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Playing Tips for 42 Draw Poker
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Forty-two draw poker is a variation of draw poker. Each player is dealt 4 hole cards and there are two board cards. After a round of betting 1 of the board cards is turned face up, another betting round and the second is turned up. Players may then discard and draw up to 2 cards to their hole cards. Players make their hand by using any 5 of the 6 cards available to them (4 hole cards and 2 board cards). May be played high-low split.
In forty-two draw poker you will have to use at least 3 of your dealt cards in order to make your hand. This makes your hole cards the most important factor in determining your hands likely strength. You must have good starting cards in order to have a chance to draw to a final hand that stands a decent chance of winning.
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Starting Hands
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For high you would love to start with trips. The board will then give you 2 chances to either pair your remaining hole card or find the fourth card to your trips. If that fails you will still have a one card draw to quads or to pair one of the 2 board cards. If the board cards pair themselves you will also make a full house that way. Should that occur, you’d prefer that the pair on the board be of a lower rank than your trips. If the reverse occurs you must allow for the chance that someone else has a better full house than you. If your trips do not improve but they are fairly high and the two board cards are not coordinated, they might win on their own.
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Other excellent starting hands would be 4 to a straight flush, 4 to a flush or 4 to a straight. With those only the board cards can help you. If you make a straight, but the 2 board cards are suited, the straight will probably not be a winner.
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2 pair is also a worth while starting hand also giving you a shot at a full house or better. But, if it does not improve it does not stand much of a chance of winning by itself, especially if one of the board cards is higher than your highest pair.
A single pair may worth playing if you also have cards that give you other possibilities as well, like 3 to a flush or 3 very low cards.
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For low you would like to have 3 cards of 5 or less or 4 cards of 6 or less. Maybe even 7 or less, but probably not 76. The board cards have a major bearing on this. If those 2 cards are both 6 or under, even your pat 7 low may not be enough. But, if one or both of the board cards is higher than your highest card you are usually in decent shape.
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Other Considerations
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Position is very important in 42 draw poker. Because this game includes the opportunity to draw cards the players in late position have an advantage. They get to learn how many cards the players before them draw before they have to make their own draw. As an example, suppose the board is KQ and everyone before you draws 2 cards. You should consider standing pat with just about any low hand. Standing pat will signal you have a good hand. And the odds are against another player drawing 2 cards to make a low that they would be comfortable calling you with.
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