[ohnonotthat]

If you want to spend that half-bet on a lottery ticket be sure it's a suited lottery ticket; failing that, at least raise your standards to where your "trash" hand has straight potential.

9-2/off flops 2 pair ~ 1 time in 50 and trips ~ 1 time in 70. (Oh, yeah - and quads one time in 9,800).

As was pointed out by a previous respondent, the problem here is not only the rarity of the event - you also have no lock on the pot when you do hit one of these miracles.

Nines and deuces require deft handling in a 5 or 6 way pot.

Translation: You'll tend to win a little when you win while losing alot when you get run down (or were never ahead to begin with).

Trip deuces are a good flop in terms of winning the hand but how much will you win on those rare occasions when this miracle flop (less than 1%) appears ? Any who stay will likely have a draw to beat you; when small pairs hit the flop in unraised pots even bad players see the "caution" sign light up.

Trip 9s are even worse - all that applies to trip 2s apply here only moreso.

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Maybe the following [contrived] example will clarify things.

There used to be a site whose software was poorly designed and awash in glitches. If you sat out your small blind and posted it behind the button the server treated this post as live money - if there was no raise you could see the flop by merely completing the bet.

Assume you held 9-2/off against 6 limpers; let's further assume that the the button and both blinds had only enough chips to call (and could not raise).

Do you call here ?

If you answered "yes, without hesitation" - I'm afraid ya' just don't get it.

If you answered, "yes, but without enthusiasm" you do get it, and if you said, "fold" I hold no huge quarrel with your choice (though it is a profitable call).

If this is a marginal call at best WITH POSITION and with no chance of being raised, can you see where it would be an easy fold from bad position ?