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Video Poker Archive
If you're not familiar with how this exciting new style of Video Poker works, then you should read Parts 1-3 of the series, which are right here on this page. For those of you that do know the game, what follows should be pretty much self-explanatory. As you may or may not know, the 9/7/5 version of Double Bonus is a "short-pay" game (10/7/5 is the full-pay version) that returns about 99.1% for correct play. According to Bob Dancer, who wrote an article about Multistrike Poker in the February 2003 issue of "Casino Player" magazine, the 9/7/5 version of Double Bonus Multistrike has a long-term return of 99.29%, if the proper playing strategy is used at all 4 levels (or "hands" as they are called on the machine.)
The big problem with Multistrike Poker, from a player's point of view is that a bet of 20 ($5) quarters is needed if one is playing the maximum bet on all four hands, so if you don't "qualify" on the first level, the entire bet is lost. Of course, the multiplied payouts on the higher levels eventually make that back for you (at least up to the 99.29% maximum return), but it's a big roller coaster ride in so far as your bankroll is concerned. That's the stick, but the carrot makes it all a little more pleasant. Let's be honest here: if you're playing a 9/7/5 version of Double Bonus, you're gambling, no matter what your skill level is. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against gambling, so long as it's recognized as such. Gambling, to me, is a form of recreation like going to the movies or going out to dinner and so forth. If I budget a reasonable amount for entertainment then what's the difference if I blow it at Disney World or at a casino? But how many $$$ can I win at Disney World? Probably none. (Do you think maybe Goofy runs a floating craps game? Nawww.) But let me hit quad 4s on the third level of a Multistrike version of Double Bonus and I'm going to cash in for 1600 credits, which will make up a lot of losses, pronto. Let's not even talk about the four Aces! Okay, let's: 6400 coins if hit on Level 4, which is $1600, by the way.
All that sounds great, I know, but if you want to get a feel for this game and what it can do to your bankroll, copy the strategy charts below, then go over to http://www.multistrikepoker.com/playthegame.htm/ where you'll find a play-money version of the game. It's in the 10/7/5 "full-pay" format, but go ahead and use the strategy I've shown you here, because it will be at least adequate for this experiment. Play for as long as you'd like - it's terrific fun - and keep track of how you do. It's like every other Bonus Poker game: if the quads come, you'll do well, but if they don't, then it's Tap City.
I'll tell you one thing I tried and that was to play only three levels per hand. This option is available to you on both the Web-based game and the casino version and it cuts down your exposure to 15 credits per hand ($3.75 on a quarter machine). Of course, now the top level is not in play, so you're not going to hit four Aces multiplied by 8, but you're trading big thrills for longevity. You should play 5 coins per level so you're not being penalized by a low-payout Royal, but you give up very little from a long-term return point of view. Again referring to Bob Dancer's article that I mentioned earlier, if you play only 3 levels, the return will be 99.23% versus the 99.29% of four levels.
You'll need to use the strategy charts differently should you choose to play only three levels. For the Level 1 hand, use the Level 2 chart you'll find here; use the Level 3 chart for the Level 2 hand and use a normal 9/7 Double Bonus strategy chart for Level 3. One thing I should point out, which I didn't emphasize in the first parts of this series is that you should always play the "regular" strategy for a hand where you're getting a Free Ride, regardless of which level it's on. That's because you're already guaranteed to move up, so you want to maximize the return on a hand like that.
Before we get into the strategy charts, let me make a few general comments. First of all, you need to remember that each chart applies only to the indicated Level (or "hand" as the machine calls it) for a 9/7/5 version of Double Bonus Poker. One of the big departures from the 10/7 strategy is that you hold only the two Aces if you're dealt two-pair and one of the pair is Aces. In the 10/7 version, you'd hold the two-pair and that's because of the value of a Full House. With the pay on a Full House cut to 45 from 50, it makes drawing only to the Aces in the 9/7/5 game worthwhile. Another thing you may notice in the strategies for this game as opposed to the strategies I presented for full-pay Jacks in the previous articles, is that both Straight and Flush draws have a lot more importance. Again, that's because of the pay levels that are found in Double Bonus: a Flush is paid at 7 for 1 and a Straight at 5 for 1, versus 6 for 1 and 4 for 1, respectively, in the Jacks game. Okay, here are the charts:
9/7 Double Bonus Level 1 Multistrike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
9/7 Double Bonus Level 2 Multistrike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
9/7 Double Bonus Level 3 Multistrike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
I've made the assumption (yes, I know what "assume" does) that you already have a strategy chart for Double Bonus Poker, preferably in the 9/7/5 format to use at the top level, but if you don't, e-mail me and I'll send one to you.
Otherwise, I'll see you here next time.
Multistrike Poker - Part 3
Before you get too far into this article, you should read Parts 1 and 2 (on this page), especially if you're not familiar with this exciting, new entry into the Video Poker arena. If you're already acquainted with how this game operates, you know that a different strategy applies to each "level" of play. (The game itself calls each level a "hand" and you may play 1,2,3 or 4 "hands" or levels.) For my purposes here, I'm going to assume that the maximum bet is made, which requires a 20-coin bet: 5 coins on each of 4 hands or levels.
As you move up in the levels of this game, the playing strategy you should use gets closer and closer to the proper playing strategy that would be used in a "regular" version of the underlying game. In fact, at the top level - hand 4 by the game's terminology - the proper strategy is exactly the same as one would use in a single-line version of the game. Because I've been showing you the strategy for a 9/6 Jacks or Better version of Multistrike Poker, the proper playing strategy for Level 4 is identical to the strategy for any type of 9/6 Jacks game.
To practice playing at Level 3, you should add 2 coins to each of the single-coin payouts of a 9/6 Jacks game on your copy of "Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker" (BDPWP). Here's what it looks like:
You can easily see that two credits have been added to each payoff, but remember that this is for Level 3 only! To practice Level 1, add six to each payout and to practice Level 2, add four to each payout. No changes are needed for practicing Level 4.
The Strategy Chart - Level 3 Comments: Please remember that the chart below is for Level 3 only of a 9/6 Jacks or Better version of this game. In Part 1, I covered the strategy for Level 1 and in Part 2, I covered Level 2. These tables all were generated by "Video Poker Strategy Master" (available at www.zamzone.com /). I adjusted the pay schedule as mentioned above, did some judicious editing, then verified it all on BDPWP, and hopefully caught any glaring errors.
JACKS OR BETTER Level 3, Multi-strike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
The Strategy Chart - Level 4 JACKS OR BETTER Level 4, Multi-strike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
My Experience Playing Multistrike Poker
A friend and I went to the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, Missouri recently to play some "Chase the Royal" VP, but only one of the four machines was available, so he went cruising around while I played and he found 4 Multistrike Poker machines. They're in $.25 denomination and offer a variety of different games, none of which were full-pay. It appears that the highest-return game available at Ameristar St. Charles is 9/7/5 Double Bonus, which has a return of 99.11% in its "regular" version when played properly. According to Bob Dancer in his article about Multistrike Poker that appeared in the Feb., 2003 issue of Casino Player Magazine, this short-pay version of Double Bonus will return 99.29% in the Multistrike Poker format, if (and only if) the proper playing strategy is used at all levels. Because I had not yet run any strategy charts for this version of the game, I chose to play the 7/5 Bonus Poker game that was available on the machine.
Jacks or Better in any form, let alone in the full-pay version, was not one of the choices on these machines, so I went with the Bonus Poker game because its playing strategy is very close to full-pay Jacks, even though the return on 7/5 Bonus Poker is a horrible 98.01%. It was only because I was playing in the "interest of science" that I put any $$$ into this vacuum cleaner, so I cannot recommend you do the same. Anyway, in went the cash and that began one of the best times I've had at playing VP in recent memory. Multistrike Poker is a lot of fun, even when you're losing, which I did on a frighteningly consistent basis. If you get nothing on Level 1, your entire 20-coin ($5) bet is lost and that happens a lot. The "Free Ride" provision of the game helps overcome these dry spells somewhat, but it wasn't at all unusual to have 5 or 6 hands in a row where I lost the entire bet and that, in a word, sucks. My pal, who had not played the game before was actually doing pretty well at it, with the highlight being a four-of-a-kind (5-K) that he hit on Level 4, where all wins are multiplied by 8. That totaled 1000 coins, which got him into the profit zone with room to spare. The best hand I hit was a Full House on Level 4 that paid 320 coins (8 x 40).
During the several hours we played, players would come and go at the other two available games and nearly all of them lost, which tells me that the casinos are going to make a bunch of $$$ with this game, at least until the smart players learn the strategies needed to at least pare their losses. Of course, with no full-pay examples available, very few "pros" are going to play these games, so the casinos will have a nice ride for a while. Still, it is a lot of fun - as well as challenging - to play, so I hope Multistrike Poker stays around for a while. In the meantime, I'll be working on the strategy for the 9/7 Double Bonus game. Imagine hitting quad Aces on Level 4...$1600!
I'll see you here next time.
Multistrike Poker - Part 2
As I told you in Part 1, this is a new Video Poker game created by IGT, which is an interesting variation of the multi-line format. Rather than playing "X" lines of the same hand, Multistrike is played one line at a time and requires you to qualify on the line below in order to move up. The incentive for doing this is that each successive line pays a multiple of the "regular" pay schedule. For example, in a 9/6 Jacks or Better game, the bottom line (Level 1) pays the same as you'd expect from a single-line version of the game, but the next line up (Level 2) pays two times the normal amount, the line above that (Level 3) pays four times the normal amount and the top line (Level 4) pays a whopping eight times the normal amount! To move up, you must have a hand of Jacks or better, but once you've qualified for any higher level, you get to keep any credits awarded for play on that line plus all of the lines below it.
The catch? Oh, don't worry, there is one. To make a maximum bet in this game requires 5 coins per line, which obviously totals 20 coins per deal and, should you fail to get at least a pair of Jacks on the bottom line, the entire amount is lost. This can happen with frightening regularity, but if the game is played with the proper strategy, you'll get ample opportunity to make up those losses (a 4K on the top line pays 1000 coins!) . From a bankroll volatility point of view, it's even tougher to play Multistrike Poker than playing a game of Jacks or Better on a 4-line multi-play machine where you can also get a series of losses that do some damage to your $$$. But at least in the 4-play game, you'll likely hit some paying hands out of the four that are played and that won't happen at Multistrike Poker, unless you can get a decent hand at Level 1.
It's easy to see that "moving up" is the key to victory for Multistrike Poker and, as you may suspect, that emphasis requires some strategy modifications. Before I get too far into this, it's important to tell you that I learned about this game from an article that was written by Bob Dancer, which was published in the February 2003 issue of "Casino Player" magazine. Bob not only described how the game operated, but also explained how the playing strategy for the game could be computed. However, he published only a general strategy for each level in the article, so the strategy chart, with all its faults and mistakes (if any) that you'll find here is my work alone. I like to think it's accurate, but I might be wrong, so I encourage you to get a copy of Bob's article and decide for yourself before you commit any serious $$$ to this game. Now that all the disclaimers are out of the way, let's move on.
Another unique aspect of this game is the "Free Ride" feature that occurs on a random basis as you're playing. This will appear, according to Mr. Dancer, roughly once every 13 hands. What happens is this: As the cards are being dealt on a particular line, the Free Ride symbol may appear and it's telling you that you'll "move up" to the next line, regardless if you qualify or not. This, too, can affect your strategy so it's another consideration for those who desire to achieve perfect play at this game. Unfortunately, a strategy for Free Rides cannot be built into the strategy chart I made, but let me give you some general advice for playing those hands. Since you're guaranteed to move up in those situations, it's really the time to "gamble" a bit, because the better hand you make on that particular line, the more credits you'll receive. Let me explain that. As you'll see on the strategy chart below, which is for the second line, (Level 2 - other levels will appear in other parts of this series) it's preferable to hold any two "high" cards, Jack through Ace, over a "small" pair (2 through 10). But if you have a Free Ride to the next level, the small pair is a much better play than, say, a King and an Ace because you might get a hand of two-pair or a Full House or even a 4K by drawing to a pair. Sure, you can also get those hands by drawing to a King and an Ace, but the odds are greatly increased by holding a pair and, since you already know you're going to move up, this is a good time to "go for it" and try for those extra credits.
Practicing Multistrike Poker
The vast majority of people who play Multistrike poker will not use the correct strategy, which means the casino will have a bigger edge over them than what's possible by using "perfect" strategy (99.79% for the 9/6 Jacks game, according to Bob Dancer, as stated in his article). The problem for even the best players is that each level of play requires a different strategy, although it's fair to say that these strategies are not worlds apart from one another, nor too far removed from a "regular" 9/6 Jacks strategy. In fact, the proper strategy for Level 4 is essentially the normal strategy one would play for 9/6 Jacks. So, if you're already a good Jacks player, there's not a whole lot more you need to learn in order to do well at this game. By the way, Multistrike Poker is available in versions for other popular VP games, such as Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker and so on. The same principles I've discussed here will still apply, although strategies will likely be considerably different.
Before you play the game for real-money, you should practice it extensively, either on your copy of "Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker" (BDPWP) or at the Website that IGT created, which is www.multistrikepoker.com/. You'll need Macromedia's Flash plug-in for it to work in your browser, but that's obtainable at the site. To practice for Level 2 play on BDPWP (You do have a copy, don't you? If not, you can get it at www.zamzone.com), you'll need to adjust the pay schedule of the Jacks or Better game to the following:
You can easily see that four credits have been added to each payoff, but remember that this is for Level 2 only! To practice Level 1, add six to each payout and to practice Level 3, add two to each payout. No changes are needed for practicing Level 4.
The Strategy Chart
Comments: Please remember that the chart below is for Level 2 only of a 9/6 Jacks or Better version of this game. In Part 1, I covered the strategy for Level 1 and in succeeding articles, I'll cover all the other levels, but if you can't wait until then, use your copy of "Video Poker Strategy Master" (also available at www.zamzone.com/), which is what I did. Just adjust the pay schedule as mentioned above, do some judicious editing, then verify it all on BDPWP and you'll be set. Anyway, here's my version:
9/6 JACKS OR BETTER Level 2, Multi-strike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
If you have any questions (or corrections) about this, please e-mail me at aceten1@mindspring.com/. If not, I'll see you here next time.
Multistrike Poker - Part 1
This is a new Video Poker game created by IGT, which is an interesting variation of the multi-line format. Rather than playing "X" lines of the same hand, Multistrike is played one line at a time and requires you to qualify on the line below in order to move up. The incentive for doing this is that each successive line pays a multiple of the "regular" pay schedule. For example, in a 9/6 Jacks or Better game, the bottom line (Level 1) pays the same as you'd expect from a single-line version of the game, but the next line up (Level 2) pays two times the normal amount, the line above that (Level 3) pays four times the normal amount and the top line (Level 4) pays a whopping eight times the normal amount! To move up, you must have a hand of Jacks or better, but once you've qualified for any higher level, you get to keep any credits awarded for play on that line plus all of the lines below it.
The catch? Oh, don't worry, there is one. To make a maximum bet in this game requires 5 coins per line, which obviously totals 20 coins per deal and, should you fail to get at least a pair of Jacks on the bottom line, the entire amount is lost. This can happen with frightening regularity, but if the game is played with the proper strategy, you'll get ample opportunity to make up those losses (a 4K on the top line pays 1000 coins!) . From a bankroll volatility point of view, it's even tougher to play Multistrike Poker than playing a game of Jacks or Better on a 4-line multi-play machine where you can also get a series of losses that do some damage to your $$$. But at least in the 4-play game, you'll likely hit some paying hands out of the four that are played and that won't happen at Multistrike Poker, unless you can get a decent hand at Level 1.
It's easy to see that "moving up" is the key to victory for Multistrike Poker and, as you may suspect, that emphasis requires some strategy modifications. Before I get too far into this, it's important to tell you that I learned about this game from an article that was written by Bob Dancer, which was published in the February 2003 issue of "Casino Player" magazine. Bob not only described how the game operated, but also explained how the playing strategy for the game could be computed. However, he published only a general strategy for each level in the article, so the strategy chart, with all its faults and mistakes (if any) that you'll find here is my work alone. I like to think it's accurate, but I might be wrong, so I encourage you to get a copy of Bob's article and decide for yourself before you commit any serious $$$ to this game. Now that all the disclaimers are out of the way, let's move on.
Another unique aspect of this game is the "Free Ride" feature that occurs on a random basis as you're playing. This will appear, according to Mr. Dancer, roughly once every 13 hands. What happens is this: As the cards are being dealt on a particular line, the Free Ride symbol may appear and it's telling you that you'll "move up" to the next line, regardless if you qualify or not. This, too, can affect your strategy so it's another consideration for those who desire to achieve perfect play at this game. Unfortunately, a strategy for Free Rides cannot be built into the strategy chart I made, but let me give you some general advice for playing those hands. Since you're guaranteed to move up in those situations, it's really the time to "gamble" a bit, because the better hand you make on that particular line, the more credits you'll receive. Let me explain that. As you'll see on the strategy chart below, which is for the first line, (Level 1 - other levels will appear in later parts of this series) it's preferable to hold any two "high" cards, Jack through Ace, over a "small" pair (2 through 10). But if you have a Free Ride to the next level, the small pair is a much better play than, say, a King and an Ace because you might get a hand of two-pair or a Full House or even a 4K by drawing to a pair. Sure, you can also get those hands by drawing to a King and an Ace, but the odds are greatly increased by holding a pair and, since you already know you're going to move up, this is a good time to "go for it" and try for those extra credits.
Practicing Multistrike Poker
The vast majority of people who play Multistrike poker will not use the correct strategy, which means the casino will have a bigger edge over them than what's possible by using "perfect" strategy (99.79% for the 9/6 Jacks game, according to Bob Dancer, as stated in his article). The problem for even the best players is that each level of play requires a different strategy, although it's fair to say that these strategies are not worlds apart from one another, nor too far removed from a "regular" 9/6 Jacks strategy. In fact, the proper strategy for Level 4 is essentially the normal strategy one would play for 9/6 Jacks. So, if you're already a good Jacks player, there's not a whole lot more you need to learn in order to do well at this game. By the way, Multistrike Poker is available in versions for other popular VP games, such as Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker and so on. The same principles I've discussed here will still apply, although strategies will likely be considerably different.
Before you play the game for real-money, you should practice it extensively, either on your copy of "Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker" (BDPWP) or at the Website that IGT created, which is www.multistrikepoker.com/. You'll need Macromedia's Flash plug-in for it to work in your browser, but that's obtainable at the site. To practice for Level 1 play on BDPWP (You do have a copy, don't you? If not, you can get it at www.zamzone.com), you'll need to adjust the pay schedule of the Jacks or Better game to the following:
You can easily see that six credits have been added to each payoff, but remember that this is for Level 1 only! To practice Level 2, add four to each payout and to practice Level 3, add two to each payout. No changes are needed for practicing Level 4.
The Strategy Chart
Comments: Please remember that the chart below is for Level 1 only of a 9/6 Jacks or Better version of this game. In succeeding articles, I'll cover all the other levels, but if you can't wait until then, use your copy of "Video Poker Strategy Master" (also available at www.zamzone.com/), which is what I did. Just adjust the pay schedule as mentioned above, do some judicious editing, then verify it all on BDPWP and you'll be set. Anyway, here's my version:
9/6 JACKS OR BETTER Level 1, Multi-strike Poker
(Hands are in descending order of preference.)
If you have any questions (or corrections) about this, please e-mail me at aceten1@mindspring.com/ If not, I'll see you here next time.
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