A sequence in poker is a run of cards in consecutive rank order, such as 5-6-7-8-9. The term describes card order and nothing more. The poker terms built on it, straights, rundowns and suited connectors, carry the actual rules. Sequences can also contain gaps, and those gaps have names of their own.
What Is the Sequence of Cards in Poker?
The card sequence runs from the deuce at the bottom to the ace at the top: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Ten through ace are known as the Broadway cards, after the ace-high straight they form.
The ace is the one card that moves. It sits at the top of the sequence as the highest card, and it also plays at the bottom, one below the deuce, to form A-2-3-4-5. Whether it plays high or low depends on the hand and on the variant.
The sequence doesn't wrap around. Q-K-A-2-3 uses five cards that look connected on paper, but the ace can't be high and low in the same hand, so that holding makes nothing.
Suits play no part in sequence. Sequence is a question of rank alone, and it doesn't decide which hand wins. That's the job of the poker hand rankings.
How Many Cards in Sequence Make a Poker Straight?
Five cards in sequence make a straight in the great majority of poker variants. 5-6-7-8-9 is a straight. 7-8-9-10-J is a straight. The suits of those five cards are irrelevant unless they all match, in which case the hand becomes a straight flush.
Four cards in sequence make nothing on their own. They form an open-ended straight draw, which needs one more card at either end to complete. Some types of poker games use short decks or different hand values, so always check the rules of the game in front of you.
Is a Sequence the Same as a Straight?
Every straight is a sequence, though plenty of sequences fall short of a straight. A sequence is simply cards in consecutive order, whatever the number. A straight is the specific five-card hand that a complete sequence produces.
Two cards in sequence are a connector. Three or four are a draw. Five are a made hand.
What Is a Rundown in PLO?
A rundown in Pot Limit Omaha is a starting hand of four cards in sequence. T-9-8-7 is a ten-high rundown, named for its highest card.
Gaps don't cost the hand its name, they change its description. T-8-7-6 is a ten-high rundown with a top gap, because the missing card sits directly below the highest one. The same logic names middle and bottom gaps.
Rundowns are valued in PLO because four connected cards can make straights running in several directions at once.
What Is a Suited Connector in Hold'em?
A suited connector in Texas Hold'em is a starting hand of two cards in sequence that share a suit. 7♦️8♦️ is a suited connector, and so is J♣️10♣️.
When there's a gap in the sequence, the hand becomes a suited gapper. 7♦️9♦️ is a one-gapper, and 7♦️10♦️ is a two-gapper. Two consecutive cards of different suits are just connectors, with no "suited" attached.
Key Takeaways
- A sequence is cards in consecutive rank order, from 2 up to the ace.
- The ace plays high or low, but never both in the same hand.
- Five cards in sequence make a straight; four make an open-ended draw.
- A rundown is four cards in sequence in PLO, named after its highest card.
- A suited connector is two cards in sequence sharing a suit; add a gap and it's a suited gapper.
- Sequence describes rank order only, and suits have no bearing on it.
