Connectors Vs Semi-Connectors - straight chances?

[lemuri]

Why are connectors (hole cards) more likely to end up hitting a straight than semis?

Was just browsing through Harringtons NL tourney book (pt1) and he mentions that the chances of hitting a straight are better when starting with connectors than with semi-connectors.

I've been playing for two years now and I still don't grasp this evidently simple concept! I did search the forums here and some of my books but couldn't find the reasons for this quickly.

For example, why would a 10-8s be more likely to end up catching a straight by the river (texas hold'em) than say a 98s? Arent the odds of flopping a J9x the same as flopping a T7x? Similarly with gutshots, wouldnt you be just as likely to see a turn board of J76Q as you would a J75Q?

This has been bugging me, so I had to ask. Pls forgive my ignorance

[WhiteWolf]

Without going into math + probablities, the reason is that true connectors make more straights using 3 cards from the board.

To use your example, 98 makes a straight with boards of:
QJTxx
JT7xx
T76xx
765xx

T8 hits fewer boards:
QJ9xx
J97xx
976xx

HTH,

The Wolf

[UCF THAYER]

To put it simply, 98 can make a straight on a board of :
567, 67T, 7TJ, TJQ, and 108 can only make straights on boards of 679, 79J, 9JQ.

[OrangeKing]

[ QUOTE ]
To use your example, 98 makes a straight with boards of:
QJTxx
JT7xx
T76xx
765xx

T8 hits fewer boards:
QJ9xx
J97xx
976xx


[/ QUOTE ]

And just to finish off the analysis:

J8 makes straights on these boards:

79Txx
9TQxx

While Q8 only makes straights on this board:

9TJxx

So as you can see, the less connected your cards are, the less likely you are to make a straight with both cards.

[lemuri]

That's the ticket! Thank you, Wolf and Orange [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]