The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-06-23
ETHICS OF THE DRAW
Varying Conditions Met With
In Poker.
THE ODDS IN BETTING
WHEN 1T Is WISE TO LAY CARDS
DOWN AND WHEN TO DRAW.
New York SUM


tirely on what cards he may get when
drawing to those which he selects to
hold. and of the original five which he
receives in the deal. Properly under
stood the saying is one to which no
serious objection can be made, for it is
certainly true that the character of
the hand he holds is liable TO be en-
tirely changed by the draw, and the
most insignificant pair may be changed
to four of a kind, while it is only in the
case of a pat hand that the player can
tell before the draw what he has to
rely upon in the betting.
Nevertheless, as the saying is COM
monly. used it is deluSive, and prOvoca-
tive only OF wild and unjustifiable play.
II is to be remembered that While a
lucky chance in the draw may trans
form a worthless hand into an almost
sure winner an unlucky draw will
leave the player without the chance OF
winning and minus the amount he has
put in the pot, and moreover, each
player in the game has the same chance
of lettering It's all in the draw" is
a remark most frequently made by
some player who is seeking to justify
himself in making an unjustifiable play.
Taken in its best sense, however, it
expresses one of the cardinal principles
of the game and one of the first les
sons of the player, after he has mas
tered the rudiments Of the game, should
be to exercise proper discretion in the
draw. And in undertaking to master
this, he has to consider that the con-
ditiOns vary according to the amount
already in the pot, the number OF play
ers, the position he occupies at the
foo -a1a tn 10
somewhat according to the run of luck
he may be in.
Beginning with the simplest propo-
sition, it may be asked what hand
justifies a player in coming in, when
there are, say, six players in the game,
and it is a straight deal-nO Jackpot
The age man has made his ante of
one white chip, and the learner sits
next to him. There are four other
players to hear from before the age is
to fill or pass out and he therefore has
to consider first his own hand and
then the five possibilities against him.
His own hand he knows at a glance.
The five other hands he has no means
of estimating, excepting on the basis
of mathematical probability. 1t is
therefore a simple question of how far
up in the table of possible hands his
own hand ranks. which must decide
whether it is wise or foolish for him
to pay two white chips for the privilege
of drawing cards. He must remember,
also. that after having paid those two,
he is liable to be obliged to see any
raise that may be made after he comes
in, or else to sacrifice the two he has
Clipped in.
Most good players have a simple rule
governing their action under these cir
cumstances. Perhaps it may be said
that all good players have such a rule,
but there are many successful players
who vary the application of the rule
according to the luck in which they
find themselves at the ROment. The
rule most commonly followed, because
it is in accord with the table of
chances, is not to come in without a
fair-sized pair to draw to. Cautious
players throw down any hand that
contains less than a pair Of tens, unless
it be a four flush or a fyur straight.
Anything better than two tens is uni
Versally held to be a good risk, but
holder players will come in on a small
er pair, even as low as deuces, holding
that there is an equal chance of getting
three of kind, whatever the pair is,
and that three deuces is worth a play.
This seems plausible, but the argu-
ment against it is that there are i've
possibilities against the hand, and that
few players viii come in on so small
a hand; therefore each hand in oppo-
sition is likely to be larger. The player
sitting next to the age who comes in
on less than a pair of sevens or Fights
is properly to be classed as bold, if not
rash,
An analysis of this statement will
show that the element of rashness lies
in entering into competition with five
other players, all of whom are yet to
be heard from, without having a hand
stronger than say sevens. Of course
the next player the first having passed
out. will have only four antagonists to
look OUT for, and if he shall elect to SO
in on Sevens he is less rash. Exactly
how much less it is impossible to say
positively, since the hands yet to hear
from are still unknown quantities, but
a rough working rule has been formu-
/ lated by which a player who fixes {
pair of Fights as the lowest on which
he will venture when he sits next t
( the age will consider SevenS sufficient
I If he occupies the second seat, SiXe!
+ if he occupies the third, fiveS if h'
/ occupies the fourth and any pair at al
/ if he has only the age man to PLAY
against. And, of course, it is to b.
} remembered that as the deal passes
/ each player occupies the different seat
/ in rotation so that the two sthings h'
has to consider are the seat he Occu
pies and the cards he holds. con
sentative play, as nearly safe as poke
( can ever be said to be safe, would b.
to start with tens in the first seat
even with seven in the game, and re
duce the size of the pair with each re
moVal from the age in rotation, bU
never go in on less than a pair of five
unless he has the age. In that case
having already been obliged TO chi
once, he would have only one chip NOR
to venture and would fill his ante ever
though he had only deuces.
1t must be remembered also that be
fore the draw a four flush or a fou
straight is a more valuable hand thai
a small pair. This is not because tn
chance of lettering is greater, but be
cause the hand, If filed, becomes
strong one. Theoretically, the 1usl
should be filed oftener than tn
/ straight, since there are nine cards on
of the forty-seven which the playe
has not seen, any one Of which Wi
complete his four-fiush, while there ar
only eight out of the forty seven whic
will fill a four-straight And in draw
ing to a straight, both ends should b
open. Drawing to an ace, deuce, trey
1 four, or 10 jack queen king, ace, I
the same thing as drawing to an inter
mediate straight, since there are onl
four cards in the forty seven which wi
fill. and the chance is too small to JUS
tify a draw with odds of no more tha
six to one against the players ante
The game can be played with eight
or even with ten players, but NOR
than seven are seldom found, for tn
j reason that the game is impeded b
the necessity of shutting the discard
and becomes incOnVenient otherwise
Few poker players viii sit in gam
of more than seven or less than four
If there were no other situations tina
those already described it would al
ways be. as has been seen, a simpl
matter to decide whether to draw card
or not As a matter of fact. howeve
there are many complications cor
stantIy arising. each one of which va
y.ies the problem. The first IF thes