Pick-a-Pair Poker

[Miller77]

I was wondering (after playing this in a challenge) if there really is any strategy to this game. It seems to me that, if: one of your "stacks" matches one of the first two cards, select that card, or, pick a card of similar suit to if you have two suited cards up first, or select a high card (above 9) if you have nothing, or pick a card that could make a straight. Is this really all there is to this game? Never played it before, never really seen it before. Looks simple. What are the payback percentages on this game? There is JOB, DDB and DW on this site. CM

[feline57]

Of course it has a strategy, every video poker game has a strategy with the correct holds. At my local casino I play Pick 'Em which is equivalent to Pick a Pair. I play the full pay version which I believe is 99.95% return. It's actually quite a good game, but some people find it boring.

I play that game almost exclusively, once in a blue moon I will play Triple Trouble to break the monotony.

[BillyJoe]

It is just 5-card stud poker, only you get to see the first card in the three that you will be dealt. Getting a great hand is very difficult in any stud poker game, since there are no discards and draws to improve your hand. Having a pay table with a high return on premium hands may look attractive, but it is difficult to exploit.