Just stop with the crazy analogies of Whiz going all-in with a crappy hand. The hand he is playing is at worst the same hand he had in Matty, with a bunch more potenial for an upside surprise.
My analogy wasn't crazy, and I didn't say it was a crappy hand either. Let me elaborate, please (and take it into the realm of crazy).
Matt is a pair of 4's (I'm upping it to be fair). It's a made hand, we know what we have in it and it's not going to win a lot of showdowns, but it will show well against A-something if the board is rags (our division is rags). But it's a made hand (knows the offense, cautious with the ball, won't be spectacular but will depend on the running game and the D to win games).
Derek is a suited 9-8. Not a made hand, but pair one of the two and you beat the pocket 4's. You also have a straight chance. You also have a flush draw. Lots of upside, but the hand isn't made (needs to learn the offense, but could make a spectacularly exciting hand.) However, the hand is inherently weak, as exciting as it is. First off, it isn't made, so if the board is rags, a team with an A-anything beats you (the Niners are holding something like A or K-9). Second, even if you make the exciting flush or straight draw (the rocket arm, big play potential) you OFTEN find yourself on the losing end of the straight or up against a higher flush (the backbreaking picks, the bullet pass through the WR's hands in the endzone, etc). It's a MUCH more fun hand to play, but is a heartbreaker more often than not.
On the bench we have two 3-7 offsuit hands in the rookies. Not ready to win hands yet, but fun to play when you know you are going to lose with them and it's ok..because on the few times you win with them you can laugh maniacally and smile.
I don't even mind the playing of the 89S hand, by the way...it's totally a Whis hand to play (lots of fun, lots of risk, interesting upside). I get it. However, I don't agree with the longview strategy here.
Basically Whis was given 4 hands to choose from, 44, 89S, 37 and 37. He had two hands with a chance to play at the table, and two that fold the season. By playing the non-made hand first, it's an automatic ditch of the made hand, and now you have a risky hand and two folds, vs. a made hand, an exciting potential hand and a fold or two. The problem IMO isn't that Whis is going all-in with the 89S, because he isn't. The problem as I see it is that inevitably (barring super success with that 89S hitting the flop), is that he's going to be blinded all in with one of the 3-7 offsuit hands.
Of course, the 44 popped off to the media and got itself folded, but I think that was the goal all along anyway given the way the preseason played out. And if that is the case, it really sucks that we didn't upgrade the 44 hand to a better made hand when we had the chance. Now we roll with a hand that needs help, and two super long shot hands. Odds aren't great, but Whis does seem to have lady luck on his side. It wouldn't be shocking to see the flop be 10-J-Q-K suited and hit the straight flush...just hope the A the Niners hold isn't the one that makes the royal.
If you like poker, you have to like that analogy even if you don't agree with it.
