Page 8 - Jackpot Magazine South ~ September, 2022

PLAY TO WIN
Test your video poker knowledge with quiz
“Even though you’re growing up, you should never stop having fun.”
— Nina Dobrev, actress
As mentioned (several times by now), my father was an avid blackjack player. He loved sitting at the table going head-to-head against the dealer. While he never was into craps or roulette, his other favorite casino game was video poker.
And while I say “casino game,” in Las Vegas, where my father lived, video poker could also be played in the grocery store, at the gas station, at the local bar and grill... well, in many more places than just the casino. But, I digress.
Playing blackjack was serious work to my father; playing video poker was fun — although you wouldn’t know it if you saw the determined look on his face and the stern way he pushed the buttons on the machine. But, when he hit something like a four-of-a-kind (especially on a Double Double game that paid more with the kicker) his response was generally, “Yippee skippee!” That is also my response when I hit something good, as well.
It is fun.
Henry Tamburin often tested players’ knowledge with fun and informative pop quizzes. A best-selling author and gaming expert, Tamburin wrote this true or false quiz for video poker players in a past column for Jackpot! Let’s see how well you can do. And if you get them all correct, maybe you’ll say, “Yippee skippee,” when playing at the casino (or grocery store or gas station...).
1) You should always play the maximum number of coins when you play video poker. T or F
2) If your initial five-card hand has a four of diamonds and you discard it, it is possible for you to get a four of diamonds on the draw. T or F
3) Casinos can change the odds of winning, just like they do on the slot machines. T or F
4) If you see 25 Jacks-
or-Better poker machines in a casino, you can assume they all have the same payback. TorF
5) It is impossible to get more than a 100 percent return when you play video poker. TorF
These next questions are specific to the popular game of Jacks-or-Better, where you get your money back for a pair of Js, Qs, Ks, aces; you get a 2-for-1 payoff for two pair; and all four-of-a-kind hands pay the same amount (usually 25 for 1):
6) If you are dealt four to the royal in a Jacks-or-Better game, you have a 1 in 47 shot at hitting the royal flush. T or F
7) You should never discard a winning hand. T or F
8) The only non-paying hand that has more value than a high pair is a four-card royal flush.
T or F
Answers
1) True. The reason is
because the royal flush payout
per coin played is much higher when you play max coins than it is if you play less-than-max coins. Your overall return if you played less than max coins in, say, a jacks-or-better game, would drop by about 1.3 percent. If you can’t afford to play max coins, then you should drop to a lower
denomination machine.
2) False. A standard 52-card deck is used to play video poker, and every card must have an equal chance of being dealt. If you discarded a four of diamonds, you should never be dealt another four of a diamonds (because there is only one four
of a diamonds in a deck of cards). You could draw another four, but it would be of a different suit.
3) False. The casinos can’t change the odds of getting a particular winning hand in video poker. However, they can change the payoff amount for winning hands. Always know the payoff amounts before playing.
4) False. You will often find different payout schedules for the same video poker game in a casino. That is why it’s important that you scout the machines to check the pay schedules before you play.
5) False. Most video poker games return slightly less than 100 percent with skillful play (e.g., 99.5 percent). However, you can boost your return to more than 100 percent by taking advantage of offers the casinos give for using your player’s club card.
6) True. You were dealt five cards in the initial hand, leaving 47 undealt cards (52 less 5). Only one card in the remaining 47 undealt cards is the card that you need for a royal flush. Therefore, you have a 1 in 47 shot of getting the royal flush.
7) False. There are some hands where you should discard a winning hand. For example, if you hold a five-card straight or a five-card flush, and in the same hand you have a four-card royal flush, the play that has the higher expected value is to hold the four-card royal flush and draw one card (i.e., you should not hold the winning straight or flush in this case).
8) False. Besides the four-card royal flush, any four-card straight flush has a higher expected value than a high pair and should be held over a high pair.
Play To Win Again
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8 JACKPOT! MAGAZINE • September 2022
THE SOUTH’S LARGEST GUIDE TO GAMING & FUN • www.jackpotmagazine.com