5 card draw questions

[sfwusc]

1. You keep the big pair with 4 to a flush, but what about a baby pair and 4 to the flush out of the big blind?

2. Do you really have a general hand starting chart? I am drawing about 1/3 of the time.

[VickreyAuction]

How many people are you playing against in question 1?

[sfwusc]

6 in total

[VickreyAuction]

No, I mean how many people limped in with you in the BB? If it's just you and the SB I keep the pair, if it's a family pot I draw 1 to the flush.

[greggg230]

Borrowing somewhat from the articles linked in the FAQ, at 6-handed table, here are my usual starting hand requirements. I'm just listing the minimum hand I'll play. Obviously, I'm playing anything better, too. Also note that I basically never limp (sometimes I'll limp in the small blind with a draw in a family pot, but that's it) and I'm assuming in these that it's folded to you.

UTG - AA, 4 to a straight flush
UTG+1 - KK
MP - QQ
CO - JJ
BTN - TT
SB - 66

Against a raise and without a read, I'm folding any one pair except for aces. I 3-bet two pairs JJXX+, all trips. I fold small two pair to a 3-bet without a read. I never cap without a pat hand.

Anyone with more 5CD experience please correct this.

[Al Mirpuri]

[ QUOTE ]
Borrowing somewhat from the articles linked in the FAQ, at 6-handed table, here are my usual starting hand requirements. I'm just listing the minimum hand I'll play. Obviously, I'm playing anything better, too. Also note that I basically never limp (sometimes I'll limp in the small blind with a draw in a family pot, but that's it) and I'm assuming in these that it's folded to you.

UTG - AA, 4 to a straight flush
UTG+1 - KK
MP - QQ
CO - JJ
BTN - TT
SB - 66

Against a raise and without a read, I'm folding any one pair except for aces. I 3-bet two pairs JJXX+, all trips. I fold small two pair to a 3-bet without a read. I never cap without a pat hand.

Anyone with more 5CD experience please correct this.

[/ QUOTE ]

On all the salient points it is a winning strategy.

[brian1175]

You see alot of talk from new people about starting hand requirements. Just like any type of poker you have to change your strategy to who and what you are playing. To just say what do you do in this situation is crazy, are you playing a tourny? early in the tourny? late in the tourny? Ring game? What stakes?
Also reraising should be read dependent also. Reraising jacks up could be good in a blind war but I would think twice about it if it comes from early pos.

[greggg230]

[ QUOTE ]
You see alot of talk from new people about starting hand requirements. Just like any type of poker you have to change your strategy to who and what you are playing. To just say what do you do in this situation is crazy, are you playing a tourny? early in the tourny? late in the tourny? Ring game? What stakes?
Also reraising should be read dependent also. Reraising jacks up could be good in a blind war but I would think twice about it if it comes from early pos.

[/ QUOTE ]

Obviously it's read-dependent, but starting hand requirements aren't crazy. For one, there's just the simple math involved of whether your hand ranks to be any good. In a game like 5CD, where the best hand pre-draw usually wins post-draw, it's very important to know whether, mathematically, kings are likely to be the best hand against 5 random hands. What about against 4? Against 3?

But you're certainly right that when it comes to raising and re-raising, etc., reads are much more important. The other night, I was playing a cash game, and a guy was just addicted to raising my BB. I'd call with any pair, six or higher, and call his post-draw bet unimproved. It was wildly profitable, but the same strategy would be insane against a, well, sane player.