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Online Gambling PhD > 9-6 machines, soft 17s,
and one hard rule, under the harvest moon
Dear Mark,
Thanks to your column, I pay close attention to the
video poker payout schedule. It took some looking, but I
found full pay (9-6) machines most of the time. In my
searching, I found many 9-6 machines that paid the same
for two pairs as for one pair (one credit). Is this a
new payout scheme or did I just not notice it before?
Hal M.
Unfortunately,
Hal, your question is scant of some vital information,
most notably, the rest of the pay-table story.
When you find a full-pay
Jacks or Better game machine that pays 9 coins for a
full house, and 6 for a flush, youıll know youıre in
the fast lane with a return rate of approximately 99.5%,
making it an excellent wager.
Keen video poker players
understand the difference between full-pay and
partial-pay machines. The full-payers shell out the
maximum for each winning hand; the partials donıt.
In your example, Hal, a
standard Jacks or Better full-pay machine returns
9-for-1 on a Full House, and 6-for-1 for a Flush. But
keep reading. If the machine pays only 8-for-1 on a Full
House, it would be considered a partial-pay machine.
Obviously, we both know which is the better play for
online gambling. But
thereıs a slight aroma of equation-warpage behind your
question, Hal. The full-versus-partial equation changes
when the machine only pays 1-for-1 for two pairs.
Odds-on, you were probably playing on some hybrid Bonus
Poker machine, where the payoff bonus for Four-of-a-Kind
is reduced to 1-for-1.
If the gambling paytable looked
anything like this, Royal flush 250-for-1; Straight
Flush 50-for-1; four Aces 80-for-1; four 2s, 3s or 4s
40-for-1; four 5s through Kings 25-for-1; Full House
9-for-1; Flush 6-for-1; Straight 4-for-1;
Three-of-a-Kind 3-for-1; two Pair 1-for-1; pair of Jacks
or Better 1-for-1, TAKE A DEEP BREATH you could be
giving the house an extra 5-plus percent on your play.
Reducing the return on two-Pair hands penalizes the
player too far, even with the increased payoffs on
Four-of-a Kinds. But again, Hal, without knowing the
complete paytable, I cannot give you an unequivocal
answer. Meanwhile, keep looking for those Full Pay 9/6
machines where you are paid 2-for-1 for two Pair, and
scoff at any machine whose paytable remotely resembles
the one sketched out above.
Dear Mark,
Some casino gambling dealers hit their soft 17s, other donıt. My
brother says that itıs better to play on a game where
the dealer hits a soft 17. Is he right? Ben R.
Bzzzt! Wrong, Ben!
When the dealer hits a soft 17, you are giving the house
an additional two-tenths of one percent advantage. Watch
my hands: with a soft 17, the dealerıs hand improves
with any one of Ace, 2, 3 or 4, or stays the same with a
10, Jack, Queen or King. Therefore, eight of every 13
cards either improve the dealerıs hand, or keep it the
same. Got it? And if any of the other five cards is
drawn, the dealer still has a chance to escalate his
hand-value with another draw.
Dear Mark,
What is the house advantage, if any, if I use a
never-bust system against the dealer? I generally play
on shoe games that either have six or eight decks. Hank
R.
Big no-no, Hank. I do not recommend ever using the
never-bust strategy, which gives the casino a 5%
advantage. By using strict basic strategy, which
recommends hitting plenty of stiff hands, you cut the
house edge to a half of one percent on the six- or
eight-deck games. Use it (basic strategy), or lose it
(contents of your wallet) with the never-bust system.
Online Gambling quote of the week: "The lowest pool
hustler in the business is four times more respectable
than some of those humbugs in Washington."
Minnesota Fats.
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