of an inside draw. That is why they should not be treated the same.
But completion chance alone is not the whole decision. If another hold produces more average return, the straight draw should be rejected. A paying pair may be stronger. A royal draw may be stronger. A suited high-card combination may be stronger.
The best play is the hold with the highest expected value after all possible draw results. For background, review video poker odds, expected value of a hold, and video poker house edge.
Related Reading
Continue with three to a royal and four to a royal to see why royal draws outrank many ordinary straight ideas. For broader strategy, use how to read a video poker strategy chart and common video poker strategy mistakes. To compare the cost of hands per hour, use the expected loss calculator and bankroll risk calculator.