Dumping the Second Best Hand

If you have ever watched the poker pros play in tournaments, with the added advantage of seeing their pocket cards, then you know who ultimately holds the better hand. So it would seem that the decisions that they make, or will need to make, should be obvious, if only they knew that they had the second best hand. The worst hand in poker, ever to be dealt, is the second best hand.

From First to Worst

Unfortunately, poker is a game that does involve luck at times, and luck can be quite fickle, as the following scenario will demonstrate. You are in late position and you have been dealt Pocket Rockets, (Ace-Ace), the best pocket hand possible. Without a doubt, under any statistical computation, you have the best hand …for the time being. Assuming that you raise and re-raise accordingly, before the flop is dealt, the statistics dictate that your hand has the best chance of winning. In this scenario, there are two other players still in the pot at the flop. The flop reveals a rainbow (mixed suits) Q, 10, A, (for simplicity’s sake, there is no flush draw). At this point, only one hand can be better than yours. You either have the best hand, or the worst hand to possibly hold…the dreaded “second best hand”. Sound strategy dictates that you make your opponents pay a small fortune to see the next card (the turn), and if the turn happens to be a brick (useless card such as a card that does not help build a straight, or a suit that is of no use to anyone on a flush draw), then make them pay a king’s ransom to see the river. In this scenario, the river is also a brick, and the final board is as follows: Q, 10, A, 4, 7 (mixed suit/no flush). At this point, you and your opponent are most likely committed to the pot (a lot of chips are at stake), and a showdown is inevitable, either you or one of your opponents will most likely move all in.

Minimize the Damages

Unless you know that you have the best hand (the nuts), then you have to be prepared to minimize your losses, or get out right away. Sure, you’d hate to see the replay on TV, if you were bluffed out by a rookie holding AQ to your set of Aces, but they would be singing your praises if you folded the second best hand. Always examine the board, and do not fall in love with your hand, unless you absolutely have the nuts (the best possible hand on the board). Many players like to ‘slow play’, or ‘sand-bag’ a ‘nut-flop’, or a ‘made hand’. Since the flop gave you a set, but showed the danger of a straight, a small bet would probably be the best play. When in doubt, bet carefully, read your opponent’s reactions, and if you have reason to suspect that you have the second best hand, check on the turn, or call your opponent’s raise, within reason, and examine the river. At this point, assuming that you have minimized your commitment to the pot, you can live with yourself if your opponent pushes you all in and you choose to lay down your hand.

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