Once
you know what games have a positive
expectation you will know - from a
mathematical point of view - what the best
games are. It's like comparison shopping for
the best car. But in this case, you have to
learn how to drive the specific car. That's
learning the strategy.
In order to get the maximum payback from
video poker machines, you need to make the
choices that will get you the best expected
returns on each hand. Since you are not a
computer, you need to use general strategy
rules to guide your play. Strategies are
ways to generalize what to do with each
hand. Since there are over 2.5 million
starting hands, you could have 2.5 million
rules. That would be just a bit unwieldy.
Strategies work from general hand patterns
and what the best average return would be
for certain decisions. The more complex a
strategy table is, the more precise it
likely is, but it is also more difficult to
use. The time wasted splitting hairs might
not be worth it when you are playing on a
profitable machine.
Most strategies are created by calculating
the average expected values for different
types of hands. For instance, in Jacks or
Better the average expected value of all the
hands where you start with a four-card flush
is lower than the average expected value for
a high pair. Therefore, the high pair is the
preferred pre-draw combination to hold and
is listed higher on a strategy chart.
The reason you will find different
strategies from different experts is that
they are dealing with an art, rather than a
science. Each analyst tries to create the
smallest number of rules that will encompass
all the hands and lead to nearly
computer-perfect results. You will find that
most strategies are pretty similar from the
top experts - but the presentation will
differ. Some are more concerned with
practical application and ease of use.
Others will want to take you into the land
of many decimal points. Many things will
affect the purity of your payback percentage
- the compromises of the strategy, your
flawed human memory, fatigue, distractions,
etc. Suffice it to say that accuracy is
important, but being of by hundredths of a
percent is nothing to lose sleep about. When
you play, bring in your non-electronic
strategy aids with you.
So what does all this mean in terms of
bankroll requirements? For the casual and
recreational player, the bankroll message is
always the same: be prepared to lose and
play only at a level at which you are
comfortable. In video poker you must be
financially and mentally prepared to lose
half the value of a royal flush during a
session. It's not just a matter of dollars
and cents, and how much you need to ride out
the vicissitudes of the game. It's also a
matter of psychology. If what you may lose
makes you too uncomfortable, you are playing
at too high a level. In that case, you can
not afford to be drawn in by the lure of
having the edge against the house. Accept
that someday all your play on the best
machines will win you some money, but you
van not afford to force it to happen.
Realizing you have a theoretical advantage
can be dangerous. Remember that the casino
gives away a lot of money in games where
they have the mathematical edge, but the
casino has a huge bankroll to weather
fluctuations in fortune. The same may not be
true for you.
But what if you want to play the games in
serious pursuit of getting the edge; not
with the time and dedication of a pro, but
with the long-term intent of coming out
ahead. You want to know what you need to
survive long enough to win. The answer would
require a lengthy discussion and some
serious math; such information could be
found in books dedicated to the game.
