Poker Strategies
After receiving pocket cards, you are immediately faced with a choice: play your cards and either raise or call the blinds, or fold.
Practice Matters
But, let's consider the money outlay of a supposed smart player
But, let's consider the money outlay of a supposed smart player whose policy is to play pat hands only, nine high or lower. The game is $1 and $2. There is a 50-cent ante. Four dollars or possibly more to play gives us a minimum of $4.50 per played hand. Since the chances of being dealt a pat hand nine high or lower are only once in 49 deals, than in 48 deals the player simply forfeits the antes and on the remaining one deal he bets $4.50. In 49 games, at this rate, he would have paid out $28.50 and he would have played only once. It would have cost him $28.50 per played hand—and this smart player faces the possibility of losing the played hand. For this reason, I recommend a two-card draw.
However, I do not recommend a two-card draw from an early
However, I do not recommend a two-card draw from an early speaking position because there is not enough money in the pot to justify the odds of 20 to 1 to make a seven high and 6 to 1 odds of making a nine high. I further insist that any three-card draw hand must possess a deuce. The best possible four-card draw hand is 7-4-3-2 in mixed suits. Another good draw hand is 6-4-3-2 in mixed suits. And always remember that any two-card draw must possess a deuce. Not only does the deuce reduce or eliminate your chances of going bust with a straight, but it prevents your opponents from getting your valuable deuce.