Open-ended refers to a situation in
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
where the player has four of five cards needed for a
straight
Straight may refer to:
Slang
* Straight, slang for heterosexual
** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype
* Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture
Sport and games
* Str ...
that can be completed at either end. For example, a player with
3♥ 4♥ 5♣ 6♠ is open-ended, because a deuce or a seven would give the player a straight. This situation is also called an outside straight draw or double-ended straight draw as the cards needed to complete the straight are cards which are on the outside (both ends) of the current hand, as opposed to an inside draw such as
2♦ 3♠ 4♠ 6♥ or A♣ 2♣ 3♣
4♦, which can only be completed by a five. The term originated with
draw poker
Draw poker is any poker variant in which each player is dealt a complete hand before the first betting round, and then develops the hand for later rounds by replacing, or "drawing", cards.
The descriptions below assume the reader is familiar w ...
but is also used in games like
Texas hold'em
Texas hold 'em (also known as Texas holdem, hold 'em, and holdem) is one of the most popular variants of the card game of poker. Two cards, known as hole cards, are dealt face down to each player, and then five community cards are dealt fac ...
.
Seven-card games like hold'em and stud also allow the possibility of double belly-buster draws, also called double-inside or two-way draws, which, like an inside draw, a card is needed within a series to fill. But unlike simple inside draws, two ranks can fill the hand. An example of this is
A♥ 3♥ 4♣ 5♠7♣, in which a deuce fills the inside straight A2345, and a six would fill the inside straight 34567.
These terms are also used for straight flush draws.
2♥ 3♥ 4♥ 5♥ is a straight-flush draw, since
A♥ and
6♥ will create straight flushes. Such hands are optimal drawing hands, since the player has up to fifteen outs (nine cards remaining in the suit, six cards which complete the straight but not the flush).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Open-Ended (Poker)
Poker gameplay and terminology