vpFREE2 Forums

Rookie Question

#1

4a. Re: Rookie Question
Date: Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:59 am ((PDT))

t4bz
> > I don't see why holding a Jack and King of different suits would be
> > better than holding a Jack, Ace, and King of different suits?

While all the previous posts on this are undoubtedly correct, I still commend the questioner for looking for a "rationale" for the rule on how to play this (and any other) hand. Getting at the underlying rationale makes the rules much easier to remember -- even if the rationale requires some "stretch", as long as there's an extra way to remember the rule, it helps.

In the end, the EV of playing it one way vs the other is the most solid "reason", but there's nothing underlying that particular reason that helps one understand the game and remember the rule.

Sometimes you need to make up something, even if it's some totally unrelated mnemonic like "reverse alphabetical order" (I just made that up, I don't have any plays that I use it for).

--BG

ยทยทยท

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#2

b.glazer wrote:

I still commend the questioner for looking for a "rationale" for the
rule on how to play this (and any other) hand. Getting at the
underlying rationale makes the rules much easier to remember -- even
if the rationale requires some "stretch", as long as there's an extra
way to remember the rule, it helps.

In the end, the EV of playing it one way vs the other is the most
solid "reason", but there's nothing underlying that particular reason
that helps one understand the game and remember the rule.

Sometimes you need to make up something, even if it's some totally
unrelated mnemonic like "reverse alphabetical order" (I just made
that up, I don't have any plays that I use it for).

I'm in agreement with you.

Many new players have a driving desire to understand the underlying
logic of a given strategy, in hope that it assists them in approaching
a game intuitively rather than just by rote.

As you say, that's commendable. And looking at the numbers underlying
a problem such as this opens the window to grasping just how one needs
to think about the mechanics of video poker strategy.

Unfortunately, in most cases this grasp is a poor tool when it comes
to remembering how to hold cards on the fly. Most new players after
looking at this discussion wouldn't be able to infer from it, off the
top of their head, what one should hold when presented with unsuited
JQK in a hand.

They'll likely realize that there are more possible straights when all
3 cards are held than when JKA was considered in the prior example,
and therefore a stronger hold. But it still takes a full look at the
math before they could say with confidence that JQK is stronger than
JQ alone.

My point is that I encourage any player to delve deeper beneath the
surface in understanding video poker. However, the starting block
comes back to rote memorization -- and if you're not committed to
that, you won't be a strong player.

- Harry