Explanation of Belly Buster
Poker players love to use a wide range of nicknames for different types of poker holding. A common name for a gutshot is “the belly buster”. Even the gutshot is a nickname in itself, for the inside straight draw, but has become so popular it is now the most commonly used name for this type of draw.
A double belly buster (also called a double gutshot) is where we hold two gutshots at the same time. Let’s see a quick example in Hold’em.
Board: KA78
Our Hand: TJ
Note how we make a straight catching either the Queen or the Nine. Double gutshots have the same number of outs as open ended straight draw, except that they are not technically open enders (but rather two separate gutshots).
The names “belly buster” and “gutshot” are presumably selected because it is painful when our opponent catches a draw with only 4 outs.
Example of Belly Buster used in a sentence -> With one card to come we had around 8% chance to make the made straight with our belly buster.
How to Use Belly Buster as Part of Your Poker Strategy
Double gutshots can only be made on the turn in Hold’em. They have 8 outs and will hence hit on the river around 16% of the time.
They should often be played aggressively provided we expect to generate fold-equity. Against villains who don’t fold it is better to play passively and only ramp up the aggression after hitting.
See Also
Inside Straight Draw, Gutshot, Open Ended Straight Draw, Straight, Draw
