Questions About "Everything Casino Poker"

17 August 2013

By Jerry Stickman

Mr. Stickman,

I have compiled a short list of questions concerning Jacks Or Better Video Poker. For the following samples, could you please give me a few minutes of your time, and tell me what cards you'd hold onto. I'd buy your new book ("Everything Video Poker"), but I don't know if you'd have the answers to my questions in it.

That's why I'm sending you this e-mail. Does your book give the answers to all of my 13 questions?

Questions:
1. What would you keep if you were dealt the 4s, 4h, 5c, 6d, 7h?
2. What would you keep if you were dealt the 8h, 9h, 10h, Jd, Ks?
3. What would you keep if you were dealt the 5d, 9c, 10c, Jc, Qh?
4. What would you keep if you were dealt the 3c, 9h, Jd, Qh, Kh?
5. What would you keep if you were dealt the 4h, 10h, Jd, Qh, Kh?
6. What would you keep if you were dealt the 6c, 10d, Jd, Qc, Kd?
7. What would you keep if you were dealt the 10h, 10d, Jh, Qc, Kd?
8. What would you keep if you were dealt the 7s, 10c, Js, Kc, Ac?
9. What would you keep if you were dealt the 5s, Jh, Qh, Kh, Ac?
10. What would you keep if you were dealt the 8c, 10s, Jh, Qs, Ks?
11. What would you keep if you were dealt the 7s, 10s, Jc, Kc, Ac?
12. What would you keep if you were dealt the 6c, 10d, Jd, Qd, Kc?
13. What would you keep if you were dealt the 7c, Jd, Qs, Kd, Ad?

I hope you can give me the answers to my questions. Thank you for your feedback.

Best regards,
Jody D.

Hi Jody,

The video poker portion of the book "Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker" has pay tables and strategy charts for most of the popular video poker games available today. It contains tables and charts for only the better games and ignores low-return games.

Each separate game (such as full-pay – 9/6 – Jacks or Better) has a pay table and strategy chart. Included below is the strategy chart for 9/6 Jacks or Better. Rather than answer for each of your sample hands, the strategy chart lists potential hands in descending order of potential payback. For example, the first line of the strategy chart says 4-of-a-Kind or Better. This means if you have a four of a kind, straight flush or royal flush you would hold those cards. The third line says 3-of-a-Kind or Better. If you didn’t have 4-of-a-Kind or better (first line), or 4 Cards of a Royal Flush (second line), you would then check if you had a 3-of-a-Kind, flush or straight, and hold those cards. If you did not have any of those you would continue down the chart until you found a line that described your hand and act accordingly.

Strategy For 9/6 (Full-Pay) Jacks or Better
• 4-of-a-Kind or Better
• 4 Cards of a Royal Flush
• 3-of-a-Kind or Better
• 4 Cards of an Open Straight Flush – 2345-9TJQ Suited
• 2 Pair
• 4 Cards of an Inside Straight Flush
• High Pair (JJ-AA)
• 3 Cards of a Royal Flush
• 4 Cards of a Flush
• KQJT (Straight)
• Low Pair (22-TT)
• QJT9, JT98 (Straights)
• Suited QJ9, JT9
• 4 Cards of an Open Straight (0 High Cards)- 2345-789T
• Suited QJ8
• 3-Card Open Straight Flush- Suited 345 – 89T
• Suited KQ9, KJ9, QT9, JT8, J98
• Suited QJ
• AKQJ (Straight)
• Suited KQ, KJ, AK, AQ, AJ
• 4-card Straight, inside – 3 High Cards
• Any 3-card Straight Flush exc. 0 High Cards & 2 gaps
• KQJ, QJ
• Suited JT
• KQ, KJ
• Suited QT
• AK, AQ, AJ
• Suited KT
• 1 High Card (J-A)
• Any 3-card Straight Flush
• Draw 5 New Cards

This book was designed to be helpful to a wide range of skill levels, so the strategy charts are somewhat simplified. This means that some of the very close decisions may be slightly different than the more complex charts. Full-pay Jacks or Better returns 99.54 percent with perfect play. Because this chart is somewhat simplified, it will return a small fraction of a percentage point less than the more complex strategy charts.

Let’s look at a couple of your sample hands and see what happens.

4s, 4h, 5c, 6d, 7h: This hand has a low pair and a 4-card open straight. Looking at the chart above the “Low Pair (22-TT)” is 3 lines above the “4 Cards of an Open Straight (0 High Cards)- 2345-789T” line so you would hold the low pair of 4’s.

8h, 9h, 10h, Jd, Ks: This hand has a 3-card open straight flush (8h, 9h, 10h), a 4-card open straight (8h, 9h, 10h, Jd) and two high cards. Once again, checking the chart above the “QJT9, JT98 (Straights)” line is four lines above the “3-Card Open Straight Flush- Suited 345 – 89T” line so you would hold 8h, 9h, 10h, Jd.

Using this same procedure you can find the answers to the rest of your samples.

Please keep in mind that this book is much more than just a list of strategies. It also has information on scores of video poker games including pay tables (with returns and variance information) and strategy charts as well as several chapters of solid advice on practicing, money management, risk of ruin, and the effect of variance. This information will make anyone’s video poker playing experience more profitable (or at least less costly). It also goes into other advantage play techniques such as using comps to push otherwise negative expectation machines into positive territory.

Jody, I hope this answers your questions and allays any doubts you may have about the usefulness of the book.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman’s” new book is “Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker.” In addition, Jerry “Stickman” along with his partner, #1 best-selling gaming author, Frank Scoblete gives private lessons in dice control. You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerry@aol.com