Strategy
A four-card straight flush versus a high pair
A paying pair offers certainty while a near-complete straight flush offers a different range of outcomes.
THE DRAW JOURNAL
85 STORIESStrategy.
Pay tables, close holds and the mathematics behind the draw.
Strategy
High cards versus a three-card straight flush
The tension here is between making an ordinary high-pair winner and building a less complete suited run.
Strategy
The suited ace-ten problem in NSU
Two suited royal cards can look attractive, but their value depends on the game around them.
Strategy
Why an ace is not always special in NSU
An ace carries no automatic premium simply because it is the highest rank.
Strategy
Suited queen-ten challenges two high cards
A suited ten can be relevant even when it cannot form a paying high pair on its own.
Strategy
What comes after three of a kind?
Three matching ranks already form a recognizable winner, but the remaining decision depends on the variant.
Strategy
Similar inside straights, different holds
Two hands can look almost identical and still contain different opportunities.
Strategy
Can one hand collect every matching award?
A video poker hand may satisfy several descriptions at once: a royal flush is also a flush, for example.
Strategy
An ace beside two unsuited high cards
An ace looks valuable, but a useful hold is a combination rather than a collection of individually impressive ranks.
Strategy
Returning to NSU expected-value tables
A table of expected values can make close holds easier to compare, but only if it models the right rules.
Strategy
An outside straight flush versus a pair in NSU
An apparently modest draw can outrank a pair when the pay table does not reward that pair.