A “gutshot” in poker is a situation where a player has all the cards needed for a straight except for one card in the middle. This kind of draw is also sometimes referred to as an “inside straight draw” or a “belly buster”.

For example, if a player has a 5 and a 7 in hand, and a 4, a 9, and a king are on the table, the player has a gutshot, because they need a six to complete the straight (4-5-6-7-9). In this situation, only one six in the deck will help the player complete the straight, meaning their chances of improving their hand are fairly low.

A gutshot is a weaker drawing hand than a regular straight draw, where the player needs a card from either end to complete the straight, so there are two possible cards which could give them a winning combination.