Shooting for Full House

[Jimdos]

I see from the Video Poker Statistics that drawing a full house from three of a kind has a 1/16 chance. Turning two pair into a full house has a 1/12 chance. I'm wondering, if you are shooting for a full house and were dealt three of a kind, should you keep one of the cards other than the three of a kind and try to match it for the full house or just keep the tree of a kind and try to draw a pair? If my math is correct, I think saving a card and trying to match it has a 1/16 chance?

[BillyJoe]

Here is my take: If you keep the trips with a kicker, you have a 3 in 47 (assuming a 52 card deck) chance of pairing that kicker. BUT, you are reducing your draw card to just 1 for catching the 4th card to fill out your trips.

I would not keep a kicker. The exception, at least for me, would be a multi-line TDB game with Aces as my trips and a 2-3-4 as my kicker. Even then, I would have to be playing 5 way or higher to keep the kicker.
I like quads..

[Tedlark]

  I don't think the poster is differentiating the composition of the 3 of a kind billyjoe. My take on it is this: if they are dealt 77753, they would keep 777 and either the 5 or the 3 and hope to get either a 5 or 3 on the draw. I personally would not subject myself to this torture and I would just keep the dealt 777's and hope for either the 4th 7 or a pair on the draw.
 
  Now when it comes to being dealt AAA33, especially on TDB, I would only keep the AAA.

[Quad Deuces]

Yeah, you don't "shoot for a full house"  You hold the cards that give you the most value when all possible outcomes are accounted for.Jimdos, you also need to consider holding just the 3oak gives you two cards to make the 4oak (or 5oak in DW), not just one.I don't play kicker games or quick quads yet.  My brain is too taxed as it is and there are plenty of opportunities at my comfort level without them.  But I'd imagine there are all sorts of nuances/exceptions to holding a 3oak plus a 4th card, depending on the rank of the 3oak and the ranks of the other cards.  I always toss everything but the trips in the games I play.Now if there were some sort of premium placed on full houses (or certain full houses) by a promotion, then that might change things.

[Quad Deuces]

The exception, at least for me, would be a multi-line TDB game with Aces as my trips and a 2-3-4 as my kicker. Even then, I would have to be playing 5 way or higher to keep the kicker.
I like quads..Hmm.  I don't alter strategy when I play multi-line because it doesn't change what the optimum hold is.

[Vman96]

Yeah, you don't "shoot for a full house"  You hold the cards that give you the most value when all possible outcomes are accounted for.Jimdos, you also need to consider holding just the 3oak gives you two cards to make the 4oak (or 5oak in DW), not just one.I don't play kicker games or quick quads yet.  My brain is too taxed as it is and there are plenty of opportunities at my comfort level without them.  But I'd imagine there are all sorts of nuances/exceptions to holding a 3oak plus a 4th card, depending on the rank of the 3oak and the ranks of the other cards.  I always toss everything but the trips in the games I play.Now if there were some sort of premium placed on full houses (or certain full houses) by a promotion, then that might change things.


Quick Quads is the bomb. I just think the game is really fun. And a well known Bob likes it for Southpoint double point days. The strategy is a bit more advanced, but it's really not THAT bad. But I can see it being more of an issue if you pumped out a lot of hands an hour. If you had something like 8883K in QQ, you may autopilot 888, a big mistake vs. 8883 as any five will make a quad.

[Jimdos]

Thanks for the replies. I realize in casino play you would go for a high score. In VP.com if you are going for the bonus score only and not a high score you would for example keep AAA over AAAA2 for a chance at the FH. Crazy I know and as it turns out, I seem to get a higher bonus score when going for a higher total score anyway so I've scrapped the FH strategy anyway. Thanks again.

[BillyJoe]

[QUOTE=billyjoe]The exception, at least for me, would be a multi-line TDB game with Aces as my trips and a 2-3-4 as my kicker. Even then, I would have to be playing 5 way or higher to keep the kicker.
I like quads..

Hmm.  I don't alter strategy when I play multi-line because it doesn't change what the optimum hold is.
[/QUOTE]
I agree, QQ, that the optimum hold does not change in multi-line. That is why I said "at least for me".
 
I, personally, have historically had terrible results drawing just one card to try and make a premium hand. I would rather have two cards to draw to trips than one, even if I have to settle for a lesser paying quad.  

[BillyJoe]

  If you had something like 8883K in QQ, you may autopilot 888, a big mistake vs. 8883 as any five will make a quad.
So you are betting on ONLY a five (four in the deck) making your QQ, to the exclusion of a 7-Ace, 6-2 or 4-4.
Is that really the correct play?

[Tedlark]

  Jimdos after I read your original post last night I figured you were trying to make the full houses in the current contest.
 
  Good luck to you in the contest.