Video Poker Forum

My first time playing was....crap I can't even remember (sometime way back in the 80's).   What I do remember is hitting a Royal with only 4 coins in.Since then I have never made that mistake again and have hit probably around 100 Royals.  That's playing only a few times a year.Anyway, I was wondering.  Not considering the pay tables, the odds of hitting a Royal or any other hand are the same on all single hand games, right?  Why would they be different? So, why should VP play be any worse from one casino to another, again, not considering the pay table.   I mean, I always play for the Royal if the dealt hand shows  a possibility.  3 to the royal with a pair, I throw the pair...always.  But that's is my play.  Most will disagree with me.  I have thrown pairs of aces away and hit Royals many times over the years. When I start seeing the draw throwing 3 to the Royal it makes me wonder.... So when people suggest not playing here or there, I brush that off.  Am I a loser?Comments?

Gutsy playing style. You really go for the gusto. I'd love to see you at a craps table. My one coin Royal Flush last year was pretty sad. The other two I hit in my two years were max coin. Pure luck. I only play max coin 50% of the time. Negative expectation games.

Over the years, you must have thrown away an incredible amount of winning hands chasing the Royal, no?
You seem to be playing far less than optimum strategy, and the chances of long term success would appear to be minimal.
A question to consider, thanks to Bob Dancers recent blog.
When you hit a Royal, do you tip? Tipping out on hundreds of Royals ends up costing thousands of lifetime earnings.
Even though you aggressively pursue the Royal, I'd say paytables still matter because most hands don't give you anything to build off of for a Royal.

  Not considering the pay tables, the odds of hitting a Royal or any other hand are the same on all single hand games, right? 


Wrong! The odds of hitting any hand fully and only depends on your drawing strategy! If a person wanted to maximize their royal chances by only holding the best royal draw above all else, they would increase their chances of hitting a royal to about 1 in 23k. However, they would get only about 50% return for using that strategy.

The strategy you are suggesting, all 3 to a Royals are better vs. high pairs/2 pairs, would cost you much, much less than 50% though. At 9/6 DDB it would only cost you 0.11%, but would increase your Royal probability to 1 in 33,788 vs. 1 in 40,081 in optimal play. At 9/5 only costs 0.13%. Royal cycle: 1 in 34,049 vs. 1 in 39,891.

So if you enjoy playing that way, it's not a big deal.

[quote=Vman96]So if you enjoy playing that way, it's not a big deal.[/quote]I agree.  It all depends upon why you are playing in the first place. Hard for some people to understand, but not all knowledgeable players always go for the best monetary return.  For example, we always hold A & 10,Q,J,K to a royal in deuces wild.  The cost is about 3 cents a hand at quarters and we both have hit these hands for 4,000 coins numerous times and tons of wild royals for 125.  We don't go for a royal at all costs, but a lifetime's worth of 3 cents losses is not going to wipe out those jackpots and even if it did we don't care.  If you're a professional player wagering big stakes or playing like one, I get it.  If you're playing for fun, a royal is a lot more fun than saving a few cents.This gets to the very heart of the differences between players.  Is profit the most important motivation in the way you play or is it the experience of the game?  I would guess many recreational players would rather have more royals even if it meant they lost a little more in the process.  I can't speak for everyone, but that is the case with us.

[QUOTE=rayj]   Not considering the pay tables, the odds of hitting a Royal or any other hand are the same on all single hand games, right? 


Wrong! The odds of hitting any hand fully and only depends on your drawing strategy! If a person wanted to maximize their royal chances by only holding the best royal draw above all else, they would increase their chances of hitting a royal to about 1 in 23k. However, they would get only about 50% return for using that strategy.

The strategy you are suggesting, all 3 to a Royals are better vs. high pairs/2 pairs, would cost you much, much less than 50% though. At 9/6 DDB it would only cost you 0.11%, but would increase your Royal probability to 1 in 33,788 vs. 1 in 40,081 in optimal play. At 9/5 only costs 0.13%. Royal cycle: 1 in 34,049 vs. 1 in 39,891.

So if you enjoy playing that way, it's not a big deal.[/QUOTE]

Can you factor in the loss if one was to tip 5@% on each Royal, Most people seem to tip the attendant $50 or so on hand held Royals in my limited experience.