The draw
- The dealer asks poker player 3 (the nearest active player to his left) how many cards he wants. Player 3 discards his ♥ 2 and draws one card.
- It is now your turn to decide how many cards to draw and you have to decide whether to draw three to your pair of Kings, or to keep the Kings with the Ace as a kicker and draw two cards. It is probably better to draw three cards. You must assume that player 3 is drawing one card to try to fill a straight or a flush. Were he drawing one card to two pairs, he would undoubtedly have opened the betting himself. If he fills to a straight or a flush he will almost certainly win, your only chance of beating him being to obtain a full house or four of a kind. In this case the better chance is to draw three, however long the odds against you. Let us assume you do not improve, and that a pair of Kings remains your hand after the draw.
Second betting interval
As you are the first player who remains in the game to the left of the opening better (player 5 who has now folded), it is your place to speak first on the second betting interval.
- Check there is no point in doing anything else. If player 3 has filled his straight, he will win, and there is no point in giving him any more chips. If he has failed, he will fold anyway, as it would be foolish to venture any more poker chips on a certain loser.
As the odds were so long against player 3 drawing a 7 to fill his straight, let us assume that justice was done and he failed. The two hands after the draw are as follows:
Player 3: ♣ Q, ♣ 8, ♥ 6, ♣ 5, ♣ 4
Player 6: ♠ K, ♥ K, ♥ 5, ♦ 4, ♠ 2
- After you check, Player 3 will check also, as it doesn’t cost him anything, but he might as well just throw in his cards, as Queen high is not going to win anything.
Showdown
The two hands are shown, and you collect 11 chips, a profit of eight chips (counting one of those in the ante as yours).
Your bold decision to raise with your pair of Kings paid off handsomely. Had you merely called in the first betting interval, player 5 and even, for the cost of a single chip, player might have remained in for the draw, and if player 4 had picked up a 9 or player 5 a Queen, or indeed if either of them had collected a second pair, you would have lost.