Page 8 - April 2003 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Page 8
April 2003
An Interesting Gap in Jacks or Better by Bob Dancer
In this article, we’ll examine a common one in good old Jacks or Better. Assuming you were playing 9-6 jacks (i.e., receiving 9 for a full house and 6 for a flush), and you could choose between either of the following hands. Which would you choose, and how would you play it?
Column: Video Poker with Bob Dancer
The only difference between the hands is in the club straight ush draw. The 2-3-5 has an obvious gap in it—that is, it is missing the 4. The 2-3-4 has no such obvious gap — that is the cards are right next to each other.
If you have a chart which tells you this information—great. I’m all for tools to make life simpler. (In fact, I sell a variety of them.) Similarly, many of you have these combinations memorized. Great again! A good memory is helpful in video poker. But let’s assume that you either don’t have a chart handy, or you don’t trust your memory on this particular combination. What do you do now?
two-card combinations can we draw which will give us a straight ush? One possible combination is A-5, and another is 5-6. If you search for more, you’ll come up empty. Those are the only two that exist. Starting from 2-3-5, we also have two perfect draws — speci cally A-4 and 4-6. When we broaden the discussion to drawing straights, we’ll nd that there are equal numbers there too.
The conclusion, then, is that 2-3-4 and 2-3-5 are equivalent combinations. This is surprising when you rst encounter it. How can a “no-gapper” like
2-3-4 have the same value as a “one-gapper”? The explanation doesn’t concern the gap in 2-3-5. It is very real and affects the
room for the “two cards below” draw. With only two different perfect draws, it is fair to consider the 2-3-4 combination as belonging to the “one-gapper” family. In Liam W. Daily’s and my Strategy Cards and Winner’s Guides, we say that 2-3-4 and 2-3-5
each have “one inside.”
Now for the second part of the question. How do
you play the hand? Knowing that a suited 2-3-4 is equivalent to 2-3-5 is one thing. Knowing whether it is higher or lower than K-Q of different suits is another.
It turns out that going for the straight ush combination is quite a bit higher than holding the K-Q— almost 20¢ when you’re playing for dollars. Even if we started with an unsuited Q-J, which has more straight possibilities than does K-Q, 2-3-4 or
2-3-5 would still be the superior play by 12¢.
I believe that straight ushes are the least understood hand in video poker. We will revisit this subject many times in the future, although not for a while. These discussions tend to be more technical
than many of my readers prefer.
That’s it for this month. Until next time, go out
and hit a royal ush.
Bob Dancer is America’s best-known video poker writer and teacher. He has a variety of “how to play better video poker” products, including reports, strategy cards, videos, and the award-winning computer software, Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker, and a brand-new book Million Dollar Video Poker. Dancer’s products may be ordered at www.bobdancer.com.
Theonlydifferences between the 2-3-5 and 2-3-4 combinations will be straights
“How do you play the hand?
Knowing that a suited 2-3-4
value of the combination. The explanation comes from the fact that the
and straight ushes.
Drawing two cards,
neither combination
is better than the
other is when it
comes to getting high
pairs, two pairs, trips,
or regular ushes. And when it comes to full houses, four of a kinds and royal ushes, you’re equally up a tree from either starting position.
into the ace”. If you look at a legitimate “no-gapper” such as 7-8-9, you’ll see there are three 2-card combinations that will complete the straight. You
Let’s simplify and only look at straight ushes—that is, assume we draw clubs. When we start from 2-3-4 and draw two cards, how many perfect draws are there? In other words, how many
have the “two cards below” combination (in this case 5-6), you’ll have the “straddle” combination (in this case 6-T), and you’ll have the “two cards above” (in this case T-J).
Look again at the 2-3-4 combination. The two combinations we have t the “straddle” and the “two cards above” categories. You’ll see we don’t have
is equivalent to 2-3-5 is one 2-3-4 combination “runs
thing. Knowing whether it is higher or lower than K-Q of different suits is another.”