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OPTIMAL strategy for video poker is hard. (assuming standard 9/6 JoB paytable) For example, what do you hold with (1) AH QH TH JD 3H vs (2) AH QH TH 9D 3H
by fsk 12y ago
OPTIMAL strategy for video poker is hard. (assuming standard 9/6 JoB paytable)
For example, what do you hold with
(1) AH QH TH JD 3H
vs
(2) AH QH TH 9D 3H
On (1), you hold the 4-flush.
On (2), you go for the 3 card royal. (Reason: Discarding the jack makes it slightly less likely to draw the straight, tipping the otherwise close decision to favor the 4-flush.)
In the article, the machine was advising plays anyone with basic competence would never make.
- fryguy 12y agoOptimal strategy for a given hand isn't that hard to calculate, either. There are 32 choices of how to hold. 5 of them have 46 possible outcomes, 10 have 2070 possible outcomes, and the remaining can be looked up in a table with less than 13.5k entries.
- thret 12y agoThat is the kind of distinction Alenn Kessler would make! I wouldn't expect the 'auto-hold' feature to allow everyone to play mathematically perfectly, but I would expect it to automate routine decisions for speed. Giving advice that halves a players % to win is disgusting.
- pbreit 12y agoI don't think "advising" is the best description of what happens. The players do not have to select which cards to turn in based on the "advice". That is done for them.
- fl0wenol 12y agoOr you know, NEVER PLAY IT EVER, and probably come out ahead. There are games on your phone, even free ones. Play those at a bar, there's no excuse.
- dagw 12y agoOPTIMAL strategy for video poker is hard. Here's a dude who claims to have worked it out: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/jacks-or-better/9-6/optimal/ http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/jacks-or-... While not a trivial strategy to memorize, it should be quick and easy to code.
- joosters 12y agoOptimal strategy: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/jacks-or-better/9-6/optimal/ http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/jacks-or-... Note that the strategy depends on the payout table.