As an expert in the field of card games, particularly poker, I can provide you with a detailed explanation regarding the concept of a straight in poker and whether a hand like King Ace 2 3 4 constitutes a straight.

In poker, a straight is a hand that contains five consecutive cards of different suits. The sequence can be either the lowest (Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5) or the highest (10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace), but it cannot "wrap around" to include both ends of the deck. This means that a hand like Queen, King, Ace, 2, 3 is not considered a straight, as it does not follow the consecutive order.

Now, let's address the specific hand you've mentioned: King Ace 2 3 4. To determine if this is a straight, we must look at the sequence of the cards. The hand contains the following cards: King (K), Ace (A), 2, 3, and 4.

In standard poker rules, an Ace can act as either the highest card or the lowest card in a straight. This means that an Ace can be used as the 1 in a straight (A-2-3-4-5) or as the 14 in a straight that includes the face cards (10-J-Q-K-A). However, the hand King Ace 2 3 4 does not form a straight in either case.

If we consider the Ace as the lowest card, the sequence would be Ace, 2, 3, 4, and then we need a 5 to complete the straight. The King in this hand disrupts the sequence and cannot be included in the straight.

On the other hand, if we consider the Ace as the highest card, the sequence would be 10, Jack, Queen, King, and then an Ace to complete the straight. The 2, 3, and 4 in the hand you've mentioned do not fit into this sequence, as they are too low and do not form a consecutive order with the King.

Therefore, the hand King Ace 2 3 4 is not a straight. It is important to note that in some variations of poker, such as Ace-to-Five lowball, the Ace can be used as the lowest card in a straight, but this is not the case in standard poker games.

In conclusion, a straight must consist of five consecutive cards, and the hand King Ace 2 3 4 does not meet this criterion. The Ace cannot "wrap around" to include both the highest and lowest ends of the deck in a single hand. The hand you've mentioned would be considered worthless in most poker games unless it is part of a flush, which is a separate hand category that requires all five cards to be of the same suit.

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An ace can be the lowest card of a straight (ace, 2, 3, 4, 5) or the highest card of a straight (ten, jack, queen, king, ace), but a straight can't "wrap around"; a hand with queen, king, ace, 2, 3 would be worthless (unless it's a flush).read more >>