A low pair or a four-card straight?
Dealt 6♠ 6♥ 7♦ 8♣ 9♠ in 9/6 Jacks or Better. Here is the correct play and exactly what the alternative costs.
Short answer
Hold the low pair. the low pair 0.82 vs the open-ended straight 0.68. The other play costs 0.14 credits per coin in expected value. Small per hand, real over thousands of hands.
A low pair outranks a four-card straight, even open-ended. Keep the pair.
Related decisions
A high pair or a four-card flush?JT suited or a single ace?Should you break a flush to draw to a royal?
Common questions
A low pair or a four-card straight?
Hold the low pair, worth 0.82 per coin versus 0.68 for the alternative. A low pair outranks a four-card straight, even open-ended. Keep the pair.
Is this the same on every machine?
These figures are 9/6 Jacks or Better. The order holds across most Jacks or Better tables; bonus and Deuces Wild games can change close calls. Match your machine on the strategy pages.