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This play, by the way, is not correct when two or more low cards have already called, especially if you think that the two cards that have already called have good three-card hands.
It is even more incorrect if they are the type of players who won’t think you have very much since you limped in last position.
The reason why it isn’t correct to call in this spot when two or more low cards have come in is because in spite of the fact that your odds have increased, your chances of poker winning have decreased even more.
You are now getting 7-to-1 instead of 6-to-1 but your chances of out-flopping both of them is in the neighborhood of 10-to-1.
This is another example of a classic error made by many poker players who are more apt to call with mediocre hands when there are many other players in the pot since they are getting high odds.
The fact of the matter is that the higher money odds is not enough to compensate for the still higher odds against winning.
The other time to consider playing a non three-card hand is when you are the high card and there has been a raise back to you. At this point I can say categorically that the high card is played much too often in this situation in Vegas even by good poker players.
If you always threw away a 10 or higher regardless of the situation in those games where the raise back to you is double the initial bring-in, you wouldn’t be that far off.
However, admittedly this could be a bit too tight. When you are considering calling with your high card and two babies in the hole you must consider four factors:
1. What are those two babies, i.e., are they bicycle cards or just two cards to a seven?
2. Exposed cards in poker games in other words your hand is better if all of the cards that make your hand are still in the deck than if many of those cards are gone. It is better still if your cards are still in the deck and your pairing cards are gone.
3. How many players are already playing?
4. Might you be against a man who does not have to have a hand because he was stealing?
There is also a difference between a 10 and a king and this could be considered a fifth factor. If all of these factors are favorable, it would usually be correct to call, especially in a higher ante game.
Thus, if you brought it in with a there were two 3s and a 4 gone and the last man raised with a 7 you would definitely be correct in taking a card.
As we discussed in the previous paragraphs you do not want to be up against two or more low cards in this situation because while your odds have increased, your chances have decreased even more so.
However, in this particular poker games situation you are up against one player who was in the steal position and you might even have the best hand right now.
I must point out, however, that even if he has no hand his hand is in practice better than yours simply because he has that low card showing.
If he catches a baby and you catch a big one you must fold and this gives him an edge. If you have anything other than these optimum conditions, you should throw your hand away.
In fact, even under these optimum conditions, it is a very close play as to whether you should call when you have a king showing.