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The game requires
a very similar technique to Jackpots, the only difference being
that there is far more sandbagging, i.e., declining to open
with a strong hand in order to raise the eventual opener. This
means that even a middle opener, say the third or fourth to
act, is really under the guns and should exercise due caution.
In a seven-handed game the first, second and even third to act
should not open-whatever their hands are. If you have a fair
hand, there is no point in getting committed until the situation
is clearer. If you have an excellent hand, there is no point
in playing it from the unfavorable position of the opener. In
this game, unlike Jackpots, there is little danger that everyone
will drop out. Someone nearly always opens.
In the middle positions, to open for a real bet you need a pair
of Kings in a seven-handed game, a pair of Queens in a six handed
game, and a pair of Jacks in a five-handed game. The last two
to act can open on a pair of Jacks or a pair of tens, respectively.
There is no harm for any late player to open for a chip or two
with a four-card straight or flush, just to see what happens.
If sometimes in this position he makes a small opening bet with
a really strong hand in order to attract competition, he will
keep opponents guessing when he opens for a small amount.
Playing against the opener, play normally as though it were
an ordinary Jackpot. However, a late opener may well have only
a moderate pair or even a four-card straight or flush, and you
can drop your standards slightly for staying and raising. There
may be sandbaggers around, but on the whole, it looks as if
the opposition is weak.
After the draw the play is similar to Jackpots. However, there
may be less information about the opposing hands, for the fact
that a player did not open does not necessarily mean his hand
was not good enough to do so. It is also not so easy as in Jackpots
to distinguish between one-card draws to two pairs and one-card
draws to a flush or straight. |
