Straight Flush Over Straight Flush - Texas Hold 'Em

Hey guys - I was playing in a tournament last night and ended up "straight flushing a straight flush." I'm just wondering what the odds were...here's how it went:

My hand:
Q3h

Pre-flop:
I'm BB and check.

Flop:
59Jh - I bet the pot and get one caller.

Turn:
8h - I check (with the intention of check-raising). Guy pushes all-in; I call.

His hand:
Ac7h

River:
10h - we both have a straight flush, but mine is higher (though I didn't see it at first).

Again, I'm really curious as to what these odds were, that we both would've hit the straight flush...help?

Don't know the odds, but I received table share of a bad beat jackpot when 9, 8, 7 of hearts were on the board with Jh10h vs 6h5h.

Unfortunately this was a tourney. I doubt there was a bad beat jackpot :(

No bad beat jackpot, but we always have a high hand add-on.

Quote: VCUSkyhawk

Unfortunately this was a tourney. I doubt there was a bad beat jackpot :(

Also don’t most bad beats require both hole cards to be used?

Assuming that you are the only two players and that you both are 100% to go to showdown, the odds of the cards being that way are 0.00000117887 or 1 in 848,272.

At a 9 player table, the odds that any two players would hold the cards to go to such a showdown on a board with an open-ended 4-card straight flush is approximately 1 in 28,276.

But the caveat "both hands go to showdown" is a large one. In real poker, one or both of the two hands that can make the straight flush is very likely to fold pre-flop - and if not, then very likely to fold before showdown.

In your example, your Q3h was in the big blind, and you would have folded Q3h from any other position and would have folded it anyway if another player had 3-bet before the flop. Then, 3 hearts came on the flop - and you probably needed either a Q or 2 or more hearts on the flop to keep you in the hand.

Similarly, your opponent with the 7h could have had a 2c as the 2nd card and then would have folded pre-flop. Et cetera.

So to actually go to showdown and have that hand occur was extremely unlikely. I estimate greater than 1 in 1,000,000.

Gordon never ceases to amaze me with the amount of number crunching and one off analysis he provides for free to this forum. A tip of the hat to you my friend.

I guess this hand shows why I suck at tournaments. In a cash game both of those hands would wind up in the muck. I'm not criticizing. I'm sure tournament conditions gave you and the other guy good reason to play those draws the way you did. I can't get a handle on it though.

Quote: JimRockford

I guess this hand shows why I suck at tournaments. In a cash game both of those hands would wind up in the muck. I'm not criticizing. I'm sure tournament conditions gave you and the other guy good reason to play those draws the way you did. I can't get a handle on it though.

In a cash game you would fold the big blind with Q3s if no one raised?

Quote: unJon

In a cash game you would fold the big blind with Q3s if no one raised?

Just noticed I misread the flop. Never mind.

Quote: unJon

In a cash game you would fold the big blind with Q3s if no one raised?

I always raised in cash game to prevent this kind of situation.

Quote: unJon

In a cash game you would fold the big blind with Q3s if no one raised?

I always raised in cash game to prevent this kind of situation.