Keep the low pair

A pair below jacks pays nothing on its own, so it feels like a throwaway. It is not. Three fresh cards is a real shot at three of a kind, a full house or four of a kind, and a low pair returns about 0.82 coins for every coin bet — more than almost anything that tempts you away from it.

It beats one high card. It beats two high cards. It beats three high cards. It beats four to an inside straight. None of those is a reason to break it.

Example: 5♥ 5♠ Q♦ K♣ 8♠. The queen and king look like the start of something, but holding Q♦ K♣ returns about 0.49 per coin bet and the fives return 0.82. Hold 5♥ 5♠.

Two everyday draws do beat a low pair — four to a flush and three to a royal — and those are the next lessons. High cards are never the reason.