VICKI wrote:
I need some quick advice because I am leaving for Las Vegas tomorrow
and know I can depend on the vast knowledge this group offers since I
have run out of time to do my own research right now. I play video
poker but the one game I have never really played is Multi-Strike
poker, but I've heard you guys mention it. I have no idea whether it
is a good game to play or not, or which casino I would find the
better games. I don't recall right off hand seeing it mentioned in
the data bases. Are there any casinos that anyone can mention that
are on the strip that have better versions than others, or should I
just stick to the regular video poker if I am only a quarter player
most of the time.
Hi Vicki,
Howard Stern has noted the Bob Dancer article that pretty much spells
out the specifics of the game. It can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/6nbp
Let me try and lay out the most basic considerations concerning the game:
Mechanics:
The game is played at up to four levels of hands (lines) -- It may be
played with less, but the expected return is diminished. You play a
standard 5 coin wager on each of the levels played. Thus, playing 4
levels at full coin, you'd wager 5 coins. (In quarters, this is a $5
wager per play.)
When playing, you're dealt a hand on the first level. You hold cards
as you normally would. If, on the draw, you complete a paying hand,
you advance to the next level, where the payouts on all hands double.
If your result on the first level is a bust, the play is over.
Play on the 2nd level continues as the first. A successful win
advances you to the 3rd where all payouts are now 4x the base pays
(for example, if a paying pair on the first level pays 5, it pays 20
here). Another successful win and you'll advance to the 4th level,
where the prospect for 8x payouts and produce a great jackpot and a
final hand such as a royal flush.
There's an added dimension to the game: With a frequency of roughly
one in 14 hands dealt, a "Free Ride" appears. When you see one, it
means that no mater what the outcome on that level you will
automatically advance to the next level. (Actual frequencies vary by
level in play and game played.)
When the Free Rides are accounted for, your probability of advancement
to the next level is about 50% in each case. As a consequence, 50% of
your plays will end with a bust on the first level. 25% of all plays
will end on the 2nd level; 12% on the third level, 6% will end with a
win on the 4th level.
If you're looking at a game with a roughly 1 in 40,000 shot at a RF
for a played hand, you expect to land the big 32,000 credit 4th level
RF kahuna once in 320 thousand hands. There have been at least a
couple of players around here who've enjoyed that play highlight.
···
-------
Strategy:
The higher multipliers at upper levels means that there's considerable
inducement to advance your play up the levels. This means that
shifting your strategy on lower levels to improve the probability of a
winning hand (without unduly sacrificing the return on wins) will
increase expected return on play.
Bob Dancer's article outlines a very straightforward method by which
to determine optimum strategy for each level. You need a strategy
generator such as that provided by VP Strategy Master, Frugal VP, or
VP for Winners.
The means by which to recalculate optimum strategy is referred to by
the shorthand 6/4/2 -- a reference to the fact that you adjust
paytable values by adding these amounts to payout for the 1st/2nd/3rd
levels respectively (multiplying by number of coins played - thus for
the first level of 9/6 Jacks, you'd analyze the game with a one pair
payout of 35 and a RF of 4030.) Additional detail is in Bob's article.
The bottom line is that to play the game for the ideal expected
return, it's necessary to employ a different strategy for each Level
of Play. (You play standard strategy if a Free Play has appeared on a
Level, or for the 4th Level, since advancement to the next level is
automatic in the first case, and not a factor in the second).
The need to learn a different strategy for each level is key to the
game and what makes it particularly challenging. However, in most
cases the strategy shifts are relatively modest. Think of it being
roughly akin to driving a stick transmission. It's awkward at first,
but most of us can manage to get into synch with decent practice.
There's a payoff for that added strategy effort: a modest boost in
expected return over the standard paytable. For 9/6 Jacks or Better,
the optimum play 4-level Multistrike ER is 99.79%.
However, there's a fairly harsh penalty should you choose to play
Multistrike without any strategy adjustment. For 9/6 Jacks,
unadjusted strategy will net you an ER of only 97.8%
- Harry
