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Bob Dancer writes a video poker column for beginners to experts. He also writes a column with Jeffrey Compton, "Player's Edge", featuring information on promotions at various Las Vegas casinos. Player's Edge is published each Friday in the Neon section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Click here to send Bob Dancer an e-mail.

Feb. 25, 2003

All 3-Card Royals Are Not the Same

The first game I learned (back in 1994) was Jacks or Better. In that game, as far as I could figure out at the time, all 3-card royals had the same value. After all, none were as valuable as a high pair in the same hand, and all were more valuable than a 4-card flush. There is a minor exception to this hand ranking that I learned after a while, but for the most part it holds. The fact that the differences in the value of 3-card royals didn't affect the strategy hid the fact that there were important differences nonetheless.

When I began to study Double Bonus a year or so later, I learned that different 3-card royals had different values. In that game, the differences make big differences in the play.

The important characteristics to a 3-card royal are the number of high cards and the number of insides. High cards add value and insides subtract. First let's talk about high cards, which will be A, K, Q, and J in these games. The only possible "low card" in a 3-card royal is a ten (T). So every 3-card royal has either two high cards (if it contains a T), or three (if it doesn't).

The number of insides refers to the possibility of making straights. When a 3-card royal contains an A (i.e., AKQ, AKJ, AKT, AQJ, AQT, and AJT), it has two insides. The only possible straight including any of these combinations is AKQJT. When the highest card in a 3-card royal is a K (i.e., KQJ, KQT, and KJT), it has one inside. These combinations can be part of two straights --- AKQJT and KQJT9. The only 3-card royal with no insides is QJT, which can be part of 3 straights --- AKQJT, KQJT9, and QJT98.

I prefer to break these down into three major categories, and break down two of those categories into sub-categories.

I. Number of high cards minus the number of insides equals two.

Ia: KQJ
Ib: QJT

II. Number of high cards minus the number of insides equals one.

IIa: AKQ, AKJ, AQJ
IIb: KQT, KJT

III. Number of high cards minus the number of insides equals zero.

IIIa: AKT, AQT, and AJT

Without knowing the pay schedule, however, you cannot tell if KQJ (Ia) is more or less valuable than QJT (Ib). Similarly, you cannot tell if the hands in category IIa are more valuable than those in IIb until you know the pay schedule. In both cases, increasing the return for either straights and/or straight flushes will increase the value of the "b" sub-category relative that of the "a" sub-category. Whatever the pay schedule, either of the combinations in Category I are more valuable than any of them in Category II, which in turn are more valuable than any of them in Category III.

This column isn't about how to play specific hands. It is rather about providing a classification system that will allow you to understand (in subsequent columns) why QJT and KQJ are played differently in Double Bonus than are the others, and why AKQ is played differently from AKT. This breakdown will also be useful in understanding certain other games as well. Expect this column to be referred to in future ones.