Video Poker Video Poker - Do you ever break strategy?

Does anyone else sometimes break strategy at Video Poker? For example, dumping a low pair to hold three to the royal... or how about suited 9-K, dumping the 9 and going for the royal. I cant think of many other scenarios... just curious. I have been guilty of both on occasion, usually when I am winning already. Most of the time it doesn't pay off, but it did for me once.

 

I'm not the serious VP player my friends are and I do try to keep to basic strategy.

During the bad streaks I might experiment (I call it 'creating my own luck') and keep a kick card with a small pair once in awhile. When it seems I keep drawing the same cards I just discarded I might keep one just to test my theory. I get a laugh when I'm right, but I know not to do it all the time.



Kharma does throw me a bone once in awhile. This was literally with my last credit in the machine.

 

I don't do anything too crazy. But when I'm dealt AK10 all suited and then a fourth card of that suit that doesn't help me make a royal, I'll keep three to a royal rather than the "correct" four to a flush.

I also never keep the third suited card when I'm dealt K10 suited (provided that card doesn't help make a straight flush.


The extra fun/excitement I get from the chance of a royal far outweighs the few pennies/hour I'll be giving up.

 

I refuse to hold 3 aces and kicker in TDB. I hold only the 3 aces. I would rather have 2 shots at the 1:47 remaining ace for a (aces 4oak w/o kicker) handsome payoff than hold a meaningless kicker. Hell, there are 11:47 kickers remaining if I discard one. Of course I will also break aces full houses every time.

Nick

 

Ditto on all.

Nick

 

All the time, especially if I,ve had a bit to drink, which is a lot of the time......

 

I do it when frustrated to the point of no return..No hits after switching machine after machine etc..Even hold a random low card and throw away 4
Can't say it made any difference in wins/losses..Still have this feeling in my mind that the machine 'knows' what you are going to do and if you 'confuse' the machine a bit here or there it may somehow help..Crazy yes..
Maybe will hold a Pair with kicker next trip and see what happens..
Anyone else note that the card you needed in the last hand pops up in the next hand and all the other quirks like throwing out a black 10 say and get the other one? Of course next hand you get both red 10's dealt when hand before you wanted one of them? Selective memory yes..I get it..

 

I did this once a few trip ago. There was one afternoon where it felt like I was dealt a pair of tens a few hundred times and never hit a damn thing on them. No boats, no trips, no two-pair, nada. Eventually I'd had enough. The next time a pair of tens showed up, I tossed them and kept the ace. Of course I drew a pair of tens. I don't do that sort of thing anymore.

(Yes, folks missing a sense of humor, I know how the RNG works...)

 

That's a terrible play on TBD. It's no different than discarding 4-to-a-royal.

 

I will sometimes hold a single Ace instead of keeping the Ace plus two to a straight flush, because I NEVER draw the straight flush from 3 cards.

 

In Bonus Poker I have been guilty of holding AK when I get AKJ (or Q) off suit, just to give me a chance an extra chance for long shot quad aces. Correct hold is either KJ or KQ. But holding KH is only slightly higher in value than holding AH, so probably not giving up much (or so I tell myself).

That said, it hasn't worked yet!

 

My wife will hold A10s if she has no other draw (rather than the lone A)
She's hit two royals doing this, lol

 

Thats what I do as well when playing for royals. Ofcourse its never worked out in my favor. Forever 4 to a royal..

Some sessions of DDB, I will hold the higher pair (J+) in dealt 2 pairs. That paid off with a couple of quads that would normally have been full houses during a session at the D.

 

Hey Now!
I do it all the time playing DB. Can't bring myself to holding 3 to a flush with a high card that has no chance of being a straight flush. I hold the high card.
Maybe if I'm playing 10/7 at Sam's Club though.....

 

I play Deuces a lot and will hold three to a royal if things look bad elsewhere. So many times it ends up 4 to the royal and that calls for another drink!

 

Never. I always try to play the correct strategy. There's no point in making things worse by giving up percentage points just on a random whim, even when it's going bad. If it's going bad, cash out, go for a walk and play another day.

 

What game are you playing usually where that is actually correct? 9/6 DDB? On any game where a flush is 5 for 1, 3 to a Royal is always better than four to a flush.

As for me, i almost always make the best math play to my knowledge, but if it's a close play (within a penny or two on quarters) I've been known to go for the bigger play (usually a 2 to a royal draw). Especially if I've been losing and drinking. [emoji4]

 

Yes. Also Boner Deluxe (8/6).

 

We've usually passed "a bit to drink" by 10AM, so....

 

My wife always holds suited A10. Asks me every time, I say no, and she holds it anyway. I haven't seen the miracle yet.

I'll switch to a game I don't fully know for a few hands if I'm on a prolonged cold streak. Just a superstition that you've got to mix things up a bit to get the machine in a giving mood. And as others have mentioned, the longer I play, the more I've had to drink, so even the games I know get messier.