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The Trial Of 7-Deuce

published on 09/18/06 at 2:53 pm

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, no one wants to be considered to be the worst at what they do. My client, 7-2, is no different. Throughout this trial, my opponents have presented evidence inferring that 7-2 is the worst hand to play in poker. They have built a case around circumstantial and baseless evidence in their fruitless attempt to convict my client of the grotesque crime of being not just an unplayable two-card Hold’em hand but the most unplayable two-card Hold’em hand. Countless character witnesses have been brought forward. Successful and amateur poker players have sat in front of you and testified that it is universally known and accepted that 7-2 is indeed the worst hand. Video evidence of player after player folding this hand in major tournament play was shown in a montage worthy of an Espy. And, if you just listened to the evidence presented by my counterpart, your decision would be easy.

Many of you have played poker before. Many of you have watched poker before as well. As we all know, any two cards can win. Not only can any two cards win, I’m here to state that starting with my client, 7-2, as your starting Hold’em hand is not your worst option.

First, let’s revisit the evidence shown throughout this trial. As presented, there are 169 starting hands in poker yet 19 of those starting hands (over 11%) are behind before the flop. At this point, the plaintiff would argue that while those hands are behind before the flop they are more playable because they are closer together. Their contention is that hands like 5-4 and 6-3, while unplayable, are better to play because of the odds of making a straight are greater.

Using that logic, now let’s look at other 5-gapped hands. More specifically, let’s look at 94. 94 is very similar to 72. They both have the same odds at flopping a pair, two pair, 3 of a kind, a full house or 4 of a kind. The only difference between the two statistically is that 94 will flop 4 to a straight roughly 2% of the time more than 7-2. However, poker is not a game of solitaire. There are opponents. Usually, a normal game has 10 players who all must decide which hands to play. As discussed earlier, other than playing against an over pair with under cards, the worst position a poker player can be in going to the flop is being “dominated” by another hand. As presented by our poker experts, being “dominated” refers to when your opponent holds one of your cards but has another card higher than your second card. While 9-4 has a slightly better chance of improving over 7-2, what are the odds that your opponent has you “dominated?” It’s hard to pinpoint the playability of starting hands but let’s re-visit two well trusted advisors on the playability of Hold’em hands presented earlier in the trial.

From “Hold’em Excellence” written by Lou Krieger, there is a Texas Hold’em Starting Requirement Chart. The chart has been seen by many poker players and many beginners utilize this chart to mold their play when forming their poker skills. Looking at this chart, there are 78 playable hands depending on table position. This means that roughly 46% of hands are playable in some way shape or form. According to this chart, neither 9-4 nor 7-2 are playable hands in any position. Analyzing the playable hands, 20 of those 78 hands have 9-4 dominated while 7-2 is only dominated by 15 of those hands. This means that the average player applying the basic fundamentals of poker will dominate their opponent. That means that 26% of the time, 9-4 will be “dominated” by an average player compared to 7-2 which will only be dominated 19% of the time. As far as being favored against one of these playable hands, 9-4 would be favored about 8% of the time compared to 7-2 being favored roughly 3% of the time.

Another starting chart, a more selective chart endorsed by poker legends Mike Caro & Doyle Brunson, has only 42 playable hands. Players consulting a chart such as this will have 9-4 dominated 19% (8 of 42 hands) of the time whereas 7-2 will only be dominated 7% (3 of 42 hands) of the time. Against a player like this, neither hand will ever be favored and will need the flop to catch up. At the least against these opponents, 7-2 will be completely live 12% more often than 9-4. As stated before, Hold’em is not Solitaire, there are opponents.

Finally, one of the keys to winning poker is having a concealed hand. As 7-2 has a reputation of being the most undesirable of poker hands as proven by my counterpart, doesn’t that actually improve its’ playability when applying the above concept?

As you make your decision, think about the evidence presented by both sides. There is no denying that if you polled poker players, universally 7-2 would be identified as the most unplayable hand in poker. At one time, though, the world was universally identified as being flat. Ladies & gentlemen of the jury, you have an important task ahead of you. You and you alone can remove the stigma that my client has had to endure and right an injustice that has gone on long enough. Find 7-2 innocent and it will no longer be referred to as the worst hand in poker. The defense rests.

BJ316 is an amateur poker player who can often be found on Full Tilt Poker or at the $1/$2 No Limit table at one of the many casinos in Atlantic City. He has had moderate success in cash game play over the years and some tournament success in all formats of poker.

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