[Buzz]

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Why 6,7,8 are so bad?

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AKsPRO - It's more that they're not so good than they're so bad.

Looking at it one way, all cards add value to your hand. Those particular cards (6,7,8) don't add as much value as most other cards.

Clearly aces add the most value. Aces work with more other cards to make a winning two card combination than any other card.

Next are wheel cards and honor cards. In general, the lower the wheel cards the better and the higher the honor cards, the better.

(Honor cards are aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens. It's an old bridge term.)

And that leaves the middle cards (sixes, sevens, eights, and nines) for last. Middle cards don't make as many winning two-card combinations with as many other cards as the other cards in the deck.

Actually, I think sixes can be nice in a pot limit game when you have the two nut low cards. But sevens, eights, and nines? Yuk. And in a limit game, I think sixes may have less value than in a pot limit game.

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It is harder to hit two pairs AND low with A2KT, isnt it?

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Yes. You make more lows with A278 than with A2KT. But unless you're playing heads-up, the low you make with A7, A8, 27, 28, or 78 is not usually a very good low. In a limit game, it's usually a loser. And in the meanwhile, the presence of a seven or eight in your hand makes it more difficult for the board to enable the nut low for your ace-deuce combo.

I haven't run the sims, but probably one-on-one I'd rather have A2K8 than A2KT. Well... O.K., I was curious and just ran the sims (both against random hands).

Nope. I have A2TKn about 56 to 44 against random cards and
A28Kn about 54 to 46 against random cards (10000 runs each, using Wilson). That’s for heads-up play. It’s close, but I like A2TKn better than A28Kn, even for heads-up play. It’s a moot point because I’ll be going for a steal with both of them, heads-up, and also defending with both of them, heads-up.

(In a full, limit game, A2TKn is substantially better than A28Kn).

Just my opinion.

Buzz