Three to a royal and three to a special with a kicker

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bobwithakicker
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Three to a royal and three to a special with a kicker

Post by bobwithakicker »

Do you keep three to a royal over any paying pair? And on triple double, if you have three to a special - A's, 2's or 3's - do you also keep the kicker and get just 1 card instead of 2 on the deal? Do you do the same for double-double?

Waiting4RF
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Post by Waiting4RF »

Are you playing in a casino with you money or in a contest on this site?

Carcounter
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Post by Carcounter »

Waiting4RF wrote:
Mon May 18, 2020 3:41 am
Are you playing in a casino with you money or in a contest on this site?
That is a appropriate question.

onemoretry
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Post by onemoretry »

bobwithakicker wrote:
Sun May 17, 2020 8:38 pm
Do you keep three to a royal over any paying pair?
Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. It's an impossible question to answer without knowing the payout details of the game you're playing, and, as mentioned above, the playing circumstances.

bobwithakicker
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Post by bobwithakicker »

OK, I understand the distinctions you are making. I am asking for play in a casino and the game would be triple double, so that is the maximum payout for specials.

New2vp
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Post by New2vp »

Sorry, Bob. The answer that you gave here suggests that you do not get all the distinctions that have been made (particularly the one cited by onemoretry). You need to specify the payouts for the various final hands of the game in question. Specifically, most often with this game, the payout for a full house and a flush. You also have to understand that all 3-card royal flush draws are not created equal.

For example, let's say full house = 9 for 1 and flush returns 6 for 1, if you are interested in maximizing the expected value on each hand, you would prefer QJT and KQJ suited to a pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings. A pair of Aces are also a paying pair, and they are preferred to any 3-card royal. If your 3-card Royal is AKQ, AKJ, AKQ, KJT, or KQT and you also have a 4th card that matches the suit or your 3-card royal, you would rather hold a pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings. If you have KJT with a 2nd Jack or King and your 5th card is an offsuit Queen (or, symmetrically, if you have KQT with a 2nd Queen or King and your 5th card is an offsuit Jack), you are better off holding the high pair. Otherwise, with AKQ, AKJ, AKQ, KJT, or KQT, the best play is to hold the 3-card royal. If your 3-card royal is AJT, AQT, or AKT and you also have a pair of Jacks, Queens, or Kings, it is better to hold the pair.

The rules are somewhat different if you have full house = 9 for 1 and flush returning 5 for 1. And some might like to simplify the answer I gave in the previous paragraph, so that you would be right "most" of the time, which also would make you wrong some of the time, but perhaps with an acceptable level of non-optimality, with acceptability in the eye of the beholder.

There are many more possibilities. On this website, you might also find 10/6, 9/7, 8/5, and 7/5 versions of the TDB game. Rarely, you might find versions that have non-standard payouts for other final hands, maybe the straight or straight flush. And if you are playing a non-classical game like Ultimate X or Quick Quads, the correct plays also could differ. Some features allow you to use the same strategies for some comparisons, but that is certainly not guaranteed.

By now, you might think that there has got to be an easier way to answer questions like these. I think your best bet is to make use of online aids or video poker software, including exploring or purchasing various options on this website, so that you can learn to answer questions like these for yourself. Otherwise, you also have to wonder whether anyone answering a blog knows what he is talking about and didn't make a mistake in his answer or, perhaps, didn't answer in a sufficiently understandable fashion.

Best of luck

TripleTriple
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Post by TripleTriple »

And to answer another (2) of your questions: always hold the kicker when holding three A,2,3,or 4s in TDB; but disregard the kicker in DDB. This assumes normal bonus pays for the quads w/kicker. And if you have say, 2,2,2,3,4? Then hold your choice of kicker.

onemoretry
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Post by onemoretry »

The wizard of odds website is a very handy resource for delving into play questions. You can analyze games, determine best hand holds, and, if you want to, print a very detailed (but somewhat cumbersome) strategy chart.

olds442jetaway
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Post by olds442jetaway »

Yes. It is very good

strewdark
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Post by strewdark »

Go for the big hit!

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