Video Poker Forum

Sure. Expected Loss (EL) does not negate the inherent value.

I think you forgot to factor in that he also needs 3 to a Royal with a high pair to make this suboptimal hold
I thought he said he was going to toss all paying pairs in favour of going for the royal. Still, my analysis did not include the case of RF3. I asked about software that can handle this on another thread. Apparently VPW does not handle this kind of analysis.

Their are lots of things VPW software does that I don't use.  I"m sure all of them have value if you know how to apply them.  I find this software most useful when I go to a new casino or I encounter a pay schedule I am not familiar with.  I plug in the numbers and it calculates the odds and the hand play adjustments.  I have a copy on my laptop that I bring with me on these trips.   Before I play, I check the software.  It's amazing how many different pay schedules there are these days. I also like the way it analyzes specific hands because it calculates in money, not coins.  That's very helpful to a player like me.  Once I know the penalty, I can decide if something is worth doing.  Recreational players often take chances a "For Profit" player may not take.    If I'm playing $1.25 a hand and going against the math only costs me 3 cents, I might do it on occasion.  Some people call this "Special Plays".  I call it hoping to getting lucky. There are no bad plays if it works once.  Do them all the time and they can add up.   

I think he was joking.