Double Belly Buster Straight Draw 

Of the three drawing hands that I will be talking about, I believe that this is the strongest.  First of all, what is a double belly buster straight draw?  It’s a straight draw with 8 outs, but is completed in the middle of the straight.  For example, if you hold a Jc9c and the flop brings Kh, Ts, 7d, then you can catch a Q or an 8 to complete your straight draw.  The major strength of this draw is that it is so deceptive.  If you catch a Q or 8 on the turn or river it looks as if only an inside straight draw has been completed.  Therefore if an opponent has a hand like KJ or AK, you are probably going to win a big pot.  As well, the cards you are looking to catch are lower that the top card on the flop.  So if your opponent has a hand like KJ or AK again, then they still have top pair.  The weakness of this draw is that they are rare.  With a Jc9c, you’ll have to flop a K,T,7 for a double belly buster straight draw.  It’s much more likely to flop a straight or flush draw.  As well, you only get 8 outs as opposed to 9 outs with a flush draw. 

Straight Draw 

I consider this the second strongest drawing hand.  The strength of a straight draw is that it is still more deceptive than a flush draw.  Catching a straight is generally more profitable than catching a flush draw because it is more difficult for your opponent to put you a straight draw than a flush draw.  The weakness of the straight draw is that it only has 8 outs. 

Flush Draw 

I consider this the weakest of the draws.  However, it is the one you will encounter the most.  Its strength is that it has 9 outs as opposed to 8 outs.  Its weakness is that it much harder to extract a lot of money from an opponent with three cards to a flush draw on the board.  It’s just too obvious that a draw may have been completed.  As well, it’s possible that you may not actually have 9 outs.  If your opponent has a set and you are drawing to a heart flush then any heart that will also pair the board is not actually an out.   

So there you have it.  Each draw has its own strengths and weaknesses.  Remembering theses pros and cons when you are playing drawing hands will help you make your decisions more profitable ones.