Poker

There are many forms of draw poker and I will have something to say about several of them, but there are a few considerations that apply to every form of draw poker and I will discuss those first.

1. The draw. If your object is merely to improve your hand, there is no question that you are best off making the maximum draw: that is, three cards when you have a pair, or two cards when you have three of a kind.

2. The strength of your hand. The first thing to remember in draw poker, and in nearly any poker game, is that the best hand going in is usually the best hand coming out. The next thing to remember is that the more players who stay against the best hand, the fewer pots it will win but the more money it will win.

The sole exception to this is the case of two low pairs, a special hand that I will discuss separately.

The strength of your hand in draw poker depends entirely on the number of players who have not dropped.

3. The play of two pair. Some authorities have said that 90 percent of one’s winnings or losses in poker can be attributed to the play of two low pairs (no higher than tens up). This is undoubtedly an exaggeration, but it serves to emphasize an important point.

The basic principle governing the play of two pair is this: Before the draw, the odds are nearly 2 to 1 (in any draw game) that any two pair will be the highest hand. But the odds are 11 to 1 against improving.