Hold'em girl

Poker: The Good Draw

Among the last several generations of Poker players, Jackpots have been the most popular form of Draw.

To open, you need one pair of J's, or better. On the average, such a holding--- something from one pair of J's all the way up through a Royal Flush--- occurs once in approximately five hands.

Equipped with this information, or having casually dismissed it from your mind, you hear the dealer make his choice: 'Jacks or better.' Everybody antes one chip. You may open for two chips, and raises are limited to two chips.

What do you do?

Say, player A drills. You are under the gun, that is, the first player required to act. You hold J J A 9 6. Open or check? Check. To open with this holding, in this position, would be able to abuse the privilege.

It is at least an even bet that one of the six players due to take action after you holds a better hand. In any case, if you open under the gun with your anemic J's, anybody after you can embarrass you with a raise.

Your hand is unlikely to improve in the draw, and by opening you make it possible for holders of bobtailed straights and four-flushes to come in.

Again, you are under the gun. You hold Q Q J 9 8. Open or check? Check. Your pair of Q's is too weak to open in this position. Surely, you do not contemplate splitting your Q's and drawing to the inside straight.

And again, you are under the gun. You hold J J 10 9 8. Open or check? Open. You will have the option of splitting your J's and drawing one card to your J 10 9 8, if the subsequent action gives you the proper odds.

Now, Player B deals. D checks. You hold 10 10 9 9 8. Open or check? Check. Do not open with two short pairs in this position; do not let the 10's dazzle you.

Of the possible 123,552 two pairs, 66,528 are higher than 10's-up, and 44,352 are lower. If any opponent should catch two pairs, they will probably be higher than yours.

E deals. F, D and A check. You hold K K A 4 2. Open or check? Open. This is a sound opening hand in any position.

C deals. A and B check. You hold J J 3 3 2. Open or check? Open. Two pairs, J's-up or higher, handled with discretion or imagination or both, will show a profit through the years.

A drills. Once again, you are under the gun. You hold 4 4 4 4 J, and nothing has been said about royalties, so you must assume there won't be any. Open or check? Check. Since you catch four of a kind so seldom, and since the hand is so beautiful, you probably cannot bear the thought that the deal may be passed out if you check.

But any course other than checking in this situation is, to any Poker expert's mind is, timid. You have the opportunity to make a killing with your four of a kind.