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Poker glossary

Gutshot

What it means

A gutshot is a straight draw that needs one specific rank to complete, giving you exactly four outs. Also called an inside straight draw, it’s missing a card from the middle of the sequence rather than the ends. If you hold 8-7 on a 9-5-2 board, you need specifically a 6 to make your straight.

How it works at the table

You’re in a $1/$2 game with 100bb effective stacks. You call a raise from the button with 7♠ 6♠. The flop comes 9♣ 5♦ 2♥. You’ve flopped a gutshot - only the four 8s in the deck complete your straight. The preflop raiser bets $15 into the $20 pot. With roughly 8% equity to hit on the turn, you’re getting 2.3-to-1 pot odds on a call. The math alone says fold, but position and potential implied odds might change the decision.

Strategic context

Gutshots hit about 16% of the time by the river (8.5% on each street). They’re weaker draws than open-enders but stronger than pure bluffs. The key is recognizing when your gutshot has additional value - backdoor flush draws, overcards, or situations where you can win without hitting. Gutshots to the nuts play differently than those making non-nut straights. A gutshot with J-T on Q-9-3 (needing a King) has more value than 6-5 on 9-8-2 (needing a 7) because it makes the nut straight.

Common mistakes

Players overvalue naked gutshots, calling too often without proper odds or fold equity. They chase gutshots in multiway pots where implied odds shrink. Many fail to distinguish between nut and non-nut gutshots - hitting your 7 when the board shows 9-8-6-5 can be expensive if someone has T-7. Players also miss semi-bluffing opportunities with gutshots in position, playing too passively when aggression could win the pot immediately.

Gutshots often combine with other draws. A gutshot plus flush draw (12-13 outs) becomes a powerful semi-bluffing hand. Double gutshots (8 outs) occur when you can hit either end of a broken sequence. Understanding how gutshots interact with board texture, stack sizes, and opponent ranges separates competent players from those just counting outs.