What is a gutshot in poker?
A gutshot, or inside straight draw, is a straight draw missing one card in the middle — 9-8 on a T-6-2 board needs exactly a seven. It has 4 outs: about 16.5% to hit by the river from the flop and 8.7% on the next card.
Why it matters
A gutshot alone rarely justifies calling a real bet: 16.5% by the river doesn't beat the price of a half-pot bet. Its value comes from what it's attached to — overcards, a backdoor flush draw, or a pair — and from implied odds, since a completed gutshot is well disguised and gets paid.
As a bluffing hand it's excellent: enough equity to keep a semi-bluff honest, disguised when it hits, and it doesn't block the hands you want the opponent to fold.
The numbers
- 4 outs: 16.5% by the river, 8.7% on the next card. With two overcards as well (10 outs): 38.4% by the river.
- A gutshot needs roughly 2-to-1 implied odds beyond the current pot to call a two-thirds-pot bet on the flop profitably.
Figures come from the same preflop charts and research data the rest of the site uses (charts last updated July 5, 2026); they change when that data does.
Exact turn, river and by-the-river odds for 1–20 outs.
Common questions
Should you call with a gutshot?
Against a small bet with deep stacks and a loose opponent who'll pay off, yes — the implied odds carry it. Against a large bet with shallow stacks, fold unless the gutshot comes with overcards or a flush draw.
What is a double gutshot?
Two inside straight draws at once — for example J-9 on a K-T-7 board, where a queen or an eight makes a straight. It has 8 outs like an open-ender but is much harder to see.
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