This is a borderline hand. The rule of EIGHT PLAY; SEVEN WITH PAY shows that seven cards do play; the two Aces, the 4-5-6 of Clubs and the J-Q of Spades. Notice that the two 5’s are ignored, even though a third 5 makes a pay. The hand would have only six cards which work if we considered the two 5’s to be playable. We would have two Aces, two 4’s, two 5’s and J-Q of Spades. We can only make three spreads, remember? Therefore, only six cards would play. Many Pan players would fall into the trap of taking a five early in the hand, but it slows the hand down one vital card, so stick with the rope -- in this case it’s faster, because it’s complete in your hand.
So, with seven playing cards I know that I need either a one-pay or better in my hand, or three cards such as 5H 5S 5S together. This hand doesn’t quite qualify; the usual play is to throw the hand in. But I am last to act this time, and the two players have said that they would play. Remember the players. The first one is usually a pretty fair player. But she has a bad habit of many Pan gamblers -- playing the hand, no matter how bad, immediately after she puts out a hand. She won the last hand, so the chances are very good when she announced she would play this hand that she decided on the basis of her happiness from the previous hand -- not her judgment on this one! The second player is not good at all. He just doesn’t know how to evaluate a hand. Two players. Two hands which quite possibly are worse than mine. By studying the players I decide to play.
Before the hand is over I will meld -- sevens! True, I don’t have a single seven now, but strange things happen at a Pan table.
My first draw is the 7C. Down comes my rope: 4C 5C 6C 7C; away goes the KD. I have AS AS, 4H 5H, JS QS left in my hand. Next, the 6H comes. I take it, melding 4H 5H 6H, throwing away the QS. Why not wait for the 7S or KS? Well, I’m not playing the strongest hand ever dealt, so I’ll take what I can. Besides, any Ace will put me nine cards flat. Next hit is the 7H. I toss the JS, and am down to 4C 5C 6C 7C and 4H 5H 6H 7H plus those two spade Aces. My opponents, as I had guessed, are as weak as I am on this hand. One has down JC JD JH JH as his only spread, and the other has 7C JC QC as her only spread. The good players around the table are snickering.
Then I get an interesting card. I draw the 7S. Well, I don’t wait at this point. I grab the 7C and 7H off the ropes and manufacture 7’s for one chip. Three sevens from none. Yes, I must throw away an Ace, and yes, the hand has dropped down below a seven useable card hand but I clearly am in the lead with three spreads. Finally I get a 7C, and I am ten cards flat on the table…but the man at my left goes out with JC JH JH JD, 3D 4D 5D 6D, KC KH KD. I must pay him two chips for the game -- nothing for the pay cards, since he didn’t have any. So my total expense is two chips -- the optimistic lady who put out the previous hand collected no chips on this one.
I paid out 2 chips + 1 ante………………………………...............................3 Chips
I received 1 chip per player……………………………….............................2 Chips
Total Loss………………………………...........................................................1 Chip
I lost only 1 chip on the hand, and almost won it. The lady across from me, a solid player who waits for good hands, smiles at me. “I hope you had fun,” she says. “I had to play,” I reply, “the 7’s made me do it!” She knows how the 7’s were made. “You’re either psychic or crazy,” she concludes. “I’m both,” I answer modestly.
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