I've been looking at some of the newer games like Ultimate Poker lately. And in my search I discovered something quite stunning.
In one of the games a dealt royal isn't even close to the best hand.
Before you can say "5 of a Kind in Joker Poker" (where that combination sometimes paid better than a royal) I am talking about a NEW game with a substantial difference. A jackpot 5 times a dealt royal!
If you want to guess the game and hand (and there are actually multiple hands equal to or better than a dealt royal) don't scroll any further.
But for those who are curious I was searching new games at videopoker.com and discovered the following:
Big Times Draw Poker.
This game for an additional 100% bet (100 coins max bet on a 10-play machine vs. the usual 50) uses your highest dealt card as a multiplier. And the higher the card, the less your hand is multiplied. If your dealt hand contains a queen or king it isn't multiplied at all. Aces are considered neutral.
So, a dealt 10 play royal is worth $40K for you dollar players out there. No multiplier since a dealt royal has the king or queen (actually, both).
But I thought about hands I've rarely been dealt in the past which would be worth A LOT more. And they are much more common than a dealt royal!
Basically, playing 10 play DDB in Big Times Draw ANY dealt "kicker" hand (i.e Aces, 2's, 3's or 4's w/ an ace, 2,3 or 4) will exceed the dealt royal. In fact, you could even be dealt aces with a non-kicker 5,6,7 or 8 and STILL get no less than a 5x multiplier which would make the hand pay no worse than a dealt royal. You would then discard the off card to try for a kicker and a $10,000 payoff on each hand. (Remember, the multiplier of the highest dealt card remains with your hand even when you discard it).
The "dream" hand for Big Times Draw DDB is a dealt four aces and a 2. This rarity would give you a 10x multiplier for each of the 10 hands.
And the jackpot? $2000 x10(multiplier) x10hands = $200,000.
Hey, I can dream, can't I?