November 2008

Part I: Key Plays for Deuces Wild Video Poker
by Linda Boyd

Most people aren’t interested in earning their living as professional gamblers and realize that the casino is in business to make money like everybody else. Since the house makes the rules, it’s reasonable to assume they have the edge in most games. Players do, however, want to get a fair shake for their gambling dollars and to come out ahead every now and then. If you’re playing blackjack then you’ll want to know how to select a game with reasonable rules as well as the basics for when to hit and when to stand during play. It’s easy to make sure you’ve found a 3/2 BJ game (6/5 blackjack payoffs should be avoided), the dealer must stand on soft 17, and you can spend some time learning when to split or double and to note the few extra rules, if any, that apply. In fact, you won’t even have to worry about counting if the casino uses a continuous shuffling device since it won’t do you any good. Most people already know that the side bets, like a payout for suited king/ queen on the first two cards, favor the house.

Similarly, if you’ve chosen a table poker game with a rake you’ll have to check the percent taken from the pot along with the amount removed for special jackpots, like bad beat or extra money for hard- to-achieve hands. Don’t forget to estimate the amount you’ll tip the dealer when you win a pot. There are many excellent books out there for those wanting to fine-tune their game. If you’ve found a local spot with gamblers who like to play every card, every hand, folding simply isn’t in their vocabulary, then it’s a good idea to grab any open seat.

If, however, you’ve decided to play video poker, it’s much more complicated, assuming you want your results to come close to the expected return (ER) for the game you’ve chosen. Most people don’t want to devote too much time to practicing and understand that it won’t cost much to make a few mistakes on rare hands if they’ve selected a lower-denomination game. On the other hand, I’ve seen people make some amazingly bad holds in a simple Jacks or Better (JOB) game that will cause them to lose their bankroll very quickly over time. If you’re just going to play according to superstitions and hunches, then you’d be better off sticking to slots. Part I: Deuces Wild: In this first part of a two-part series on key plays for specific video poker games, I’ll only deal with deuces wild games. Part II will be in next month’s issue and will give you key plays for non-deuces wild games.

Game Names: Some deuces wild games are named by the manufacturer while others are named by players. If the game is named by players, then there’s one and only one version of the game. On the other hand, if it’s named by the manufacturer then you’ll find several versions and you must make sure the ER for the one you’ve found is reasonable. To make this point clear, refer to Table 1.1 and you’ll see several pay schedules for the same game. You can see from the table that seemingly minor changes on the paytable have a major impact on the theoretical return. That’s why it’s important to know the ER for the version you’ve found before you decide whether or not you want to play. (You’ll find free removable pay schedules in the appendix of my book, “The Video Poker Edge”) I included the variance for Loose Deuces, which is a measure of the game’s risk; the higher the variance the greater the risk.

You can see from Table 1.1 that all versions of LD have a variance over 70, making it very risky or volatile; you are more likely to lose your bankroll quickly in risky games. The other deuces games on Table 1.2 have variances a little over 25, making them much less volatile. Due to the high risk of LD I recommend that you only play versions that have an ER of 99% or higher. You may wonder why all the different versions in Table 1.1 have the same name. That’s because they all pay the same, 2500 coins returned for a 5-coin bet, for the four deuces.

Strategy Formats/Key Plays: Individuals have different ways of processing information and therefore an instructional delivery system that works for one group may not be so effective for others. That’s why I have several formats for my strategy cards. If you want all the nitty gritty details, including some rare/quirky hands and penalty card situations, then you’ll find them in the 40-page strategy section in my book or on the removable strategy cards in the back of my book. For the purpose of this feature I’m going to use “key plays” focusing on correct play for frequently dealt hands. You definitely will want to play those hands accurately. Unfortunately, I’m constantly watching people make inaccurate holds on hands, like two pair, since the correct hold varies with the game you’ve selected. For example, I see people hold just one pair in Not- So-Ugly Deuces (NSUD) when they should be holding both pair to go for the full house. If they’re playing Full Pay Deuces Wild (FPDW), I’ve seen many hold both pair instead of just one pair to go for four of a kind. Mistakes on frequently dealt hands, like two pair are very costly in the long run.

Frequency: Just to put the whole concept of key plays into perspective, here’s the frequency of dealt hands, given a standard deck of 52 cards, no Jokers. Of course, nobody has any control over the hand they are dealt, that’s the luck portion of the game. You do, however, have to choose the cards, if any that you will hold after the deal. Therein lies the skill factor. If you know how to play the most frequently dealt hands you will make fewer mistakes.

Frequency of Dealt Video Poker Hands
No Pairs: 1 in 2
One Pair: 1 in 2.4
2 Pairs: 1 in 2.1
Three of a Kind: 1 in 48
Straight: 1 in 250
Flush: 1 in 510
Full House: 1 in 700
4 of a Kind: 1 in 4,200
Straight Flush: 1 in 72,200
Royal Flush: 1 in 650,000

If you’re playing a deuces wild game you will often be dealt either one or more deuces or four to a straight or flush. I’ve integrated correct holds for these hands as well in my key plays.

Using Frequency: Given an extremely rare great hand, like four of a kind or a Royal Flush, everybody already knows what to do, simply hold all cards. (The exception is if it’s a game which rewards you for certain kickers; you would hold all if you already have the kicker and hold just the four of a kind if you don’t.) Obviously, the big payouts come on the rarest hands and those are easy to play. The object, then, is to learn how to play the most frequently dealt hands correctly.

Key Play Strategy: The dealt hand probabilities indicated in the frequencies are a constant, meaning they remain the same regardless of the game. What changes, however, are the payouts depending on the game you have selected. That means there must be a separate key play strategy for every game.

Deuces Wild Games: Hand ranking tables, or hierarchies, are different for deuces wild versus non-deuces games. Even some deuces games that reward special hands like four deuces with an ace, vary. For this reason I’ve selected deuces games that use the same hand hierarchy as Table 1.2 for my key plays.

It’s important to keep in mind that adages you may have heard from other players may not be true. For example, “never throw away a winning hand” is a false statement. If you have a pat hand, say a straight, with four to a royal, in all the games on Table 1.2 you would hold just four to the royal instead of the dealt straight.

Full Pay Deuces Wild (FPDW): Even though there aren’t many FPDW machines in the Midwest, many will go to Nevada where they can be found in lower denominations, like quarters. Key Plays for FPDW:

1. Dealt miscellaneous cards, no deuces, hold nothing. Never hold miscellaneous high cards or two or three to a straight or flush. Note that this is different from three to a straight flush or royal flush.

2. Dealt one pair, no deuces, hold the pair. The exception is to hold three to any natural royal instead of the pair.

3. Dealt two pair, no deuces, hold only one pair, either one. The exception is to hold three to any natural royal instead of the pair.

4. Dealt three of a kind with either one or no deuces, hold the trips. The exceptions are hold four to a Wild Royal (WR) instead of trips dealt either one or two deuces. If you are dealt two deuces without four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

5. Dealt four to a straight (including an inside straight) or four to a flush, no deuces, hold all four cards. If you have one or more deuces, hold just the deuces.

6. Dealt a straight, hold all cards. The exceptions are hold four to any royal, natural or WR. If two of the cards are deuces and you don’t have four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

7. Dealt a flush, hold all cards. The exceptions are hold four to any royal, natural or WR. If two of the cards are deuces and you don’t have four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

8. Dealt a full house, hold all cards. No exceptions.

9. Dealt four of a kind hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces.

10. Dealt a straight flush hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces.

Dealt five of a kind hold all cards. The exception is if dealt three deuces hold just the deuces instead of five threes through nines, but hold all cards dealt five tens through aces. (The reason is you’re more likely to back into a Wild Royal if all the tens through aces are still in the remaining deck.)

Dealt four deuces, a wild or a natural royal, hold all cards. Illinois Deuces (ID) and Not-So-Ugly Deuces (NSUD): You can use the same strategy for ID and NSUD since there are only two differences in the pay schedule. Both the five of a kind and straight flush hands pay one coin per bet more in NSUD. There are plenty of both games to be found in many Midwest casinos.

Key Plays for Illinois Deuces and Not-So-Ugly Deuces:

1. Dealt miscellaneous cards, no deuces, hold nothing. Never hold miscellaneous high cards or two or three to a straight or flush. Note that this is different from three to a straight flush or royal flush.

2. Dealt one pair, no deuces, hold the pair. The exceptions are to hold three to any natural royal (first choice) instead of the pair and hold four to a flush (second choice) instead of the pair.

3. Dealt two pair, no deuces, hold both pair. The exception is to hold three to any natural royal instead of the pair.

4. Dealt three of a kind with either one or no deuces, hold the trips. The exceptions are hold four to a Wild Royal (WR) instead of trips dealt either one or two deuces. If you are dealt two deuces without four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

5. Dealt four to a straight (including an inside straight) or four to a flush, no deuces, hold all four cards. If you have one or more deuces, hold just the deuces.

6. Dealt a straight, hold all cards. The exceptions are hold four to any royal, natural or WR. If two of the cards are deuces and you don’t have four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

7. Dealt a flush, hold all cards. The exceptions are hold four to any royal, natural or WR. If two of the cards are deuces and you don’t have four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

8. Dealt a full house, hold all cards. No exceptions.

9. Dealt four of a kind hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces.

10. Dealt a straight flush hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces.

11. Dealt five of a kind hold all cards. No exceptions.

12. Dealt four deuces, a wild or a natural royal, hold all cards.

Loose Deuces (LD): You’ll definitely find this game in lots of Midwest casinos, but there will be several versions. Refer to Table 1.2 for four versions and you’ll find even more in my book. I recommend that you pre-determine how much of your bankroll you want to risk and have enough self-control to stop playing once it’s gone. That’s because it’s a volatile game and you can quickly go through a lot of money when it’s not your day.

Key Plays for Loose Deuces:

1. Dealt miscellaneous cards, no deuces, hold nothing. Never hold miscellaneous high cards or two or three to a straight or flush. Note that this is different from three to a straight flush or royal flush.

2. Dealt one pair, no deuces, hold the pair. The exception is to hold three to any natural royal instead of the pair.

3. Dealt two pair, no deuces, hold only one pair, either one. The exception is to hold three to any natural royal instead of the pair.

4. Dealt three of a kind with either one or no deuces, hold the trips. The exceptions are hold four to a Wild Royal (WR) instead of trips dealt either one or two deuces. If you are dealt two deuces without four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

5. Dealt four to a straight (including an inside straight) or four to a flush, no deuces, hold all four cards. If you have one or more deuces, hold just the deuces.

6. Dealt a straight, hold all cards. The exceptions are hold four to any royal, natural or WR. If two of the cards are deuces and you don’t have four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

7. Dealt a flush, hold all cards. The exceptions are hold four to any royal, natural or WR. If two of the cards are deuces and you don’t have four to a WR, then hold just the two deuces.

8. Dealt a full house, hold all cards. No exceptions.

9. Dealt four of a kind hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces.

10. Dealt a straight flush hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces. 11. Dealt five of a kind hold all cards. The exception is hold just three deuces.

12. Dealt four deuces, a wild or a natural royal, hold all cards. The exception is dealt a Wild Royal with three deuces, hold just the three deuces.

Final Thoughts: Felt games like blackjack and poker have been around a lot longer than video poker and that’s why you’ll find more skilled players at the tables. Things are starting to change and video poker players are beginning to check pay schedules before they find a seat. In addition to studying the paytables so you know the game’s theoretical return, it’s important that players focus on the fact that they will not receive the ER indicated in the long run unless they play their chosen video poker game correctly. Although opinions of experts vary over whether people should strive to play 100% accurately or not, one thing is for certain. Learning “key plays” is both doable and a big step toward getting the theoretical return percentage for the game you’ve selected.

— Linda Boyd’s book The Video Poker Edge includes free strategy cards and removable pay schedules. It’s available in major bookstores, amazon.com and Square One Publishers. www.squareonepublishers.com or call (877) 900-2665.