Gut Shot
To gut shot is to draw to, or to hit, an inside straight. A gut shot is a draw that needs one card in the middle of the straight.
The simple explanation
If you hold 9-8 and the board is J-Q-4, you need a ten. You are drawing to a gut shot, and if the ten comes, you have hit it.
A closer look
A gut shot has four outs, so it is a weak draw. On the flop, you hit it about 8.5 percent of the time on the next card and about 16.5 percent with two cards to come. A gut shot becomes better when you also have overcards, a flush draw or a big implied odds. Without that, it is usually not worth a large call.
A practical example
You hold 9♥ 8♦ and the flop is J♣ Q♠ 4♦. You are drawing to a gut shot, and a ten completes it.
Full explanation
To gut shot is to draw to, or to hit, an inside straight. A gut shot is a draw that needs one card in the middle of the straight.
A gut shot is a draw to an inside straight.
It has four outs.
It is a weak draw by itself.
It becomes better with extra outs.
Alternative spelling: gutshot, gut-shot
An inside straight draw
No-limit Hold’em · Blinds 1/2 chips · No rake
Read the example transcript
Player A has the button (BTN) and posts the 1-chip small blind (SB). Player B posts the 2-chip big blind (BB).
- Preflop · Pot: 3 chips
The blinds are 1 and 2 chips. Heads-up, the dealer (D) also posts the small blind.
- Player A BTN / SB 99 of hearts (9h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 199 · In this round 1
- Player B BB AAce of clubs (Ac)AAce of diamonds (Ad) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
- Preflop · Pot: 8 chips
Player A raises to 6 before the flop.
- Player A BTN / SB 99 of hearts (9h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Player B BB AAce of clubs (Ac)AAce of diamonds (Ad) · Stack 198 · In this round 2
- Preflop · Pot: 12 chips
Player B calls. Each player has put in 6 chips.
- Player A BTN / SB 99 of hearts (9h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Player B BB AAce of clubs (Ac)AAce of diamonds (Ad) · Stack 194 · In this round 6
- Flop · Pot: 12 chips
Player A has nine and eight. Only a ten completes the straight, so this is an inside straight draw.
Board: JJack of clubs (Jc)QQueen of spades (Qs)44 of diamonds (4d)
- Player A BTN / SB 99 of hearts (9h)88 of diamonds (8d) · Stack 194 · In this round 0
- Player B BB AAce of clubs (Ac)AAce of diamonds (Ad) · Stack 194 · In this round 0
Cards are shown for learning; totals are displayed before pot collection.