vpFREE2 Forums

DB strategy for DDB

#1

I am not fortunate to play where good FP paytables are available.
Could someone please tell me how much EV would be lost under the
following circumstances:
Play DDB 9/6/4
Hold the Ace and non suited picture card
Never draw to the inside straight
What kind of variance would this have versus the DDB 9/6/4
Thanks for any help.
Ed

#2

I am somewhat confused by your question. First, your subject line heading
would indicate that your two proposed changes are DB plays that you are
using on 9-6-4 DDB. That is definiately not the case. There are many
occasions in all versions of DB that you will hold the A alone. Same case
with inside straights. In all the versions of DB that I know of, you will
always be holding a 4-card inside straight, and the position that said
straight is in on the hand rank table is determined by how many high cards
are in it.

Play DDB 9/6/4
Hold the Ace and non suited picture card

With your first suggestion, I thought that your goal might be to increase
your chances of high pairing up to break even on the hand. This play is not
so bad in cost, only a couple pennies playing for quarters, again depending

Never draw to the inside straight

Since non suited A,K,Q,J,X would absoloutely be an inside straight including
4 high cards, and you want to dump this hand, I am now assuming that high
pairing up to break even is not your short range goal. Cost of this play in
qaurters would be almost like throwing a couple of them on the floor
everytime that you dumped this hand.

What kind of variance would this have versus the DDB 9/6/4

I would guess that with your mixed goals, variance should not even be a
consideration. My bottom line answer would be from the movie War Games,
when Joshua, the voice of the W.O.P.R. computer said, "A strange game. The
only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?" :>).
                                                         Nudge

···

From: "snowbird010339" Subject: [vpFREE] DB strategy for DDB
on your discards. Problem here is that it's high frequency of occurence will become obvious in a short session of play. Then you wrote:

#3

Thanks for your reply I erroneously said never draw to an inside
straight. What I really meant was never draw to an inside straight
when there are less than 2 high cards. You are correct in assuming
that the Ace plus non suited picture card was to increase braek even
in this high variance game. My goal is to try to lower the variance,
waiting for the quads to come.
Ed

From: "snowbird010339" Subject: [vpFREE] DB strategy for DDB

I am somewhat confused by your question. First, your subject line

heading

would indicate that your two proposed changes are DB plays that you are
using on 9-6-4 DDB. That is definiately not the case. There are many
occasions in all versions of DB that you will hold the A alone.

Same case

with inside straights. In all the versions of DB that I know of,

you will

always be holding a 4-card inside straight, and the position that said
straight is in on the hand rank table is determined by how many high

cards

are in it.

> Play DDB 9/6/4
> Hold the Ace and non suited picture card

With your first suggestion, I thought that your goal might be to

increase

your chances of high pairing up to break even on the hand. This

play is not

so bad in cost, only a couple pennies playing for quarters, again

depending

> Never draw to the inside straight

Since non suited A,K,Q,J,X would absoloutely be an inside straight

including

4 high cards, and you want to dump this hand, I am now assuming that

high

pairing up to break even is not your short range goal. Cost of this

play in

qaurters would be almost like throwing a couple of them on the floor
everytime that you dumped this hand.

> What kind of variance would this have versus the DDB 9/6/4

I would guess that with your mixed goals, variance should not even be a
consideration. My bottom line answer would be from the movie War Games,
when Joshua, the voice of the W.O.P.R. computer said, "A strange

game. The

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "nudge51" <nudge51@...> wrote:

on your discards. Problem here is that it's high frequency of occurence > will become obvious in a short session of play. Then you wrote:
only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?" :>).
                                                         Nudge

#4

snowbird010339 wrote

My goal is to try to lower the variance, waiting for the quads to
come.

I understand the motivation of the exercise, all too well. However,
the truth is that variance is an inherent property of a paytable and
strategy deviations won't make the game appreciably more comfortable
or survivable.

Variance results from return concentrated in infrquently occurring
hands. Unless strategy change shifts sizable return from those hits
to more frequent hands, you're not going to change the nature of the
beast (and if you should successfully redistribute the game return,
it's a given that you'll be sacrificing far more EV than is warranted
by any benefit).

I'm a strong advocate of max-EV strategy. I've yet to see a general
play case where strategy changes make more than nominal progress in
satisfying alternative goals (as measured in practical terms -- e.g.
making a game meaningfully more survivable) without an undue EV sacrifice.

- Harry