Jokers Wild Strategies
First up, and most important, the full-pay Jokers Wild (JW) pay schedules will be 7 / 5 machines, 7 coins for a full house and 5 coins for a flush. There are two versions out there: one returns money on a pair of Kings or better, the other requires at least two pair before there is a payout.
The former is the more desirable full-pay version.
These strategies for Jokers, unlike Jacks+, reflect the wild card, a 53-card deck, and the different payouts. This game is almost as volatile as Deuces Wild, where original 5 cards dealt are discarded more often than Jacks+.
If you do not hold the joker, keep three cards to a royal over a pair of aces or kings because of the higher payout. You could catch another ace or king and still be paid.
If three cards are consecutive cards for a straight flush, i.e., 5, 6, 7 of hearts, discard other cards even a small pair, for the higher payback. If not consecutive, keep the small pair.
Don't be afraid to hold the joker alone. More than 3% of the time, you won't be able to connect with a straight, flush, straight flush, or a high pair; however, holding the joker only can give you four new cards, and a win.
They don't throw you out of a casino as they do Blackjack counters but the casino can and will shut down machines that have been hammered for wins, and take it away. Those "temporarily out of service" signs do not necessarily mean a slot mechanic is on the way, rather this VP is headed for the dumpster, and permanently out of service.
Don't get me started on casinos that install the short-pay, downright stinky versions of VP's that target the uneducated player - outrageous!
And, there are quite a few casinos out there, probably near you, that deliberately install fewer VP's because most casinos are mandated that games of chance with skill involved must have higher payouts. Therefore, slots impact the casino's bottom line in a more profitable fashion. You will also receive more slot card points towards comps at a slot machine that any VP version.
Video Poker Made Easier (Winning Strategies for Serious Players) offers more information for all VP's including newest versions. Writing this book about a favorite casino game, was a labor of love--a fun game with serious payouts. In the end, may all your VP choices turn out to be "royalty".
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