Ask The Slot Expert

I have hit joker royals many times by throwing away a flush or straight flush for the fifth card to make the royal. It seems to happen more often than it should on Double Joker machines in AC.

What is your experience with this?

Thanks.

I used Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker to investigate the hands mentioned in your question. According to the program, you are correct to throw away the flush in favor of the four-card royal. On the other hand, the program says you should hold the straight flush. Interestingly enough, the mathematically correct plays are the same in 9/6 Jacks or Better.

The math says you should get a wild royal 2 out of 49 draws and a royal 1 out of 49 draws on a Double Joker machine. I have very little experience playing Joker or Double Joker machines, so I can't say whether getting a royal in the casino seems to happen more frequently than the math predicts. I suspect if you kept track of how many times you got the royal in this situation, the answer would be very close to the predicted number.

Best of luck in and out of the casinos,
John

Send your slot and video poker questions to John Robison, Slot Expert, at slotexpert@home.com.

For more information about slots and video poker, we recommend:

The Slot Expert's Guide to Playing Slots by John Robison
Break the One-Armed Bandits! by Frank Scoblete
Victory at Video Poker and Video Craps, Keno and Blackjack! by Frank Scoblete
Slot Conquest Audio Cassette Tape (60 minutes) with Frank Scoblete
Winning Strategies at Slots & Video Poker! Video tape hosted by Academy Award Winner James Coburn, Written by Frank Scoblete
The Slot Machine Answer Book by John Grochowski
The Video Poker Answer Book by John Grochowski

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John Robison

John Robison is an expert on slot machines and how to play them. John is a slot and video poker columnist and has written for many of gaming’s leading publications. He holds a master's degree in computer science from the prestigious Stevens Institute of Technology.

You may hear John give his slot and video poker tips live on The Good Times Show, hosted by Rudi Schiffer and Mike Schiffer, which is broadcast from Memphis on KXIQ 1180AM Friday afternoon from from 2PM to 5PM Central Time. John is on the show from 4:30 to 5. You can listen to archives of the show on the web anytime.

Books by John Robison:

The Slot Expert's Guide to Playing Slots