I have to wonder how you could really put your faith into "the math" when playing video poker. There is nothing exact about the math. Sure, 2 + 2 exactly equals 4, and when dealt four to the royal you have exactly 1/47 chances of drawing the fifth royal card in a 52-card game.

But that's about where the "excactness" ends.

Consider John Grochowski's latest column from Aug 16, 2012: http://grochowski.casinocitytimes.com/

And this line in particular: "Given expert play in 9-6 Jacks or Better, royals occur an average of once per 40,391 hands. For your amount of play, the average expectation is two royals, but it’s within normal probability to draw one or none, just as it’s within normal probability to draw three, four or even more."

That's a darn big spread when you think about it. So maybe doing something besides what the "math" says to do isn't too bad?

Classic case: you are dealt a flush with four to the royal. I know, I know. We sacrifice the dealt flush to try for the royal. But maybe a flush in the hand is worth more than a royal in the bush?