The idea is that if a 3rd party candidate gets a significant chunk of votes, the big two parties would need to adjust what they’re  offering to try and capture those missed votes next time.

In my original analogy the cards were candidates, and the one playing the game is the voters. The point was that it’s better to spend your turn voting for a third party candidate, which will allow for a better pool of candidates next cycle.

Sometimes when you play a game of strategy all the cards in your hand suck, so you throw away a turn in order to get a better hand for the next turn. Sometimes this is the most logical move. This is definitely  one of those times.