The Merits of Ranking Straights over Flushes
Flushes are easier to attain. Preflop, the chances of being dealt a couple of pretty suited cards are a little less than 1 in 4 (first card can be anything, second one needs to be from the 1/4 of remaining cards that match). Exact percentage is 23.5%. The probability of being dealt the primary cards for making straights, connectors, is a mere 15.7%.
Post flop, you have a 9.6% of flopping an 8-out straight draw (open-ended or double-barreled), while your suited cards have an 11% chance to flop four-to-the-flush. From there, the flush draw has 9 outs, roughly 36% and the 8 out straight draw is 32% to fill up. Indeed, on every street, the flush has the greater chance to improve, to be realized; however, if by some miracle they both make it, the flush wins. It should be obvious that a hand with a greater likelyhood of being made (the flush) should be ranked below one with a lesser likelyhood (quads, full house... straight :D ).
Now some of you purists, who have infinite faith in the way things are- because they are that way for a reason, they must be- skeptical of my entire argument, will soon find the necesssary flaws. I've only provided the odds for being dealt connecting cards and the odds of connectors to flop an 8-outer straight. I've neglected the straight-making possibilties of j7, j8, j9, qt, A5, etc.
However, the odds favoring straights are in the abstract and those favoring flushes remain in reality. Players in general, including donkeys, are much less likey to play possible straight-making offsuit rags (23, 26, 59, 6T, 48) then the suited rags. Decent players would even stray from Ace-wheel cards unless conditions were right (A2-A5 can be trouble). A couple of diamonds, though, a couple of nice spades- those are much more attractive and more likely to be played. Additionally, for suited cards, only one card is pertinent to the flush-hunters, give 'em K2s or A6s and they'll play. Thusly, if you played any two cards that could make a straight (there are many of them) and you stuck around until the river each time, then you might prove my argument wrong- your straight would come a few more times than any flush.
As an additional fact, flushes are made easier to make when more cards are added to each hand (In holdem and 7-card stud, you get seven cards instead of the original five). For example, if a game were invented in which there were a huge board, and hands ended up consisting of 17 cards, there would always be a flush but not necessariy a three-of-a-kind, a straight, or anything better. Thus flush odds are 100%, others <100.
Ac-Ad-2h-2s-3c-3d-4h-4s-6c-6d-7h-7s-8c-8d-9h-9s-jc (club flush)
Hero-at-a-home-game-last-night: 8c9c
flop: 5s-6d-7c
Villain: bets twice the pot
Hero: :twisted: :cool: :twisted: :D
You can't make that much money on a flopped flush, though. :wink:
