As I pointed out in the first part of this series, Video Poker games have different pay schedules and that's how you can tell a 'good' machine from a 'bad' machine. The pay schedule shows what long-term return can be expected, but that return is realized ONLY if the hands are played properly. For example, if you're dealt two-pair consisting of 2 Aces and a pair of sixes, should you hold the Aces alone, or draw to the two-pair? Well, it depends upon the pay schedule. In a game with no wild cards, if the payout for a Full House is 45 coins (for 5 coins bet), and any Four-of-a-Kind (4K) pays 125, the proper play is to hold the two-pair. But, if the Full House pays 45 and four Aces are worth 800 for 5, like in a Double Bonus game, then the proper play is to hold only the Aces. Another "but"....if the Full House pays 50 for 5 (like in a 'full-pay' version of Double Bonus), then the proper play is to hold the two-pair! Do you see how the pay schedule has affected the proper playing strategy for the game?

Now just because you're drawing to a pair of Aces doesn't mean you're going to be dealt the other two every time. We base our play of the hand on 'expectation' and it doesn't happen like clockwork in the short term. What expectation tells us is that if we break two-pair like that described above, there needs to be a mathematical reason for doing so; not a hunch, not a guess, just pure mathematics. And what is the math for this hand? Well, in a Jacks or Better game where the Full House pays 45 and any 4K pays 125, the expectation of holding two-pair is 12.98 coins for each 5 bet. Let's examine this so that you understand the concept. Since two-pair pay 10 for 5, we know we'll make at least that much on the hand. But sometimes we'll end up with a Full House and expectation is a measure of that; the weighted average of the value of the hands we'll end up with. Of the 47 hands which we can get (With me on this? We've seen 5 cards, so there are 47 left; since we're drawing just one card, we can get 47 different hands.) Of those 47 hands, 4 are Full Houses (the 4 with another 6 or Ace) and the rest are two-pair. So, we get 43 two pair, which pays 10 and 4 Full Houses that pay 45, so the math looks like this: 43 X 10 = 430 and 4 X 45 = 180, so the total payoff possibilites equal 610 coins. Divide that by 47 and we get 12.9787. For just the 2 Aces, expectation is 7.70 because, even though 4 Aces pays 125 for 5, it won't happen often enough to make the play worthwhile. If the Aces paid 800, like in the Double Bonus game with a 45 for 5 Full House, the expectation is then 8.77, but two-pair in that game only pays 5 for 5, so holding two-pair has an expectation of just 8.40, thus it pays to draw to the Aces. However, just to make this even more complicated, the 'full-pay' version of Double Bonus has a 50 for 5 payout on the Full House, so our Aces and sixes are worth holding, because the expectation on the two-pair is then 8.83 and on the Aces alone, just 8.82. Okay, that's not a big difference, but that's how we decide which play is best.

Now don't let all this math scare you; you don't need to know any of this to be a winning Video Poker player. I just wanted to show you this so that you would know how the proper playing strategy for a game is derived. Just remember, if the pay schedule changes, so does the playing strategy. That's why I always recommend that you learn two different games at the most. Each will have a unique playing strategy and things can get damn confusing when you're in a casino and mistakes cost you $$$.

So what you need to do is first determine which games you'd like to learn. You probably won't have a lot of say in the matter if you live near a bunch of casinos like I do; you just have to go with what they offer. Here in St. Louis, the best game for a quarter player is All American and the best for dollar players is either Double Bonus or 9/6 Jacks. If you must travel to a casino area, then find out what's offered there. In Atlantic City, the best seems to be 9/6 Jacks and Double Joker Wild. In Vegas, it's Deuces Wild and Double Bonus, although almost all other games are there as well. Once you figure out which games you'd like to learn, now you need a means to learn the proper strategy. That has been made very easy, in a number of ways. The best way is to get a software program that will allow you to practice at home. The very best as far as I'm concerned is "Bob Dancer presents WinPoker", which was created by Zamzow Software Solutions. Their web site is www.zamzone.com/ and is well worth a visit.

style="margin-bottom: 8px;">But practice at home isn't enough. You should also carry strategy cards or 'cheat sheets' with you. Don't worry, the casinos don't mind if you use them. You can get strategy charts at Jazbo's Site (www.jazbo.com) and at many other VP-oriented sites. Or, you can do what I do and make your own. For that you'll need another software program called "Video Poker Strategy Master" which was created by TomSki and it's available at Conjelco (www.conjelco.com) and other gambling emporiums. This is a GREAT program and I highly recommend you get it. I reviewed both WinPoker and VPSM some time ago, but you can find my comments on the "Story Archive" page of this site, in the Video Poker Bible section.

Believe me when I tell you that you need to practice a lot at home before you risk you hard-earned $$$ and the two programs above are worth the $60 or so that they'll cost you. In lesson 3, we'll discuss money management for video poker, but practice, practice, practice until then.

See you here next time.