Video Poker How to Properly Play 10 Common VP Hands - Video

I am not a video expert by any means but I have been playing for 22 years. I believe the math does support the correct strategy for each game and I try to play correctly. There is only one hand that I refuse to play correctly. When I have 3 to a royal and a high pair, I will go for the royal. I have missed two royals by playing correctly and holding the high pair. I'm not gonna let that happen again.

 

After playing vp for years, I see I am still making mistakes. I guess I better get back to the basics and practice a little more.

 

Interesting. I'm not an expert but I play frequently for fun. I assume this film is backed up by some rigorous number crunching.

The one take-away I learned was the importance of "gaps" in a three card straight flush. The way I learned the basic strategy (mostly from Usenet rec.gambling years ago) you always held any three card SF over high garbage. Now I will watch for two gaps.

Another thing I learned (maybe, but gut instinct says to hold any winning hand) was the four to a royal over a pat flush. The original basic strategy I learned had only a very few cases of throwing away a winning hand, such as a pat straight with four for a royal (only happened to me once I can remember) or a pat SF with four for a royal if and only if a progressive royal exceeded {mumble} some value.

 

That is the exact holds I see on my Bob Dancer WinPoker software. The only one the software doesn't have is changing up to throw the paying pair in lieu of 3 to a RF when you have a high progressive. Makes total sense though.

TDB....I'm with you "sometimes" but I may change my mind, hearing you missed out on a RF not only once, but twice. I always watch what comes up afterwards and to my knowledge I've never missed out on a RF by holding the high pair but I do throw the high pair and keep the 3 to the RF "sometimes". It usually depends on how my current run is going, what denomination I'm playing and how my karma feels. The other hold I really don't remember what she said (but I think she said go for the inside straight) is the 4 to an inside straight when you have two suited face cards. I always keep the 2 suited face cards.

 

How can you know you missed a Royal if there is one non-royal card you don't get to see? It's certainly possible that you could have gotten the Royal but it's still only a one in 47 shot that you missed it.

I would think the cost of not holding paying pairs is much more than expensive in the long run.

 

The math on this is actually very simple. If you have 4 to a royal, there is a 1 in 47 chance you'll hit it. So, in 47 attempts, you'd expect to hit it once.

If you always held the pat flush: you win 47 x 30 = 1410 units
If you always went for the royal: you win 1 x 4000 = 4000 units.

So, it's not even close that going for the royal is the better play. And this ignores other ways to win with the going for the royal such as flushes and pairs.

If you have a pat SF you win 47 * 250 = 11750 units
In order to go for the royal, the pay out needs to be up over $2900 at the quarter level. I've never seen a progressive get that large on a quarter machine. Not even close.

 

Good to know.

 

Let's say I am dealt Ace, King and Ten of hearts, 7 of diamonds and King of spades. If I hold the high pair of kings, I draw 3 new cards. Of the 3 new cards, if the first two are the Queen and Jack of hearts then I think I "missed" a royal. It doesn't matter what the third card is because there would not be third card if you held 3 to a royal.

Again, I am not questioning the "correct" play. I just have a problem giving up 3 to a royal.

 

I always go for the Royal with 3 to the Royal, even if I have a winning pair. This year I had a flush and threw away a 7 and hit the Royal for $4K. I figure I'm ahead on that one play.

 

And if you're playing 9/7 TDB, it's almost always correct to hold the 3-card royal over a high pair (not aces of course).

 

I strongly recommend WinPoker for understanding all this.

It can even show you the severity/cost of such errors. For example, at DDB (98.98%), holding high three to royal (AKQ) and discarding a high pair is only 137% return vs the 144% return on holding the high pair. Not that bad a play, in my book. And one I often make myself because of a "go for it" attitude.

And it can show you how colossal a mistake holding a flush over 4 to a royal is. For example: KQJT4 all one suit:

Hold KQJT: 1955% / 97.766
Hold KQJT4: 600% / 30.00

A whopping huge mistake to hold the "winning hand" there. Using WinPoker is wonderful for helping you not just learn by rote what the right plays are, but more importantly, to understand *why* and how bad various mistakes are.

 

I am sure the math makes sense, but getting a Royal, with or without a high progressive would make my day, so I would hold the three to a Royal. I would be darn happy with the 4000 coins.

I look at it this way. If the casino/machine says to me - "If you double your bet, I will guarantee you three to a Royal on the next hand. That is the same as passing on the for sure 2 of a kind. (okay, one exception, you could have gotten 3 or 4 of a kind if you played out the hand).

 

Throwing the flush with 4 to a royal is the correct play.

 

Yes, I know. Just confirming I did it and got it. I will still continue to try for the Royal with winning pair with three to a Royal even though it may to be
the best play.

 

That's not exactly how VP works. Every VP game I am aware of deals 5 cards across and then simultaneously deals another 5 cards across unseen, which are the cards you receive if you discard.

 

And the RNG chip is constantly shuffling (not really but for the visual) the cards and your draw cards are always changing depending when you hit the draw button. So....bottom line is there is "correct play" based on math and statistics and then there is the fact that you are in Las Vegas gambling and it's everybody's choice to "go for" and hand they want. Now going with the best/smartest statistical holds should keep you in the game longer but the flip side is there is also a strategy out there (in a book I have) that concentrates on going for the RF much more often. If you think about it.....the game prohibits you from ever getting a RF every time you keep a pair or keep 2 (or more) unsuited face cards.

I liken this discussion (although very valid) to the ongoing saga of "correct play" for BJ. Yes there is statistically correct play but anyone sitting at the table is gambling with their money and they have the option to play "their" hand any way they want. Sure it can affect the other players at the table and people bitch about it "after the cards come up" but in reality it's no different than this. Statistically, there are cards that are more probable +/- but anything can happen....that's why it's called gambling folks

 

If you want to make the most advantageous play of all, it is easy to get 100% return on any video poker machine. This system is guaranteed or your money back. All you have to do is not play. LOL!


It appears that many folks want to skip the math part and just "go for it" when it comes to the decision of a paying pair vs 3 to a Royal. Makes sense mentally, since after all you are "gambling".

 

I think about it almost every time but rarely ever do....holding a paying pair just has too many possibilities and if you're playing $1, $2 or $5 VP you want to stay in the game.