Dealt a Straight, but maybe could have a Straight Flush

Discuss proper hold strategies and "advantage play" and ask questions about how to improve your play.
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jconifer7
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Dealt a Straight, but maybe could have a Straight Flush

Post by jconifer7 »

I had this situation come up twice this morning.

The first hand dealt was 2d, 3d, 4d, 5d, 6h

So I thought about it, there was a good shot at a Straight Flush with the four sequential diamonds, but also an assured Straight that I could take right then and there, and well, I decided to hold the Straight as is and take the 20 and not sure if I did the right thing.

The other hand I was dealt was Ad, Ks, Qs, Js, 10s

And in this one, I saw the potential for a Royal Flush and thought, well who doesn't want 4000 over 20 so this time I just held the spades and well I got fairly lucky a 7 of spades came up and got a Flush and a little more than what I could have held onto.

I mean part of me thinks with the 2,3,4,5 of diamonds I should have held them and threw the 6 of hearts. There were two cards that could have given me 250, the A or 6 of diamonds, or there were five cards that would have kept the hand at a normal Straight, or eight cards that would have given me a regular Flush, that's fifteen possible winning cards in the deck.

But at the same time, there were 32 other cards that could have lost me 20 credits, I don't know what was right thing to do but then again, I do think if you had a shot at Royal Flush you just can't say no to me throwing the Ace for the other one I needed.

billryan
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Post by billryan »

Every hand you can get has an optimal move. One play that will pay out more mone in the long run.
If you don't know the right move, and make it you will lose money at a much faster rate than someone who plays what we call basic strategy.
You are on the right track when you say there are 15 cards that will give you a win, and 32 that will give nothing.
If you held the straight, all 47 times you would end up with 47 x 20 or 940 coins.
If you go for the draw, you get two straight flushes worth 500, five times you will end up with another straight for 100 coins, and eight times you'll get a flush. If a flush pays 30, that's 240 coins.
If I did this correctly, and lawd knows I screw these computations up more than I should, by going for the SF, you will cost yourself 100 coins.
My point is each of these hands has an easily computed expected value and thankfully all the math has been done for us. If you don't know the proper play, get yourself a cheat sheet. Bob Dancer sells a set of cards you can study and consult with as needed, as do a number of other people. I've been told that the strategy cards they sell in casino gift shops sometimes aren't accurate but I don't know that to be a fact.
I'm sure someone will be along to concisely explain in a few words what I'm rambling on about, but hopefully this tides you over until then.
There is no reason to conjecture about the math. It's been done for you, it's really a matter of having the discipline to adhere to it. When you are having a bad day, going for the straight flush is mighty tempting but diverting from the math will cost you in the long run.

olds442jetaway
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Post by olds442jetaway »

Both were the correct plays assuming you weren't playing some oddball game I know nothing about. Assuming it was job or similar, those were correct holds.

Jstark
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Post by Jstark »

Bob D not too long ago talked about a certain game where you DO dump a made straight to go for a straight flush draw. Naturally, the straight flush paid more than the 250 credits in most non-wild card games.

FAA
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Post by FAA »

Good to know. I felt a bit of player’s remorse by keeping a straight today instead of going for the SF gusto, a foolhardy move!

Jstark
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Post by Jstark »

Here the blog post. It was about 9/5 Triple Bonus Poker Plus where the straight flush with 5 credits bet pays 500 credits.

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/gamblin ... rt-1-of-3/

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