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Dancer's Answers We publish a brand-new video poker article from Bob Dancer every Thursday in this section. These columns are called "Dancer's Answers". Click on any of the links below for more Dancer's Answers: Bob Dancer Articles - Main Page Vicksburg Video Poker - May 8, 2008 Vicksburg, MS Video Poker - Part 2 - May 15, 2008 Vicksburg Casino Video Poker - Part 3 - May 22, 2008 Common Deuces Wild Mistakes – Juan or the Other – May 29, 2008 Figuring Out Quick Quads - June 5, 2008 Breaking Full Houses in Quick Quads - June 12, 2008 A Quick Quads Puzzler - June 19, 2008 Let’s Go Scouting - June 26, 2008 When You're Not Sure of the Game - July 3, 2008 Can it be Right to Play Hunches - July 10, 2008 Good Hearted Woman in Love With a Good Timin’ Man - July 17, 2008 One-Way Versus Two-Way Straight Penalties - July 24, 2008 Effectual versus Ineffectual Straight Penalties - July 31, 2008 Unusual Dealt Royals - August 7, 2008 Learning from a Horse Handicapper - August 14, 2008 When Bad Is Good - August 21, 2008 I Live For These Moments - August 28, 2008 Next Dancer's Answers column coming on September 4, 2008! |
This article was originally published in February 1999 Casino Player. This game is still found today, although not in plentitude. High Pairs versus Three Cards To a Royal in Kings or Better Joker WildIn every video poker game, you will have hands which contain a pair of high cards and three cards to the royal. An example hand would be Ah As Ks Ts 5c. It’s convenient when a game has a constant rule. For example, in the best version of deuces wild, the rule is “always go for the royal”, and in 9-6 jacks or better the rule is “always go for the high pair.” In either of these games, this part of the strategy is easy to memorize. The fact that this part of these games is so simple is a major reason why these games are so easy to learn how to play. In other games, it is much more complicated. In this column, I’ll address the matter by talking about the best version of kings or better joker wild found in Nevada for dollars and higher. On a five-coin basis, this game returns 100 coins for four of a kind and 4000 for a royal. The exact strategy rules will vary as you consider other pay schedules on this game, or other games altogether, but the principles will remain constant. Understanding these principles will help you learn the strategy in whatever video poker game interests you. The first factor to consider is “what is a high card” and how many are there. Since this is a “kings or better” game, we are only concerned with the A and the K. The Q and J are no more important in this game than is the T. Therefore, the following combinations have two high cards: ‘AKQ’, ‘AKJ’, and ‘AKT’. And these following combinations have one high card: ‘AQJ’, ‘AQT’, ‘AJT’, ‘KQJ’, ‘KQT’, and ‘KJT’. And the only combination with no high cards is ‘QJT’. Another factor to consider is how many straight and straight flushes are possible from a given combination. If you start with any combination containing an A, you have no chance for a straight flush. If you start with a K-high combination, such as ‘KQJ’, you have two separate possible draws for a straight flush, namely the ‘T9’ and the W9. (A W, which stands for “wild card” is my abbreviation for a joker.) If you start from ‘QJT’, you now have four such straight flush draws, namely the ‘K9’, ‘98’, W9 and W8. At first blush it appears that WK would also be a straight flush (by counting the W as a 9), but the machine will credit you with a joker royal instead (by counting the W as an A). Don’t argue. Just take the extra 250 coins. So if we consider these two factors so far, we now have four separate categories of 3-card royals.
Even without knowing the exact pay schedules, we can do a preliminary ranking. We know that A>C. They have the same number of straight flush opportunities (i.e. none) and the extra high card has value. We also know that B>C. If we only have one high card, we want to go with the ones with greater straight flush chances. Frankly, these are the only preliminary conclusions we can make. The additional rankings depend upon the value of the straight flush. Having extra chances for a straight flush may or may not make up for having extra high cards. A third factor to consider is flush interference. Compare the hand Kd Ks Qs Js 4h with Kd Ks Qs Js 4s. Holding the ‘KQJ’ in either case, you’d like to get a royal flush, and even a joker royal isn’t too bad. But far more common than either of these is a regular flush. In the first case you have 11 spades still in the deck (actually 10 spades plus the joker), and in the second case you have only 10 spades still in the deck, because you were dealt the 4s and threw it away. Missing that spade is worth almost 22¢ when you play this game for dollars, whether you are talking about 3-card royals with one high card or two. Flush interference is not a factor when you are looking at ‘QJT’ versus a high pair. Can you see why? Since you only have five cards, you are looking at either ‘QJT’AA or ‘QJT’KK. There is no room for another card, and if one of the aces or kings was suited with the ‘QJT’, we would now have a 4-card royal which is very definitely preferred to a high pair. Flush interference means that the high pair is more likely to be chosen than when no flush interference exists. How this affects the strategy in an actual game depends upon the exact pay schedules involved. Another factor to consider is straight interference. Compare Ah Ac Kc Tc Jd with Ah Ac Kc Tc 9d. Part of the value of starting from ‘AKT’ comes when we draw a Q and a J. If they are both clubs we have a royal flush. (Congratulations! I know you feel you were really due for this one!) But if at least one of them is a different suit, we have a regular straight. If we have four queens and four jacks remaining in the deck, we have more straight possibilities than if we have four queens and three jacks. This straight interference reduces the value of any 3-card royal by about 6¢. There is a different type of straight interference affecting ‘QJT’. Compare Qd Jd Td As Ah with Qd Jd Td Ks Kh. There are equal numbers of A-high and Q-high straights possible between the two hands, but there are more K-high straights possible with the first hand because all four kings are still in the deck. Holding the ‘QJT’ in the first hand is worth about 10¢ more in the first hand than the second. There are the four factors to consider: high cards, straight flush opportunities, flush interference, and straight interference. This will be true in every game you examine. Let us see how this affects the specific game in question. With flush interference, groups A, B, and C are all inferior to holding a high pair. With no flush interference, group B (1 high card --- K) and group D (‘QJT’) are always preferred to the high pair, group C (1 high card --- A) is never preferred, and group A (2 high cards) is sometimes preferred. Group A is only preferred when there is no straight interference. That is the entire high card versus 3-cards-to-the-royal strategy for this game. Other kings or better joker wild games will have different strategies, but they will still have categories A, B, C, and D and flush and straight interference will sometimes matter. That’s it for this month. Until next time, go out and hit a royal flush. Bob Dancer is America's best-known video poker writer and teacher. He has a variety of "how to play better video poker" products, including the software "Video Poker for Winners," Winner's Guides, strategy cards, his autobiography Million Dollar Video Poker, and his two novels, including Sex, Lies, and Video Poker. Dancer's products may be ordered at www.bobdancer.com or by telephone at 1-800-244-2224 M-F 9-5 Pacific Time.
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Classic Dancer We republish a classic Bob Dancer article every Sunday - often these articles are updated with new insights from Bob Dancer, the master of video poker writing. Video Poker Questions and Answers - May 4, 2008 More Answers to Questions About Video Poker Machines - May 11, 2008 Losing is a Major Part of Winning at Video Poker - May 18, 2008 Video Poker VS Blackjack - May 25, 2008 The Art of Tipping Slot Personnel - Part 1 - June 1, 2008 The Art of Tipping Slot Personnel - Part 2 - June 8, 2008 Putting Your Ducks In a Row - June 15, 2008 Luck and Skill in Video Poker - June 22, 2008 Strategy Adjustments in Video Poker - June 29, 2008 One Coin vs Five Coin - July 6, 2008 Video Poker Progressives - July 13, 2008 High Pairs versus Three Cards to a Rolal in Kings or Better Joker Wild - July 20, 2008 The Double Up Feature -- Does It Ever Make Sense? - Part 1 - July 27, 2008 Doubling Up -- Does it Ever Make Sense? - Part 2 - August 3, 2008 Did I Quit at the Right Time? - August 10, 2008 Money Management: What Does and Doesn't Work - August 17, 2008 "I'm Playing The Wrong Game" and Other Video Poker Fallacies - August 24, 2008 More Classic Dancer coming Sunday August 31, 2008. |
