|
|
The dealer gives
each player four cards, one at a time, face down; and after each
of the first three rounds of cards, he deals one card face down
to the center of the table, so that there is a widow of three cards.
There is a betting interval, beginning with the player at the dealer's
left, and with nothing required to open; then each active player
may discard any part of his hand and draw cards to replace it, up
to the full four cards. After the draw the dealer turns up one card
in the center of the table, and there is a betting interval; a second
card, and another betting interval; the third card, and the final
betting interval. Each active player may select one of the three
cards in the center to be his fifth card in the showdown.
How to play: If there were no draw, hand-values in this game would
be slightly higher than in seven-card stud. However, with the draw
before the center cards are exposed, the chances of very good hands
being made are greatly increased. A flush should not be given too
much faith as a winning hand, and for that reason an attempt to
make a flush is usually a losing play. The best strategy is to keep
high pairs in the hope of making high triplets. This holding can
be turned into either four-of-a-kind or a high full house with the
help of a favorable card in the widow.
Once again, it is important to compare the value of your hand with
the ranks of the upcards. Suppose you hold ? A ? Q ? Q ? 8. You
play before the draw and take two cards (keeping the pair of queens).
After the draw you hold ?7 ? Q ? Q ?6 Q 4 6. You have a strong hand
and should usually raise at this point. Suppose you raise and two
other players call. The first card of the widow proves to be the
? K. You should now drop if another player makes a significant bet!
The odds greatly favor that some other player will now hold a better
hand.
This example illustrates the situation (very similar to one which
may arise in a high-low game-see pages 174-178) in which the turn
of a single card can change the entire complexion of a hand. It
is especially important in common-card games to retain a flexible
approach, and to remember that the turn of one common card may change
the values of all hands! Just as in seven-card high-low stud, be
prepared to drop out on an unfavorable card even when you were clearly
leading on the previous card.
|
