SmartHold
9 / 6
THE BASELINE
Jacks or Better
Strategy guide
Learn this ladder first. Made hands lead, royal and straight-flush draws get special treatment, and pairs do more work than they seem to.
Built for full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better.
REMEMBER THESE
The three rules that move the game
01
Four to a royal is exceptional
It is strong enough to break a made straight, a made flush, or a paying high pair. Keep a pat straight flush.
02
Pairs beat hopeful runs
A low pair usually outranks an ordinary four-card straight, while a paying pair outranks nearly every four-card draw.
03
Suit and connection add value
With no made hand, prefer cards that can reach more than one result: a royal, straight flush, flush, straight, or paying pair.
DECISION LADDER
Scan from the top. Stop at the first match.
CORE ORDER
01
Pat royal, straight flush, or four of a kind
Keep the completed premium hand.
02
Four to a royal flush
The jackpot draw outranks ordinary made hands.
03
Full house, flush, or straight
Keep these made hands pat.
04
Three of a kind
Draw two for a full house or quads.
05
Four to a straight flush
A premium multi-path draw.
06
Two pair, then Jacks or better
Keep both pairs, or the single paying pair.
07
Three to a royal flush
This can outrank several ordinary draws.
08
Four to a flush, then a low pair
The flush draw comes first on 9/6.
09
Four-card outside straight
Eight completing cards make this the useful straight draw.
10
High-card combinations
Favor suited and connected high cards; otherwise keep the best single high card.
11
Draw five
Use it when nothing pays and nothing forms a worthwhile draw.
Why this isn’t an exception chart
Suits, gaps, discarded cards, and custom payouts can move close hands. This ladder is the memory framework; SmartHold Practice compares all 32 holds for the exact deal.
COMMON TRAPS
Mistakes worth recognizing on sight
!
Keeping a kicker with a pair
Discard the other three cards. Extra kickers only reduce your draw.
!
Overvaluing inside straights
They have only four outs. Keep them only when the exact high-card and pay-table value supports it.
!
Breaking a made hand too freely
Outside four to a royal, the secure payout usually wins.
TURN THE LADDER INTO INSTINCT
Practice Jacks or Better
Every miss comes back through Review until the correct hold is automatic.