Understanding all american video poker

all american poker is Jacks or Better with a difference. Jacks or Better is perhaps the most common video poker game. In this game a straight pays out at 4 to 1, a flush pays out at 6 to 1 and a full house at 9 to 1. In all american poker all three hands have an equalized pay out of 8 to 1. Everything else is the same. This change in the payout table calls for a change in strategy.

As in Jacks or Better, the player starts by selecting the denomination of the wager and the number of coins he wants to wager. He then clicks the deal button to receive five cards face up. It is important to remember that the cards are dealt from a single deck and hence there will be no duplication of cards. The player now has to decide which cards to hold and which to replace.

The strategy involved is simply and briefly as follows. The payout table gives the payout or the amount that would be received on winning for each hand. Each hand also has a probability of occurrence, which is calculated using the principles of probability. The product of these two gives the expectation or return for that particular hand. For example the payout for jacks or better (in both games) is 2 to 1 and the probability of the hand is 0.12. This gives a return of 24%, which is one of the highest returns for any hand. Hence the strategy should be first to hold cards that increase the chances of two pairs. In Jacks or Better the return for a straight is 7.3%, for a flush is 9.4% and for a full house is 9.8%. Hence it is better to play first for a full house then for a flush and last for a straight. But because of the altered payouts (the probabilities remain the same) in all american video poker the return for a straight is 14.7%, for a flush is 12.6% and for a full house is 8.8%. Hence the correct strategy is to play first for a straight then for a flush and last for a full house. In all american poker if the player uses the strategy applicable to Jacks or Better then he will soon part with his bankroll.

Once the player decides which cards to hold he clicks the draw button and the remaining cards are replaced. If the final hand has a rank of jacks or better or higher then the winnings as per the payout table is credited to the player’s account. The player then has the option to continue playing with the same wager, or play with a different wager or cash his winnings.

The payout table for all the hands for all american video poker is as described below:

It begins with jacks or better that pays out as 1 to 1. Then follow two pairs that pays out at 2 to 1, three of a kind that pays out as 3 to 1, straight that pays out as 8 to 1, flush that pays out as 8 to 1, full house that pays out as 8 to 1, four of a kind that pays out at 25 to 1, straight flush that pays out at 50 to 1 and royal flush that pays out as 250 to 1. The payout for royal flush for five coins is 800 to 1.