Review
Overcard draws are especially weak and vulnerable draws:
-
Your odds are only 7 to 1 against improving when drawing one more card,
and you are drawing to a relatively weak hand.
- You could be drawing practically dead to opponents with sets, two pair, or an
overpair to your overcards.
- Your out could give an opponent a flush or straight.
- Your out could give an opponent two pair, especially when you are holding
an ace.
- Your out could give an opponent a pair with a better kicker.
- You could lose on the river to an opponent hitting a set, backdoor flush or
backdoor straight.
Drawing to overcards is a marginal decision at best, even when almost all the
conditions are perfect. Most beginning players will save money by never culling to
overcards.
The conditions should be just right to consider drawing to overcards:
-
You should almost always be against a few opponents.
- Be wary of playing when the preflop raiser is now the flop bettor or either
calling a flop bet.
- The pot should be large.
- Generally only play for one bet.
- The flop should be favorable so that there is less risk that your outs are
counterfeited.
Favorable flops include three of a kind and a rainbow flop of all rags.
Low pairs or two connected low cards are generally favorable, unless
you are playing against opponents in late position or the blinds.
One high card and two rags can sometimes be played against a few
opponents.
Almost never draw with flop types of a high pair, three-suited, two-
suited, three-connected, two-connected high cards or all high cards.
Generally you need added value to your overcards such
as flush or straight draws to be able to play (see other exceptions
noted in text).
Be less inclined to play overcards when one of them is an ace or one
of your cards is exactly one card above the highest card on the table.
Overcards can sometimes be played as semi-bluffs against one or two opponents,
especially if you were the preflop raiser.
Trash Hands
