Contaminated

One of the poker terms used regularly in my forthcoming book on limit hold'em is "contaminated." My Webster's Unabridged Dictionary defines contaminate as follows: "to render impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something unclean, bad, etc." How does a word meaning unsuitable by contact with something bad describe something in poker strategy?

In community card games like hold'em and Omaha, one of the key concepts is to be aware of how a boardcard that helps your hand affects the possible hands of your opponents. When two or more players are helped by a card, they often put a lot of money into the pot, but only one of them will be smiling at the end (assuming that it's not a split pot). You want to be the person flashing those pearly white teeth and stacking the chips.

When you draw to a hand, if there are helping cards that do not give you the nuts, you need to be aware of exactly what they do for an opponent, as well as the likelihood of an opponent having such a holding, and make the appropriate mental adjustments. Here is an example: You hold the A 6 and the flop comes Q 8 2, giving you the nut-flush draw. How many outs do you have? The answer is that it depends on what your opponents hold. True, there are nine cards that make a flush for you, but only five of them make the nuts. Three of them (the J, 10, and 9) could give someone a straight flush, and the 2 pairs the board, creating the possibility of quads or a full house.

Should you worry about a straight flush possibility? Once again, the answer is, "It depends." If your game is pot-limit Omaha, even though the risk is still small, the penalty is so huge that it should enter into your calculations. Anything that could cost you all of your chips should be factored into a decision, even if it is quite a rare occurrence. For the limit hold'em player, both the likelihood of a straight flush and the penalty for running into one are sufficiently low as to be almost discounted. The worst-case scenario has you losing a pot, not all of your chips. Of course, we are talking about your attitude while drawing. For example, if the 9 comes on the river in a limit hold'em game, and you bet, get raised, play back, and the opponent reraises, anyone who still discounts the straight flush possibility is a complete fool. As for the flush card that creates the possibility of a boat or better, any Omaha player who ignores the fact that the board is paired ought to go back to hold'em – make that euchre. In limit hold'em, the betting on the flop will give you a clue as to the likelihood of a boat. If the flop was bombarded, beware; if not, there is still some possibility of an opponent slow-playing two pair or a set until the limit goes up.

A straight draw has the virtue (as opposed to the flush draw) of having no cards that will make your hand while filling an opponent's. Still, you can sometimes lose to a flush or bigger straight. If there is a two-flush on the board, there are two of your eight straight-making cards that create the possibility of a flush. The number of opponents in the pot will give you an indication of how dangerous this is. If you are heads up, a flush draw is only one of many hands the opponent might hold, and chances are the flush card that makes your straight is a winner for you. So, you probably have eight outs. If there is a bet and three calls to you, treat the hand as a six-outer. In evaluating your hand, keep in mind that not only are two of your outs contaminated, but that your opponents probably have a lot more redraws than if the board were rainbow.

The straight draw should also cause concerns when some of your outs could make a bigger straight. If you have a card combination with both cards 10 or higher, all of your draws will be to the nut straight. Otherwise, some of your straight cards will be contaminated. If the cards on the board that form part of your straight draw are higher in rank than your cards, such as a board of J-10 when you hold 9-8, you are said to be drawing to the "ignorant end" of the straight, and should downgrade your holding accordingly. Particularly bad are one-card straight draws, such as a board of 10-9-7 when you have an 8. You may have no winners at all, or just a few cards for a tie.

The character of the straight draw is also affected by how close in rank the boardcards are. A board of 9-8-7 (cards in sequential rank) means there are more straight-making combinations for your opponents, plus a greater chance of the nut combination being played. Calling a lone 6 with those boardcards a "straight draw," although true, is a bit misleading. It sounds like a hand that's worthy of contesting for the pot, but much of the time it isn't.

I think an area where lots of players are weaker than they should be is evaluating overcards, with respect to cards that could give someone a bigger hand. Having a two-flush on the board in a suit that you have none of is a serious detractor of overcard value. A card that pairs you but puts a three-flush on the board is a dubious catch. Two overcards are a six-out hand. A two-flush changes this to a likely four-out hand. And even if you hit one of the two suspect outs and no one has a flush, there is the danger of a fourth card on suit appearing, making your chances dismal.

The last possibility of a tainted boardcard I will discuss is with overcards. Be aware of when pairing an overcard makes a possible straight. Here is an example: You raise on the button with the A K after several opponents have limped in, and wind up with four callers. The flop comes 10 9 3. A player in middle position bets and there are two callers. What should you do? I believe you should fold. The deciding factor is that king you are trying to pair may give someone with Q-J a very big smile, since he would then hold the nut straight. If you change the board by making the 9 the 8, a call is reasonable, since none of your outs are contaminated by a straight-making possibility for your opponents.

The overcards of largest value are the biggest ones. When you have A-K and make a pair, at least you will beat someone else who makes one pair with that card. Unfortunately, there is a greater possibility here than with other hands of running into two pair, either by an opponent already having two pair or improving with your helping card. This is of particular danger when you hit an ace, since an A-X is so common a playing hand. Making a pair of aces with A-K or A-Q and running into aces up is one of the most common beats in hold'em. I am not telling you to always fold overcards, but they are a lesser hand than lots of players seem to think. If you normally go to the river with A-K, trying to make a pair, this is a big leak in your dike.

Hold'em is a common-card game, and realizing what a helping card for you can do for your opponents is essential for success in it. An out is supposed to make you a winner, not just improve your hand. Otherwise, it is worse than worthless, since you not only fail to win the pot, but you spend extra money in the act of trying. Whenever possible, try to draw to winners rather than just helpers. Avoid contaminated draws.

Editor's note: Bob Ciaffone is available for poker lessons. He may be reached at (989) 792-0884. His website is www.diamondcs.net/~thecoach, where you can download Roberts Rules of Poker for free. His books Pot-limit and No-limit Poker, Improve Your Poker, and Omaha Hold'em Poker are available through Card Player.