Tip # 34 of 52, What is a good draw to have on the turn?

Draw here means a hand that needs to improve to win. That is, although a hand such as two pair or a set can improve to make a full house, it is typically able to win the pot without further improvement.

The best draw is a hand that needs one card to make a flush and also is an open-ended straight, particularly if you might win the pot simply by making a pair. For example, if the board shows 2-3-T-J, two of which are diamonds, and you hold K♦Q♦, a significant number of cards will make yours the best hand. You have nine flush outs, plus six additional straight cards. In addition, the six remaining kings and queens might make you a winner. This means that 21 of 44 unseen cards potentially help your hand, or nearly 50 percent of the remaining cards. Draws Don't get any better than this, and it is correct to raise with this hand for value if there is a bet and a few callers. Of course, the more players who are in the pot, the less likely that simply making a pair of kings or queens will be enough to win. That loss of outs is offset by the increased payoff for making a straight or flush.

Other good quality draws include flush draws (nine outs), particularly to the nut flush, and open-ended straight draws (eight outs).

Note: Here is a word of caution about straight draws. If a flush is already possible, you might be drawing dead, or at the very least have lost two of your wins (as these cards put a four-card flush on the board). So, as a general rule, it is incorrect to draw to a straight when a flush is already possible. Also, the mere presence of a flush draw reduces the value of straight draws, as you are faced with the possibility that 25 percent of the cards that fill your straight might make someone else a flush. If two flush draws are on the board, only half your outs are totally "clean." This is often enough to make folding the correct play, unless the pot is very large.