03-22-05, LearnTexasHoldem:
Why Is 72 The Worst Hand
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I appologise if this has already come up, but there's too many Q&A to read!! Cheers,
Rob
Answer: For the readers, it is commonplace in poker that 72 offsuit is the worst starting hand. I'm not sure actually who said this originally. Before I get into why that hand sucks so much, let me say a few points about starting hands. When you first get into poker, you'll see all kinds of charts on what are the best hands. No one states though that the best hands -- defined by how often they win and how much -- depends on what type of game it is and how many players are in.
For example, a hand like 55 isn't that strong in a low limit holdem game, but in a no limit game it is far stronger (also in upper limits where the action is going to be likely heads up). This is why at upper stakes limit games you'll routinely see players reraise with little pocket pairs preflop. If you were to try that in a low limit game against a preflop raiser, you would be giving up money because there will be too many people calling to make the play worth while.
Obviously, AA is the best starting hand and the 72, 82, etc are the lowest, but the hands in the middle vary greatly in strength based on the texture of the game. It is important to make this distinction early on and base the power of your hand on variables other than how it ranks in a chart. If you have AA in a low limit game and there are 6 callers, good luck winning. So what is the worst hand then? Is it 72? Well again, that depends on the context.
If you are going heads up to the river, would you prefer 32, 72, or 82? Even though 32 might make a straight, you would prefer the power of the 82 since you may actually have an overcard if the other guy has 44, 55, 66, etc. 92 is better than 72 for this reason, the 9 is higher than the 7. Neither 72 or 92 can make a straight using both cards. They make "one card" straights, like this:
72 Flop/Turn/River: 6 - 5 - 4 - 8 - 3
Notice that the straight only needs one of the cards to be completed.
I would say that for regular ring play, 72, 82 and 92 are the worst hands. In heads up confrontations to the river though, 32 has to be the worst hand since you will always be the underdog. Even if you have a piece of cheese like 92, the guy may have 65 or 54 or 87 against you. With the 32 you only tie for the worst hand. You have the "nut low."
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