Drawing to an Inside Straight;

[Autonomy]

Or "How to Torture a Trite Analogy in 1000 Words or Less"

There's an old adage in poker, "Never draw to an inside straight." The reason for that caveat is that an inside straight is a longshot. The chance of getting the right card is too slim for most reasonable gamblers to hazard.

Right now, the Democratic Party is drawing to an inside straight. Our high card is the Queen of Hearts, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. But we're putting a lot of chips on the table that we will draw the Jack of Clubs (Steny Hoyer) or the Jack of Spades (Jack Murtha), thus completing our straight, a most righteous hand.

Sick of the analogy yet? I've only just begun!

The odds of drawing a Jack are, roughly, one in thirteen; however, if we attempt a flush draw, our odds increase to just worse than one in four. Moreover, we retain the opportunity to make a pair of Queens and still win.

And poker analogies never lie!

My point is this: getting all our cards in the same suit is a better strategy than getting all our ducks in a row (mixed metaphors never lie, either!) If we draw a Two of Hearts, an otherwise crappy card, we still win with a flush. But we could also get an Ace of Hearts out of the deal!

So, Democrats, go all in for a small card -- a sweet, doe-eyed liberal with a heart -- for Majority Leader. There are just too many ways drawing to an inside straight could lose us our chip position, and our House leadership.

(P.S. Sorry about that. Really. Sorry you had to read that, but I've already posted it. Bye!)

[Kiouni]

1. you know when you see...

those government anti-smoking commercials and you really want to smoke after seeing it (if your a smoker). This post makes me want to gamble. I love the analogy though, good job.

[StrictlyRockers]

2. Thirty lashings with a wet noodle. ...or some other mixed metaphor.

[lapfog_1]

3. However, good poker players almost NEVER use true

odds when thinking about a bet, poker players calculate something called pot odds. That is to say, your draw to an inside straight might have 1 in 11 (when playing Texas Holdem after the flop)... and let's say that there is $500 dollars already in the pot, and the bet to you is $50 dollars... should you call? The answer is yes. Your $50 can win $550 should you get lucky and hit your straight... so it's correct to call this bet. If the pot is smaller, then you are definitely gambling to call, however other factors might play (do you think your opponent is bluffing, and if so, should you catch a pair, would that be enough to win... which gives you another possible 6 outs and increases your odds of winning to something around 1 in 4. That's all calculated in by reading the tells that other players give off and your gut instinct.

And I'm not sure what the "all in for a small card - a sweet, doe-eyed liberal.." Who are you thinking about?

[Autonomy]

4. There are several REAL inconsistencies in the metaphor

e.g., I assume that the other three cards in the draw will just fall into place. That's very un-poker-like. I don't think the OP works thinking of it as Hold'em. Probably more like 5-card draw.

Who am I thinking about? No one specific.

[gratuitous]

5. See you at Poker Stars.Net

All your chip are belong to me!

[Autonomy]

6. haha

I am a partypoker person. Name is KaosLuck.

Poker is life; life is poker.