The other night, a few of us went to the local casino to play some Texas Hold ‘Em. During the course of playing, thoughts about the Bengals were running rampant as usual. While this was going on, there were noticeable differences in the hands that were dealt to the other players. This brought up an idea; which hand would be dealt to a certain Bengals player that would best suit him? Breaking down all possible poker hands from an Ace high to a Royal Flush and comparing each to a Bengals player will be the topic of this article. Enjoy.
Ace High – Dan Herron
An ace high can certainly win you a hand or two if you grind it out long enough on the poker table, but it certainly will not do much for you in the long run. This is how Dan Herron is fairing with the Bengals thus far. Herron missed OTA’s and the coaches could not get a fair evaluation on him. He is currently sitting behind four other running backs on the depth chart that obviously hold better hands than Herron’s ace high. Herron was the Bengals last draft pick when they selected him in the sixth round out of Ohio St. Being that he was such a late selection, he will be on a very short leash. If Herron can not prove his worth on special teams, he will be cut and possibly placed on the practice squad for the season. An ace high will only get you so far.
One Pair – Vontaze Burfict
Having a pair in poker generally means that you have a fair chance of winning the hand if it is one of the top pairs on the board. If not, then you almost certainly have a losing battle ahead of you. That is how Burfict is looking thus far in training camp. At times it looks like he has the top pair on the Board as he is playing with lots of physicality that defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer loves. He may end up getting into a skirmish or two during camp because of how aggressive he has been on the practice field. On the flip side, Burfict does hold a low pair as well in the form of being an undrafted free agent who has had some trouble on the field as well as off. Burfict will need to overcome these things if he wants a chance of making the Bengals 53-man roster this season. Will he end up with a pair of kings or deuces?
Two Pair – Shaun Prater
Two pair in a poker game can be a great thing or it can be a certified death wish. If you are holding top two pair on the board, your chances of winning are dramatically increased from if you are holding a lower two pair. Shaun Prater is currently the one holding the lower two pair. There haven’t been many flashes of brilliance out of Prater in camp and he is taking a back seat to seven other corners ahead of him on the depth chart. The only way that Prater can improve his hand is if he were to show usefulness on special teams. More than likely, however, Prater will be holding that low two pair when roster cuts come and will be sent to waivers and possibly the practice squad.