pair or royal draw?

[Alan Mendelson]

So... you're playing video poker and you're dealt a high pair with three cards to a royal flush. What do you hold?

Your chance of a royal is 1 in 1081 hands but with the high pair in most games you'll get your money back... or you could improve to two pair, trips, a full house or quads.

What do you do?

I'll start. In most games proper strategy is to hold the pair. But I want the big win. I will go for the royal. I will most likely not get the royal but I might get another high pair or a straight or a flush.

I'll gamble, thank you.

[jbjb]

Play it however you want. That's what I tell people. No different when people ask BS advice in BJ.

Personally, I play it optimally because I'm never chasing losses.

[Alan Mendelson]

I don't play video poker that often. Once a month is about right for me. If I were a full time gambler, as you say you are jbjb, I probably wouldn't divert from "optimum play" either. But when I travel to Vegas from Southern California I'm making the trip to hit a royal flush... not to hit a pair of jacks.

[jbjb]

Just to be clear, either play is +EV in most, if not all situations.

[ddb1]

Generally I hold the pair. If the game pays 30 for a flush, and I have 10/J/Q or J/Q/K, I go for the royal.


If playing a progressive, and the royal is getting juicy, I go for it.

[jbjb]

I don't play video poker that often. Once a month is about right for me. If I were a full time gambler, as you say you are jbjb, I probably wouldn't divert from "optimum play" either. But when I travel to Vegas from Southern California I'm making the trip to hit a royal flush... not to hit a pair of jacks.

I'd be willing to bet that you play more straight up VP than I do. When I do, it's for short 10-15 minutes bursts. I think I've seen you mention you'll play for 4+ hours at a time. And there is nothing wrong with that.

[Alan Mendelson]

I'd be willing to bet that you play more straight up VP than I do. When I do, it's for short 10-15 minutes bursts. I think I've seen you mention you'll play for 4+ hours at a time. And there is nothing wrong with that.

Of course when I make the trip to Vegas I am going to play for four hours... either VP or craps. I'm not making the once a month trip to Vegas to play for 15 minutes.

I think you said you are in casinos every day. Well, if you play 15 minutes every day, and let's say you take off for weekends, you have 20 days at 15 minutes each which is five hours.

[Rob.Singer]

With me it's all about win goals. On this type of deal, if trips or a FH will attain a particular win goal (and I'm not just talking about a session-ending goal--there are strategic mini-win goals involved) then I'll keep the paying pair. The exception to that stmt. would be Aces which are always kept in every game I play, and a pair of J's, Q's & K's, which are always kept over 3-to-a -royal in SDBP.

Whether a hold is +EV or -EV means nothing to me because it means nothing to the draw. You can quote optimal play theory all day and night here, but no one has any idea what cards the machine is gonna spit out. This is but one single hand....and it is not being played 10,000 times during this session.

[jbjb]

There's that "theory" word again. There is no theory here. Just facts.

[jbjb]

Of course when I make the trip to Vegas I am going to play for four hours... either VP or craps. I'm not making the once a month trip to Vegas to play for 15 minutes.

I think you said you are in casinos every day. Well, if you play 15 minutes every day, and let's say you take off for weekends, you have 20 days at 15 minutes each which is five hours.

Remember, my bread and butter is table games. VP, including vulturing is a diversion.

[jbjb]

A few years ago, a group of guys were playing next to me when they were dealt a king high straight flush. They mulled it over for a couple of minutes debating on going for the royal of not. I just watch. They went for it and got it. Great for them!

[Alan Mendelson]

A few years ago, a group of guys were playing next to me when they were dealt a king high straight flush. They mulled it over for a couple of minutes debating on going for the royal of not. I just watch. They went for it and got it. Great for them!

I went to one of Bob Dancer's classes years ago, and at the start of the class he asked this question:

You are dealt a King high straight flush with 9h 10h Jh Qh Kh, do you hold it or go for the royal?

The correct answer is: It depends on the game.

In deuces wild, you go for the royal. This was a deuces wild class of his.

[Alan Mendelson]

With me it's all about win goals. On this type of deal, if trips or a FH will attain a particular win goal (and I'm not just talking about a session-ending goal--there are strategic mini-win goals involved) then I'll keep the paying pair. The exception to that stmt. would be Aces which are always kept in every game I play, and a pair of J's, Q's & K's, which are always kept over 3-to-a -royal in SDBP.

Whether a hold is +EV or -EV means nothing to me because it means nothing to the draw. You can quote optimal play theory all day and night here, but no one has any idea what cards the machine is gonna spit out. This is but one single hand....and it is not being played 10,000 times during this session.

So no special play here, Rob, and you are playing conventional strategy.

But... when you are in a deep hole you will break up three queens when you have three cards to the royal, right? THAT is one of your special plays.

[jbjb]

I went to one of Bob Dancer's classes years ago, and at the start of the class he asked this question:

You are dealt a King high straight flush with 9h 10h Jh Qh Kh, do you hold it or go for the royal?

The correct answer is: It depends on the game.

In deuces wild, you go for the royal. This was a deuces wild class of his.

Right. These guys were playing DDB.

[Alan Mendelson]

I wrote about this before here: At Rincon on their $1 DDB progressive a lady was dealt a king high straight flush, dropped the 9 and hit the royal. And it wasn't a high progressive either to justify what she did. Some people get lucky.

[jbjb]

I wouldn't call hitting a 1 in 47 chance lucky. Considering you were at one time only 1 of about 400 million spem cells, 1 in 47 is easy!!

[FABismonte]

If I am playing Bonus Poker or some game where a pair of Aces can convert into a premium quad, I always hold the pair of Aces. If I play a $5 machine or higher I always hold a high pair (too much volatility). Otherwise, I go for the royal. My wife always goes for the Royal except for the pair of Aces on a premium quad situation. I never play deuces so that does not go into the equation.

FAB

[Alan Mendelson]

I like what FAB said. If I am playing Bonus and my hand is AAJQ I am going to hold the aces too.
I will hold the aces in DDB and triple double and of course in Royal Aces Bonus.

But if I have KKQJ I am going to hold KQJ, and if I have KKQT I am going to hold KQT to try for the royal.

[slingshot]

So... you're playing video poker and you're dealt a high pair with three cards to a royal flush. What do you hold?

Your chance of a royal is 1 in 1081 hands but with the high pair in most games you'll get your money back... or you could improve to two pair, trips, a full house or quads.

What do you do?

I'll start. In most games proper strategy is to hold the pair. But I want the big win. I will go for the royal. I will most likely not get the royal but I might get another high pair or a straight or a flush.

I'll gamble, thank you.

I'm with you, Alan. Over 10 years I have close to 30 of them.

[RS__]

So... you're playing video poker and you're dealt a high pair with three cards to a royal flush. What do you hold?

Your chance of a royal is 1 in 1081 hands but with the high pair in most games you'll get your money back... or you could improve to two pair, trips, a full house or quads.

What do you do?

I'll start. In most games proper strategy is to hold the pair. But I want the big win. I will go for the royal. I will most likely not get the royal but I might get another high pair or a straight or a flush.

I'll gamble, thank you.

Don't you also claim to follow Bob Dancer's strategies or something along those lines? Hmm......