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A handful of specifics to
commit to memory
Dear Mark, Playing
Jacks-or-better and using correct basic strategy, what
do I do in the following situations?
a.) A pair (tens or lower) and a face card.
b.) A pair (tens or lower) no face card.
c.) A pair of face cards with another face card.
d.) If I have flush (four cards), do I draw one and try
to fill it every time, or, do I act differently if I
have face cards or a pair?
e.) Finally, I think I read that youıre supposed to
always bet the max on progressive machines, is that
right?
Bill S.
Four of your five
questions, Bill, have straightforward answers. So letıs
gitty up on the four and pirouette on the toughie. A
pair (tens or lower) and a face card: Keep the low pair.
A pair (tens or lower) no face card: Again, keep the low
pair. A pair of face cards and another face card: Keep
the pair, discard the other face card.
Slippery question d.) can
be a bit tricky. If you have a 4-card flush, and a low
pair, toss the low pair overboard. If you have a high
pair, itıs worth keeping. If you have three cards to a
royal, keep those and drop the other two. (Note: I
always tend to keep three cards to a royal flush over a
high pair, though many experts believe a high pair is
more powerful than a 3-card royal. Either way, the power
rating [expected value] difference between the two hands
is minuscule.) Two even more powerful hands than a
3-card royal or a high pair are a) a 4-card inside
straight flush or b) an open-ended 4-card straight
flush. Play those accordingly, with a respectful nod at
your favorite saint. As to your final question, Bill,
always bet the maximum number of coins on a progressive
machine, to get the bonus for royal flushes. The same
holds true for non-progressive machines. Typically, with
one coin inserted you get 250 coins back for a royal
flush, then 500 returned with two coins inserted, 750
back for three coins, 1000 coins for four coins in, and
a well-earned jump to 4,000 coins returned for that
fifth coin inserted. That escalated return is your bonus
for playing the maximum in coins.
Dear Mark, In video poker, what is more powerful, an ace
or a Jack?
Dean M.
Some players do not
realize this, Dean, but the ace is not the most
important card in the deck, the Jack is. Holding the
Jack over the ace gives you more opportunities of making
more lucrative hands than youıd get with an ace; one
example would be the open-ended straight.
Dear Mark, Playing Jacks or better, which do you
recommend; holding two non-suited face cards and drawing
three or picking one and drawing four?
Lee C.
Two high cards is a
slightly better hand -- (not a 10 unless suited with
another high card) -- than a single high card hand. So,
Lee, keep two high cards instead of one.
Online Gambling quote of the week: "Gamblers can be divided into three groups. Those
who win, those who lose, and those who havenıt a clue."
VP Pappy -------------------------
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