Page 11 - June 2004 • Southern California Gaming Guide

card, which, on average, appears automatically every 15 games. When you are awarded a Super Times Pay, the multiplier will spin, stopping on a winning value that ranges from 2x to 10x. It then moves out
of the way while you play out your hand.
If you win the hand, the Super Times Pay multiplier automatically increases your win. For example, if three-of-a-kind pays 15 credits, a 3x
multiplier will show a winning hand of 45 credits. Of course, the presence of a Super Times Pay multiplier does not guarantee a winning hand. But, oh, just think if you get that elusive Royal with a 10x Super Times Pay!
Hold ’Em ChallengeTM Multi-Hand Poker
It’s estimated that every week upwards of five million viewers watch television coverage of No Limit Hold ’Em poker. The World Poker Tour, Celebrity Poker tournaments, and ESPN’s rebroadcasts of the World Series of Poker have created an amazing surge in the popularity of live action card rooms. Now you can cash in on the fun on the casino slot floor by playing
the Hold ’Em Challenge Multi-Hand Poker game. This game is also a great way for people to learn to
play Hold ’Em poker at their own pace, on a machine, rather than at a table with five other players. Novice players can also hone their Hold ’Em skills.
Here’s how the game is played. Three two-card hands are dealt face up from a single 52-card deck on the initial deal. You choose and hold one two- card hand. The remaining two hands become “house challengers.” Pressing the “draw” button deals four or nine five-card hands in the Four Play or Nine Play game. Each five-card hand of community cards is dealt from a separate 52-card deck, minus the six cards that appeared with the initial deal. Your two held cards — and both “challenger” two-card hands—are used to make the best possible hand with each of the five-card hands of community cards. The highest hand — challenger or player — takes the pot for each of the four or nine hands in the game.
We predict this will be one of the more popular video poker games of 2004.
Five Aces PokerTM
Let’s face it, we love aces, and in poker there’s no anticipation quite like drawing into three aces! is game uses one 52-card deck, plus one extra ace slipped
Choose to play either 4 or 9 hands in Hold ’Em Challenge Multi-Hand Poker
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What’s luck got to do with it? In video poker, a lot—but not everything! Video poker outcomes are governed by a random number generator (rng), like all current slot machines. The rng cycles through random numbers at about 1,000 per second when the machine is sitting idle. The second you hit the deal button, the rng gives the machine a number that corresponds to a card combination to display, as well as replacement cards. The available combinations in the rng match those that could be dealt by a 52 card deck, with the same probabilities you would find in a poker game. The odds of receiving a particular hand from the start are fixed.
You Need to Know What to Hold—Because in video poker you choose cards to hold and discard, strategy comes into play. The key is to discard so that you have the highest expectation of winning. Optimal strategy will change depending on the rules of the video poker game you are playing. Optimal strategy may also change with different pay tables. Often, you must play maximum credits in order to take advantage of the highest expectation.
Take Your Time — You don’t have a dealer or other players waiting on you, so take your time to make the best decisions.
The Machine Has No Memory — Video poker machines have no memory. The random number generator insures it. So play each hand as if you don’t remember what happened in the last hand.
Know the Paytables — Understanding the paytables, and using them to find better machines, is the single most important you can do to increase your winnings. The tables below assume maximum credit play (with a Royal paying 4,000 credits) and the percentages are rounded.
Notice that the only differences in the pay tables are the credits won for a full house or a flush. This is what accounts for the differences in payout percentages. Since the odds of receiving winning hands remain the same, there is absolutely no reason to play a machine that only pays 6 credits for a full house and 5 credits for a flush (a “6/5” machine). Always play the 9/6 machines when you can. Here are some typical Jacks or Better video poker paytables:
What to Know About Video Poker
Payout Type
9/6
8/5
6/5
Royal Flush
250
250
250
Straight Flush
50
50
50
Four of a Kind
25
25
25
Full House
9
8
6
Flush
6
5
5
Straight
4
4
4
Three of a Kind
3
3
3
Two Pairs
2
2
2
Pair of Jacks or Better
1
1
1
Long Run Pay Percentage
99%
97%
95%
Strategy charts and video poker guides (see Bob Dancer on page 15) are enormously helpful as not all games are created equal. Invest in them and even bring them to the casino with you!
June 2004 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE Page 11