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When Is It Best to Dump a Starting Hand in Video Poker?24 August 1998
Here's an example. You're at a joker's wild machine. The lowest winning hand is two pairs. Your initial deal shows 3-D, 6-C, 9-D, 10-S, Q-H. Many solid citizens would keep the queen, imagining face cards to be special. Other than owing to the remote chance of filling a royal with A-H, K-H, J-H, 10-H, the queen is no more desirable than the low cards. In fact, 10-S offers the same chance of a royal and a better shot at a non-royal straight or straight flush. This hand is weak, no matter what you do; the best move is to dump it, hoping for a gift in five new cards. Here's an illustration involving jacks-or-better, nothing wild. You start with 3-C, 4-H, 6-D, 8-S, 10-C. Hmmm... three possible inside straights. Should you keep 4-H, 6-D, 8-S, looking for a five and a seven? How about 6-D, 8-S, 10-C, hoping for a seven or a nine? Aha! It would be better to hold 3-C, 4-H, 6-D, trying for a five and either a two or a seven. Sorry, folks. None of these is worth keeping. Chances are best disposing of the entire hand. The good news is it's not necessary to do the arithmetic to play like an pro. All you have to do is memorize the rules. The bad news is the rules can get hairy, and differ according to factors such as wild cards and payoffs for certain results - including bonuses and the size of the jackpot in progressive games. There are some serious video poker fans. These are people who play frequently, pump big bucks through the slot, and are more focused on earning profits than accumulating points toward tasteless merchandise or coupon upgrades from the food court to the all-you-can-eat cornucopia of cholesterol. These aficionados do their homework. They usually specialize in one type of game. They learn the corresponding rules by studying a good book (not one promising "secrets the slot bosses don't want you to know" or "guaranteed to win"). And they know how to interpret the payouts printed on the belly glasses of different machines so they can home in on the units with the greatest theoretical payback. All is not lost. When the initial deal is promising, guesses based on normal poker values won't lead you too far astray. And here are a few simple rules of thumb to help recognize weak starting platforms, when it's best to junk the kit and caboodle. You may not get rich at video poker just by knowing when to abandon hands with no redeeming value. But this insight can help avoid becoming poor. As Sumner A Ingmark, the poker player's poet, proclaimed:
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