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There
is one aspect of comparing the odds of making your hand
to your pot odds that is frequently overlooked in open-handed
games like stud poker and razz: The effect on your play
of the cards exposed in other players' hands, which of course
includes cards that were folded along with those still out
against you. For instance, it would be crazy to play a pair
of Ss in seven-card stud with the two other 5s exposed.
Your chances of improving a hand change dramatically according
to the number of needed cards that are gone and the total
number of cards exposed. The second factor is important.
For example, with three spades on your first three cards
and no other cards seen, you will make a spade flush in
seven cards 18 percent of the time. Now, suppose when you
look around the table, you see that exactly one of your
seven opponents shows a spade. What does this do to your
chances of making a flush? If you say it increases them,
you are right. True, one of your needed cards is gone, but
so too are six unneeded cards. Therefore, there are more
spades proportionally among the unseen cards than you would
assume if you had seen no cards at all.
Generally, though, it's not so much the total number of
exposed cards that people ignore but the number of cards
among them that they need. It is very important to pay attention
to these cards because their presence can change a playable
hand into an unplayable one. Let's say you start with three
spades on your first three cards in seven-card stud, and
you have seen seven other cards. The following table shows
the effect of the other cards on your making a flush.
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