Two High Cards or Four To An Inside Straight?
In 9/6 Jacks or Better, two high cards is the correct play over four to an inside straight, worth 0.10 more coins on average (5-coin bet). This exact conflict is dealt about once every 212 hands. Drill it in the trainer →
1 in 212hands: how often this decision appears
+0.10coins: average EV edge of the correct play
0.5coins lost per 1,000 hands if always misplayed
Example hand
2♠ 8♠ 10♠ J♥ Q♦
CORRECT PLAYhold J♥ Q♦EV 2.475 coins
vs
TEMPTINGhold 8♠ 10♠ J♥ Q♦EV 2.340 coins
| # | Hold | EV, coins (5-coin bet) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | hold J♥ Q♦ | 2.475 |
| 2 | hold 8♠ 10♠ J♥ Q♦ | 2.340 |
| 3 | hold J♥ | 2.337 |
| 4 | hold Q♦ | 2.320 |
| 5 | hold 10♠ J♥ Q♦ | 2.299 |
Paytable alert: in 9/6 Double Double Bonus this verdict flips — four to an inside straight (EV 2.340) overtakes two high cards (EV 2.271). Strategy is per-paytable, not universal.
Check any hand yourself in the hand calculator, or see all 64 decision conflicts ranked by frequency.