Deuce-four gets a new audience

Yesterday Cardgrrl and I went to the Wednesday Poker Discussion Group at Binion's. I had been there just once before, in April, with Shamus. Once again, several members of the group presented in detail hold'em hands they had played, and at each decision point those in attendance were asked what they would choose to do and why.

One of the hands involved the hero having been dealt the deuce-four--in crubs, no less. Reasons for playing it or not playing it to begin with were offered, but, tragically, nobody pointed out the simple fact that you play it because it is the single most powerful hand in poker. Similarly, at each subsequent decision point, people volunteered various explanations for calling, raising, or folding, but nobody ever said what should be obvious by now: "You bet and raise at every opportunity, because you will inevitably have the best hand by the river." And yes, the guy won the hand with two pair (as if there were any suspense in THAT outcome).

I have much evangelism work yet to do. It is disheartening that a group of players with this amount of collective experience can continue to be so confused about how to play the nuts.