Oregon Lottery scamming people through incorrect "auto-hold" on video poker

[mickeycrimm]

I agree. Even if you're generally following a set strategy, it's a lot more fun to hold your own cards. Otherwise the experience of VP would be mind-numbing.

I quickly got used to auto-hold here in Montana. We have the same problem here that Oregon has as the auto hold makes a lot of mistakes. There is a disclaimer on the rules screen that says the auto hold suggests a hold but it may not be the optimum hold. And these are privately owned machines.

There are no hold buttons on the machines. You have to touch the screen to change the hold. I have to change about 1 in 8 holds. So for the most part I'm hitting the deal/draw button with the index finger of my right hand. When I have to change a hold I use my left hand to do it. I still get out about 1000 hands per hour without pushing it just like the Nevada machines.

The main thing the auto-holds do here is steer you away from the royal flushes, both natural and wild, and straight flushes, both natural and wild. From a hand like AC-KH-QH-10H-X it will hold A-K-Q-10 steering you to the inside straight draw. And on a hold like 3H-4H-6H-7C-X it will hold 3-4-6-7 steering you to the inside straight draw.

[jbjb]

Dream Card VP doesn't always give you the best Dream Card lie it's supposed too. Dancer and Shackleford both wrote about it

[bocce ball]

From a hand like AC-KH-QH-10H-X it will hold A-K-Q-10 steering you to the inside straight draw.

That's pretty crazy. For a typical game, the optimal K-Q-10 hold is worth about 7 coins on a 5-coin wager. The auto-hold suggestion is worth less than 3 coins.

But I'm not seeing how the auto-hold is a scam, as Dan argues. It does raise my eyebrow that some of the suggestions are ridiculous, but I don't think it's reasonable to assume auto-hold should necessarily be optimal, especially when the fine print discloses otherwise.

[mickeycrimm]

Just passed thru Illinois. Took a look at the video gaming terminals in the truck stops. No auto hold like Oregon. Regnis, you've got wongable games there.

[regnis]

I have never looked at the slots--just the VP, and never played in any of these places. But it would not surprise me if they were very "wongable" as the people that you see in those places are clearly not pros or even informed amateurs.

One land based casino here used to have auto holds on a few random games and they were clearly not optimal. We just stayed away from those games or had an attendant turn it off.