Written by John Grochowski, Gaming

Have you ever listened in as a couple of video poker novices tried to figure out just what to do with a hand? I couldn’t help but overhear one evening when a woman playing Bonus Poker was dealt 5-6-7-9 and a Jack.

“What do you do here?” she asked the fellow accompanying her.

He looked at the hand, and looked at the pay table. “Look here,” he said. “You’d get five coins back if you draw another Jack, but you have four parts of a straight. Straights pay 20. You probably should go for the straight.”

If the hand had been 5-6-7-8, he’d have been right on with that analysis. With 5-6-7-9, that’s a different story.

Dealt 5-6-7-8, you have eight possible cards to complete the straight — the four 4s remaining in the deck, and the four 9s. You also have four parts of a straight when you’re dealt 5-6-7-9, but there are only four cards that will complete the straight — the four 8s.

The 5-6-7-8 is referred to as an outside straight, or an open-ended straight. With 5-6-7-9, it’s an inside straight. There are twice as many chances to complete an outside straight as an inside straight.

In Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker, the only time we hold an inside straight is if it includes at least three high cards, any of which could be paired up for a paying hand.

Don’t undervalue four-card straights. Holding 5-6-7-8 is a better play than holding a single high card. But 5-6-7-9? No, there are too few chances to turn that into a winner.