Full House
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 923
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I like to have at least 4:1 to play 98s, maybe 5:1 to play 76s, and maybe 6:1 to play 65s or 54s, but if my opponents play very good or very bad I would adjust these figures up or down accordingly.
Everyone knows that a hand like 98s is better than a hand like 65s, but people don't always understand why exactly. Here's what can happen with these hands and what it can mean for you.
1) You make a straight
2) You make a flush
3) You make two pair
4) You make trips or a FH
5) You make the best one pair hand
With straights, 98s will usually get you more money than 65s, because of the cards that will be on board when you hit a straight. E.g., if you have 98s and the board is QJT72, you can get paid off a lot by QJ, QT, or JT, hands that people love to limp in with. Conversely, if you have 65s and the board is K9873. A King will probably pay you off but you are going to lose a lot of money to JT.
With flushes you can make a flush but there is always the slim chance someone will make a higher flush, costing you money. And with 98s the chance is less than with 65s because someone in the blinds could have something like 73s. Also you can hit your flush on the turn and if someone decides to hang around with a 7 of the suit, they are drawing dead vs. 98s but live vs. 65s. These things don't happen often, but they happen.
With two pair, same thing - you can make two pair and lose to a bigger two pair.
With trips, the kicker sometimes makes the difference between a big win and a big loss. Even a FH can sometimes lose to a bigger FH and this will happen more often with 65 than 98.
With one pair hands, you are much more likely to have a final board where a 9 or 8 makes the best pair rather than a 6 or 5. Also consider how your odds change when someone limps in with a hand like 77. You're in much better shape against them with 98 than you are with 65. You shouldn't underestimate how often you will win with one pair, even in a multiway pot.
The point about straights is the most important one. The others are each minor but together they all add up to make 98s a significantly better hand than 65s.
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