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| Best online casino / Online casino games / Videopoker |
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Picking has always been popular with the human species. From the "P"-laden tongue twisters about Peter Piper and his love of pickled peppers to the jokes about you, your nose, your friend's nose, and the value of personal boundaries. With all the things being picked (both physically and metaphorically) is it any surprise, the game of Pick 'Em poker is among the most popular video poker options in both cyberspace and the brick and mortar casinos?
Pick 'Em Poker is a nice little twist on the common video poker game. The machine deals out a pair of cards that serve as a constant. In other words, these cards cannot be discarded. To the right of the unmovable cards another pair of face up cards is dealt. Behind each of the face up cards there are two more cards face down.
So now there are two cards that the machine has given you along with a two columns that have three cards apiece. You look at your two up cards, and the up card for each of the columns and choose which column would complete a five card hand of poker.
How do you choose though? What is the best process for deciding which group of three cards will give you something good? Well you can try eenie meenie minee moe, but that rarely works outside of a Senate election. Before you decide what to do, remember that Pick 'Em Poker pays off with a pair of 9s or higher. This is unusual in the video poker world. Most machines only pay with Jacks or better.
Now look at the pay schedule listed below. Let us assume that you are playing maximum coins (this is the only way to get the most out of any video poker machine). There is a return of 2-1 for a pair of 9s or better.
| Pay Schedule - Pick 'Em Poker - 18/15 | One-Coin Return | Max. Coin Return |
| Pair - Nines or Better | pays 2-1 | 10 coins |
| Two pair (2 PR) | pays 3-1 | 15 coins |
| Three-of-a-kind (3/kind) | pays 5-1 | 25 coins |
| Straight (ST) (sequence, not same suit) | pays 11-1 | 55 coins |
| Flush (FL) (non-sequential, same suit) | pays 15-1 | 75 coins |
| Full house (FH) (3 of a kind and a pair) | pays 18-1 | 90 coins |
| Four-of-a-kind (any quad) | pays 120-1 | 600 coins |
| Straight flush (SF) (in sequence, same suit) | | 1199 coins |
| Royal flush (RF) (with max. coins) | | 6000 coins |
After seeing the four visible cards, ask yourself the following questions before deciding which column to pick.
- Do I have a pair with either pick?
- Do I have two parts of a straight with either pick?
- Do I have three parts of a straight with either pick?
- Do I have two parts of a flush with either pick?
- Do I have three parts of a flush with either pick?
- Do I have three-of-a-kind with either pick on the way to 4-of-a-kind?
- Do I have two parts of a straight flush with either pick?
- Do I have three parts of a straight flush with either pick?
- Do I have a two card Royal with either pick?
- Do I have a three card Royal with either pick?
Chances are you can answer yes to more than one of these. In the case of a pair that is 9 or above, you can take the sure thing. If the choice means foregoing that pair for a chance at something better, then it depends on how daring you feel. If you cannot answer "yes" to any of these questions, then your pick is completely in the hands of fickle fate. |
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