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1992-10-24
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VIDEO POKER TUTOR
Version 1.30
Panamint Software
316 California Ave.
Suite 683
Reno, Nevada 89509-1669 U.S.A.
THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES RELATING TO THIS
SOFTWARE, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY
AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ALL SUCH
WARRANTIES ARE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED.
NEITHER THE AUTHOR NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN
INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION, OR DELIVERY OF
THIS SOFTWARE SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT,
CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE
USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH SOFTWARE EVEN IF THE
AUTHOR HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES OR CLAIMS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR'S
LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES EVER EXCEED THE PRICE PAID
FOR THE LICENSE TO USE THE SOFTWARE, REGARDLESS OF THE
FORM OF CLAIM. THE PERSON USING THE SOFTWARE BEARS ALL
RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE.
Some states do not allow the exclusion of the limit
of liability for consequential or incidental damages,
so the above limitation may not apply to you.
This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the
State of Nevada. Any action or proceeding brought by
either party against the other arising out of or
related to this agreement shall be brought only in a
STATE or FEDERAL COURT of competent jurisdiction
located in Washoe County, Nevada. The parties hereby
consent to in personam jurisdiction of said courts.
(c) Copyright 1992 Panamint Software
All Rights Reserved
SHAREWARE AGREEMENT
This software is distributed as shareware. You are
entitled to use it for a limited period of time while
you evaluate whether you wish to purchase it. If you
decide to use it regularly, you must send a registra-
tion payment to the author (please see Ordering Infor-
mation in this manual). This is copyrighted software.
You are not obtaining title to the software or any
copyright rights. You may distribute free copies of
the software to other interested users for them to
evaluate.
NOTICE
This software is not intended to encourage or promote
gambling. There can be no assurance that the results
from this program can be effectively applied to casino
gambling. Gambling should be considered as a form of
entertainment only. Never gamble more than you can
afford to lose!
- 2 -
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction........................................4
Getting Started.....................................5
Running From a Floppy Disk.....................5
Copying to a Hard Disk.........................5
Quick Operating Overview.......................5
Screen Appearance..............................6
The Game of Video Poker.............................7
Basics.........................................7
The Correct Play...............................8
Expected Return................................9
Total Return..................................10
Types of Video Poker Games....................11
Progressive Jackpots..........................12
Basics Game Features...............................14
Using HELP....................................14
Using the Menus...............................14
Betting.......................................14
Dealing, Holding and Drawing Cards............15
Selecting Joker and Deuces Wild Options.......15
Editing the Payoff Table......................16
Editing the High Pair Limit...................16
Editing the Credits...........................16
Restoring Default Settings....................17
Audio.........................................17
Mono..........................................17
Quitting......................................17
Advanced Game Features.............................18
Hand Analysis.................................18
Analyzing Any Hand............................19
Total Return Display..........................20
Running a Total Return Analysis...............21
Play Analysis.................................23
Autoplay......................................24
File Operations...............................25
The Shareware Concept..............................26
Ordering Information...............................26
- 3 -
INTRODUCTION
Chances are good that you are a part of the reason for the
explosive growth in the popularity of video poker in the casinos
of Nevada, Atlantic City and elsewhere. For those who tire of
just watching the spinning wheels of a slot machine, here is a
game that they can play. And for people used to the action of
blackjack and other table games, here is a game that will
challenge their skills to the limit, while offering lower wagers
and a non-intimidating opponent.
Video poker can be one of the best bets in the house. Many
casinos offer machines with payouts that potentially exceed 100%.
They would never make money doing this with slot machines,
because slot machines require no skill to achieve the maximum
payback. Everyone "plays" the same way. But even these high-
payback video poker machines make plenty of money for the
casinos, because most people don't know how to play properly.
Every incorrect "hunch" that players bet on reduces the payback
they can expect, until the average player would probably be
better off back at their slot machine.
Video Poker Tutor will allow you to practice and perfect the game
of video poker using your computer, where the bets are imaginary,
but the fun of becoming an expert player is real. It is more
than just a simulation of video poker, because while you play,
your computer is calculating the correct play of each hand using
mathematically sound statistical principles. When you make a
mistake, the tutor will show you the correct play. You will
discover the errors you have been making, how serious they are,
and how to correct them. The cumulative results for a practice
session are used to check on your progress toward becoming an
expert player.
Advanced features allow the user to set up any desired hand for
analysis, to alter the payoff tables to match any of those
encountered in casinos, and to perform precise total return
calculations to determine which machines offer the best long-term
payback potential. You can even have the computer play thousands
of perfect video poker hands to verify the strategies.
Should you choose to test the skills you acquire in the casinos,
you will find your fun is increased, your gambling stake goes
further and your chances of coming home a winner are improved.
- 4 -
GETTING STARTED
Probably the best way to learn about the features of Video Poker
Tutor is to start the program and try it out. Remember to press
the F1 key to get help at any time. You will eventually want to
review the manual to learn background information and advanced
topics.
Running From a Floppy Disk
Insert the Video Poker Tutor floppy into your computer's disk
drive. Assuming this is the A drive, just type:
A: (followed by the <Enter> key)
VPTUTOR (followed by the <Enter> key)
Copying to a Hard Disk
If you wish to copy Video Poker Tutor to your hard disk, follow
this procedure. These instructions will create a directory on
your hard disk called \PANAMINT, and will copy the program into
it. Insert the floppy into your computer's disk drive. Assuming
this is the A drive, type:
C: (followed by the <Enter> key)
CD \ (followed by the <Enter> key)
MD PANAMINT (followed by the <Enter> key)
CD PANAMINT (followed by the <Enter> key)
COPY A:VPTUTOR.EXE (followed by the <Enter> key)
Then you can always type the following to run the program:
C: (followed by the <Enter> key)
CD \PANAMINT (followed by the <Enter> key)
VPTUTOR (followed by the <Enter> key)
Quick Operating Overview
Video Poker Tutor can be operated from the keyboard or with a
mouse. The program will automatically detect the presence of a
mouse (assuming you have loaded the mouse driver).
Push the F1 key or click on the F1=HELP area at any time during
operation to get an overview of the purpose of the current screen
display, and how to operate the program.
To use the menus, either type the first letter of the menu entry,
or click on the desired entry with the mouse. This will cause a
sub-menu to appear. Type the first letter of the desired sub-
menu selection, or click on it. To close the sub-menu without
making a selection, push the ESC key.
- 5 -
Some of the program features operate by clicking on a command box
or typing the first character of the command. Remember to use F1
at any time to get a summary of these operations.
Video Poker Tutor will create (or modify if it already exists) a
file called VPTUTOR.INI at the end of the program. This file is
used to save the game configuration for the next time the program
is used. Since this file is stored in the directory where
VPTUTOR was invoked, it is important when running from a floppy
to leave the diskette in the drive until the program is exited.
If any commands from the FILE menu are used, the output will be
stored in a file named VPTUTOR.OUT in the current directory.
Screen Appearance
The program operates in one of two modes, text mode or graphics
mode. This primarily affects the appearance of the cards. In
graphics mode, the cards are larger, with large symbols. In text
mode, the cards are smaller, and the numbers on the cards are the
same size as other numbers on the screen. If your computer has
an EGA adapter (with at least 128K display memory) and an EGA-
type monitor, or if you have a VGA adapter, Video Poker Tutor
should automatically use the graphics mode. If you have a
different adapter (MDA, CGA, MCGA) the game can only use text
mode. If you believe that the automatic selection is making the
wrong choice for your computer, the selection can be overridden
with a command line option as follows:
VPTUTOR G (forces graphics mode)
VPTUTOR T (forces text mode)
Trying to force the graphics mode on a computer which can't
support it will set the display timing parameters to values
incompatible with your monitor. The text mode will work on any
IBM-compatible computer, and should always be tried in the event
of any display-related problems.
- 6 -
THE GAME OF VIDEO POKER
Drive down the "Strip" in Las Vegas, look at the people, the
lights, and the huge resort hotels and casinos. Think about how
much money it has taken to build and run the place, and where the
money comes from. One thing becomes crystal clear: people love
to gamble. There is a thrill associated with the turn of a card
or the roll of dice that appeals to some basic human desire to
succeed. And the more that success depends on the skill and
cunning of the player, the greater the excitement.
For years, the main alternative to table games (ie. blackjack,
roulette, craps, etc.) has been the slot machine. Customers not
interested in facing the higher bets and intimidation for novices
of the "live" games could try their luck at feeding coins into
the "one-armed bandits." Unfortunately, luck was all that was
involved, as tests of skill were reserved for the table games.
But the electronics revolution has changed all of that, and now
casinos can offer games of skill built around the same
microcomputer wizardry that created your personal computer.
Video poker is by far the most popular of these, and is rapidly
threatening to overtake slots as the mainstay of casino gambling.
Unfortunately for most players, the poker skills developed during
Saturday night games around the kitchen table are not readily
transferable to video poker. It's true that you'll recognize the
ranks of hands, but the correct playing strategy may be
dramatically different. At the kitchen table, you need to
evaluate whether your hand is higher than your opponent's, and
frequently the second highest hand is the biggest loser! With
video poker, your playing decisions must be driven entirely by
the payoff table. You must trade off the chances of achieving a
certain hand by the amount of the corresponding payoff.
Often the correct play will be "intuitive," but frequently it
will not. Many times a player when twice faced with the same
playing decision will choose different solutions. Although this
"got a hunch, bet a bunch" approach can work for individual
hands, in the long run the laws of statistics doom it to failure.
The best way to make your gambling stake go the farthest is to
learn the lessons that Video Poker Tutor can teach you!
Basics
A game of video poker begins with the player placing a bet.
Usually this is from one to five coins (nickels, quarters, or
sometimes dollars). The result of betting more than one coin is
that the payoffs are scaled accordingly. If you bet three coins,
you will win three times as much for a winning hand as if you bet
one coin. The important exception to this rule is this: on most
machines, if you bet the maximum number of coins (ie. usually
five), a special jackpot value will be awarded if you achieve a
very high hand (eg. royal flush).
- 7 -
Once the bet is placed, the player pushes a "deal" button, and
five cards are dealt from a freshly shuffled deck. These five
cards are called the initial hand. Most machines will indicate
if these five cards already form a winning hand. The player then
selects any number of the cards to be "held," and pushes the
"draw" button. The cards not held are replaced with cards from
the deck, forming the final hand. If the hand is a winner, the
corresponding payoff is made. Rather than releasing coins, most
newer machines maintain a running total of the player's
"credits," which allows faster play and less handling of money.
It sounds pretty simple, and it is, if all you want to do is make
a guess at the correct cards to hold. But with five cards, and
two alternatives for each card (hold or discard), there are 2 x 2
x 2 x 2 x 2 = 32 different possible combinations of cards to
keep. The odds of consistently making the right choice aren't
high without the help of Video Poker Tutor.
The Correct Play
First of all, to be successful at video poker, you have to
believe that there is a "correct" way to play each hand. What do
we mean by "correct?" If we could see the next five cards
available to be drawn, we could certainly agree on which cards to
keep to get the highest payoff. This definition of "correct"
isn't of much use, since it depends on information unavailable to
us. And unless you believe that you are psychic, a strategy
dependent on guessing the upcoming cards (ie. having a "hunch")
is no better.
Since during the course of playing video poker, the player will
be faced with similar decisions time after time, our definition
of "correct" will hinge on maximizing the long-term payback of
the game. When playing a single hand, it is not often apparent
that it was played correctly. If you hold four spades trying to
draw a fifth one for a flush, and you draw a heart instead, you
obviously would have been better off trying something else. But
if you are dealt that same four spade hand hundreds or thousands
of times, you can count with confidence on filling your flush a
certain percentage of the time (9/47 of the time, in fact, since
9 of the remaining 47 cards are spades).
Thus the "correct" play for each hand is the one that, if made
consistently time and time again, will result in the greatest
winnings (or smallest loss) in the long run. Becoming an expert
video poker player requires learning how to select the correct
play in every case.
- 8 -
Expected Return
In order to quantify this concept of correctness, we need to
assign a value to represent the long-term payback which
corresponds to a particular way of playing a hand. The expected
return (ER) is the average amount of coins that will be returned
when a particular hand is played in a particular way over and
over again.
Let's use our previous example of an initial hand with four
spades again. Suppose we have been dealt the following cards (S
stands for spades, C for clubs, etc.):
3S 4S 5S 8S 6C
Further, let's imagine that a final hand of a flush pays six
coins for the one we bet. Then we can calculate the expected
return of holding the four spades and discarding the club as 9/47
times 6 coins, or 1.149 coins. If we play that hand many times,
9/47 of the time we will win 6 coins, and 38/47 of the time we
won't win anything. So on average, we will win 1.149 coins for
each hand. Since we only bet one coin, this hand promises on
average, to be a winner.
Of course, there are other ways to play the hand. For example,
we could discard the 8S. In this case, 8/47 of the time, we
would draw a 2 or 7 and complete a straight. If a straight pays
four coins, the ER is 0.681. Or we could hold all five cards, in
which case we would never win anything, giving an ER of 0. Both
of these cases are long term losing hands, since they pay back
less than the bet. Of course, often the correct play will
involve an ER which is less than the bet. It is still crucial in
this situation to make the right play and minimize the damage.
Remember that there are 32 ways an initial hand can be played.
Determining the correct play requires calculating the expected
return of each of these 32 cases, and picking the highest one.
Our examples were simple cases; in each case no more than one
card was drawn and only one possible winning hand could result.
In practice, the calculation can be much more complex. For
example, if all five initial cards are discarded, the remaining
47 cards can form 1,533,939 unique hands. To determine the ER
requires finding what fraction of these hands fall into each
payoff type, multiplying each by the payoff amount and summing
the results.
Video Poker Tutor performs this expected return calculation each
time it deals the player a hand, and can therefore check for
correct play. Notice that the ER and therefore the correct play
depends entirely on the particular payoffs for winning hand
types. Playing two video poker machines with different payoff
tables requires different strategies, even if the machines are
otherwise similar. Fortunately, Video Poker Tutor allows the
user to alter the payoff table, and therefore allows practicing
- 9 -
for different types of machines. This is only possible because
the ER calculations are performed "live," rather than being
looked up in a pre-calculated chart.
Total Return
We now have a basis for deciding how to play each hand that faces
us in video poker. We know from the expected return of the
correct play whether that hand is a winner (ER > bet) or loser in
the long term. But we haven't got the same information about the
overall game. When we sit down to a game, should we expect to
win or lose? How can we compare two machines with different
payoff tables? We need a measure analogous to expected return,
but for the entire game rather than just a hand.
Total return (TR) is the average number of coins returned in the
long run from a video poker game, expressed as a percentage of
coins bet, assuming each hand is played correctly.
The total return of a machine is calculated from the expected
return of each possible initial hand. The 52 cards in a shuffled
deck can produce 2,598,960 unique initial hands. Each of these
hands is equally likely to be dealt, and each has an ER for the
correct play which is calculated as described earlier. By
summing all these ERs, and dividing by the 2,598,960 coin "bet"
needed on average to be dealt these hands, the TR is determined.
Video Poker Tutor will allow the user to calculate the total
return of a video poker game with an arbitrary set of payoffs.
If a machine's total return is less than 100%, then even perfect
play will eventually result in a loss. If the return is greater
that 100%, playing long enough should eventually result in
winning. However, as a practical matter, huge numbers of hands
must be played to be reasonably certain of attaining a result
near the total return figure.
For example, a royal flush occurs just once every 40,390 hands on
average when betting five coins on the default version of Jacks
or Better. Of course, if you play only that many hands, you may
not get a royal flush at all, or you may get two or even more.
You need to play enough hands to expect to get an "average"
number of royal flushes before being confident of achieving
results consistent with the total return. This means playing on
the order of 1,000,000 hands of video poker. Even at an expert
pace of 500 hands per hour, this will take 2000 hours, or about a
year's worth of 40 hour weeks!
In any reasonable playing session, or even in a long Las Vegas
vacation, a player will do better or worse than the total return,
depending mainly on luck. But it is still important to pick the
best machine to play on, and to play it expertly to make your
gambling stake last long enough for you to hope to hit the big
payoff!
- 10 -
Types of Video Poker Games
The first video poker games to be introduced paid off on hands
with two pair or greater. This type of machine is still common
in Atlantic City. In Las Vegas, the addition of a payoff for a
high pair created the immensely popular Jacks or Better type of
machine. Various pay tables can be found of this type of
machine, including some that also pay on a pair of tens (Tens or
Better). Of course, as the number of winning hands increases,
the payoff values are adjusted downward to keep the total return
in line with the particular casino's objectives.
Next, video poker game manufacturers added wild cards to the
deck. Including a joker created a 53-card game of Joker Wild.
The wild card adds excitement by making high hands more common,
and adding the possibility of achieving five of a kind. Another
popular version is Deuces Wild, where the four 2s are wild cards.
A hand with four deuces is rewarded with a special payoff
(usually 200 : 1). Finally, both schemes are combined in the
Deuces Wild with Joker game, where five wild cards are available.
And if you happen to get the four deuces and joker in one hand,
you have achieved the highest hand possible in today's video
poker (and a payoff of 10,000 coins for a bet of five).
The following chart summarizes versions of these games with the
most generous payoffs (but still easily found, at least in Las
Vegas).
Two Pair Jacks or Joker Deuces Deuces
or Better Better Wild Wild w/Joker
--------- -------- ----- ------ -------
Five Wilds* 2000
Royal Flush* 1000 800 800 800 250
Four Deuces 200 25
Royal w/Wild 100 25 12
Five of a Kind 200 15 9
Straight Flush 100 50 50 9 6
Four of a Kind 50 25 20 5 3
Full House 11 9 7 3 3
Flush 7 6 5 2 3
Straight 5 4 3 2 2
Three of a Kind 3 3 2 1 1
Two Pair 2 2 1
Kings or Better 1
Jacks or Better 1
Total Return 93.9% 99.5% 100.6% 100.8% 98.0%
* These are payoffs per coin for the maximum 5 coin bet.
There are a few interesting points to note about the payoff
tables. First, unless you are in Atlantic City, the total
- 11 -
returns for video poker can be quite good. Some games even have
returns which exceed 100% (remember, only for expert players).
Second, otherwise identical machines can have different payoffs.
Always look at the pay table when deciding which machine to play
(or in which casino).
Third, the payoff tables are always more generous on quarter
machines than on nickel machines. People play at nickel machines
to make their gambling budget go further, but they don't always
accomplish their goal. Betting nickels on a 95% machine will on
average lose the same amount of money as betting quarters on a
99% machine. The long-term loss rate is just 100% minus the
total return (in this case, 5% for the nickels, but only 1% for
the quarters). Of course, the potential swings are five times
greater on the quarter machine, but then, that's what makes it
gambling.
Fourth, most machines reward the player who bets the maximum
number of coins with an improved payoff (jackpot) for the highest
hand. No machines have a 100%+ payoff when less than the maximum
bet is placed. You need to trade off the chance of hitting the
jackpot during your playing session with the chance of losing
your stake before the end of your trip in deciding how many coins
to play.
The shareware version of Video Poker Tutor which you are
evaluating supports all the non-wild card versions of video
poker. Its default configuration is the Jacks or Better game
shown above, but it can be configured by the player to master
other games as well. Modify the pay tables (including a 0 payoff
for high pairs) to get the Two Pair or Better game, or change the
high pair limit and payoffs to model various Tens or Better
versions. Run total return calculations to compare video poker
games you encounter.
Users who decide they wish to continue using Video Poker Tutor
must send in a registration payment. They will receive the
latest version of software, which also includes support of Joker
Wild, Deuces Wild, and Deuces Wild with Joker games.
Progressive Jackpots
In order to entice players with the possibility of hitting a
payoff even bigger than the ones shown in the tables above, many
casinos offer video poker games with a progressive jackpot. A
number of machines in the casino (or in a number of casinos) are
linked together electronically. A tiny portion of each bet
placed is added to the maximum coin royal flush (or other high
hand) jackpot, which continues to grow until some lucky player
hits it. Once hit, the jackpot is reset to the usual non-
progressive value. If no one hits the jackpot for quite a while,
it can grow very large, and add significantly to the machine's
- 12 -
total return. You may discover situations offering paybacks of
102% or more. If you do, you will probably have to fight for a
seat!
You can use Video Poker Tutor both to calculate how large a
progressive needs to be to entice you to play, and to teach you
the correct playing strategy for those situations. A typical
Jacks or Better progressive machine reduces the flush payoff to
five coins and the full house payoff to eight (in the language of
video poker this is called a five-eight game). With these
changes, set the bet to five and modify the royal flush five coin
jackpot to 8665 coins (which represents a progressive of $2166.25
on a quarter machine). A total return calculation will reveal an
expected return of exactly 100%. Now increase the jackpot to
10000 coins or more. As you practice, you will find your playing
decisions must change as you reach to hit that jackpot.
- 13 -
BASIC GAME FEATURES
Review these basic game features to allow you to quickly start
enjoying learning about the game of video poker.
Using Help
Getting help at any time is easy: just push the key labeled F1.
Or, with a mouse, click on the F1=HELP message. The help screens
will instruct you on how to operate the game, plus provide a
quick overview on the purpose of the current display screen.
Using the Menus
Menus are used as a way to move among display screens, select
game options and perform other actions. Complete descriptions of
these operations can be found in this manual.
From the keyboard, activate the menus by typing the first letter
of any of the main headings. A sub-menu will appear. Select a
sub-menu item by typing its first letter, or by moving the
highlighted selection using the UP and DOWN arrow keys and
pressing <Enter>. Close the sub-menu without making a selection
by typing the key labeled ESC.
If you have a mouse, you can display a sub-menu by positioning
the cursor on the desired menu item and pressing the left button.
If you keep holding the mouse button, you can move the cursor to
highlight the desired sub-menu choice. Release the button to
select that choice. Release the button with the cursor outside
of the sub-menu area if you do not wish to make any choice.
You can also just click the mouse button to open a sub-menu, and
then click again on the desired choice. In this case, click
outside the sub-menu to close it without any selection.
Betting
The current bet size is displayed on the main screen. To change
the bet before playing a hand type the number key (1 through 5)
corresponding to the desired bet. With a mouse, click on the BET
1 box to increment the bet, or the BET 5 box to set it to the
maximum value. The bet size will remain the same from hand to
hand, and it is not necessary to set it each time.
The payoffs shown in the payoff table will scale when the bet is
changed to reflect the amount to be credited for each hand type.
If the bet is five, the jackpot value is shown for the royal
flush.
- 14 -
Dealing, Holding and Drawing Cards
To have the game deal the initial hand, type the <Space> or
<Enter> key. Using a mouse, click on the DEAL box. If the
initial hand is already a winner, the hand type will be
highlighted in the payoff display.
To select cards to hold, use the number keys 1 through 5. The 1
corresponds to the left-most card. Or, click with a mouse
directly on the card to be held. The word HELD will appear above
the selected card. To change a selection, just repeat the
procedure on that card.
Finally, when you are satisfied with the cards being held, type
the <Space> or <Enter> key, or click on the DRAW box. If you
have made the correct selection, new cards will be dealt to
replace those not held. If you have not made the best choice, an
error indication will be displayed, and the correct play will be
shown beneath the cards.
Video Poker Tutor separates errors into three classes: minor,
moderate and serious. The distinction is made by comparing the
expected return of the hold selection you made with the ER of the
correct selection. If your choice has an ER within 5% of the
best one, the error is labeled minor. If your choice fell short
by an amount between 5% and 20%, the error is moderate. Any
choice whose ER is more than 20% less than the best one is
serious. The error indication will show the class, and will also
give the expected returns of the player's choice and the correct
choice.
If a playing error was displayed, the DRAW command must be given
a second time to finish the hand. It is not possible to change
card selections after the error is shown.
If the final hand is a winner, the hand type will be highlighted
and the payoff added to the credits.
Selecting Joker and Deuces Wild Options
Wild cards add excitement to the game of video poker, and
machines with Joker and Deuces Wild features are widely
available. In fact, versions of pay tables for these games
commonly found in Las Vegas offer total returns slightly in
excess of 100%!
This shareware evaluation version of Video Poker Tutor does not
support wild card games. However, users who send their
registration payment will receive the most up-to-date version of
the software and manual, which include options for Joker Wild,
Deuces Wild and Deuces Wild with Joker games.
- 15 -
Editing the Payoff Table
Because Video Poker Tutor analyzes each hand as you play it, it
is possible to alter the payoff schedule and practice playing on
a machine with any real or imaginary payoffs. The game maintains
a basic pay table for a bet of one that gets scaled according to
the actual bet. Also a special royal flush jackpot is used when
the bet is set to five.
To edit the basic table, set the bet to one, and then either
select the EDIT PAYOFFS command from the menu, or click on the
number to be changed. To edit the jackpot, set the bet to five
before selecting the command.
The entry to be changed will be highlighted. If you wish to
change that entry, type in a new number. To leave that number
unchanged, but to edit another, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to
highlight the desired entry. Once a new value has been typed,
use the arrow keys to highlight another to be changed, or type
the <Enter> key to end the command.
Payoffs are limited to be no more than 100 times the size of the
default payoff for that hand type. Also, no payoff can exceed
65,535 coins for a bet of five (13,107 for a bet of one). Please
notify the author immediately if you discover a video poker
machine which exceeds these limits.
Editing the High Pair Limit
To change the winning high pair limit from the default value of
JACKS OR BETTER, select the EDIT HIGH PAIR command from the menu,
or click on the words in the pay table. The limit indication
will be highlighted. Use the UP and DOWN arrow keys to change
the value, and type <Enter> when done.
To eliminate a payoff for a high pair (for example, to play a Two
Pair or Better game), set the high pair payoff to zero. Setting
the high pair limit to PAIR OF ACES will improve performance
slightly, but isn't necessary.
Editing the Credits
The current credit balance can be altered by selecting the EDIT
CREDITS command, or clicking with a mouse on the credit display.
Type in a new number, and <Enter> to complete the command. It is
not necessary to increase the credits if they approach zero. The
game will indicate negative credits if required.
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Restoring Default Settings
Video Poker Tutor contains default settings for payoffs, high
pair limit and credits, and default data from a total return
calculation made with these settings (with a bet of five). Since
user modifications to these settings are saved between uses of
the game, the only convenient way to restore these settings is to
select the EDIT SET DEFAULTS command from the menu. If you have
completed a total return analysis with non-default settings, you
may wish to save it before restoring the defaults (see the FILE
GAME command).
Audio
The sound effects can be toggled on and off by selecting the
OPTIONS AUDIO command from the menu.
Mono
Users with monochrome and LCD screens may wish to play the game
in mono mode. This mode is toggled on and off using the OPTIONS
MONO command.
Quitting
To quit the program, select QUIT from the main menu, and confirm
that with YES from the sub-menu. At this point, the current user
configuration is saved in a file called VPTUTOR.INI in the
directory where VPTUTOR.EXE resides. The configuration includes
any changes made to the payoffs, high pair limit, total return
calculation results and other data associated with the program.
This configuration will be restored the next time the game is
played.
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ADVANCED GAME FEATURES
Video Poker Tutor offers the interested player the ability to
analyze the details involved in expert play. With these advanced
features, the user's skills can be honed to a fine edge.
Hand Analysis
As has been discussed, Video Poker Tutor calculates the expected
return of each of the 32 possible hold/draw combinations for
every hand played. The data generated by these calculations can
be viewed by selecting the ANALYZE HAND command. This command
can be quickly invoked after a new hand is dealt by using the
shortcut of typing H, or clicking on the ANALYZE HAND box.
The cards held for each combination are shown on the left edge of
the screen. The hold/draw combinations are sorted by expected
return from the top to the bottom, so the correct play is at the
top. Sometimes there are two or more correct ways to play the
hand, with the exact same ER. In that case, the game will accept
any of them during play without giving an error message.
The column next to the one showing the cards held is labeled
TOTAL. The numbers in this column show how many unique hands can
be formed when cards from the deck are used to replace the
discards for that combination. This number only depends on how
many cards are discarded, not on which ones. When five cards are
originally dealt from a 52 card deck, 47 remain. So if one card
is discarded, there are 47 unique hands possible when a new card
is drawn. If two cards are discarded, it turns out that 1081
hands can be formed, etc.
The headings of the following data columns indicate (with
abbreviations) the various types of winning hands appearing on
the pay table. In these columns is shown how many of the total
possible resulting hands will fall into each payoff category.
For example, imagine the initial hand in a non-wild card game
was:
4S 4D 7C 8C 9C
In the ANALYZE HAND display, the row associated with holding the
two 4s and discarding the rest will be marked "4 4 - - -". The
TOTAL column will show that 16,215 different outcomes are
possible in this situation. Of these, 11,559 will be losers
("GARBAGE"). There will be no high pairs possible (this sounds
strange at first, but if a high pair is drawn, that along with
the pair of 4s gives a final hand of two pair). There are 2592
two pair hands, 1854 three of a kinds, 165 full houses and 45
four of a kinds possible. Add all these outcomes together, and
you get the 16,215 total shown in the first column.
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From these figures and the payoffs for each hand type, the
expected return of each case is shown in the right hand column.
Remember that this ER value must be compared with the current bet
when deciding if this hand is a long-term winner or loser. The
same initial hand will show different ER values based on both the
payoffs and the bet.
Only half of the 32 cases can be shown on the screen at once.
The display initially shows the best 16 possibilities. To switch
back and forth to the other 16, type T, or click on the 1 THRU 16
box.
The ANALYZE HAND feature can be used to compare various
possibilities when playing a hand. It will show when a hand is a
long-term winner or loser. The player can see what the odds are
of hitting a certain winning hand based on the cards drawn. When
an error is made, it is informative to see how the chosen cards
compare to the correct play. Did you make the second best
choice, or were you further off base? Sometimes the correct play
seems counter-intuitive, and in these cases it is reassuring to
see the cold statistics which back up the advice.
Since the most recently dealt initial hand is always displayed,
the player can review the hand even after drawing new cards.
This is fun when it seems a real "long shot" hand has been drawn.
When you throw away five cards and then draw a royal flush, you
can go back and marvel at the odds overcome!
Type <Space> or <Enter>, or click on DONE to get back to the main
display.
Analyzing Any Hand
Often, a user will have a question about the play of a specific
hand in mind. Sometimes this is a result of a situation that
arose during casino play. Or perhaps you wish to compile a list
of how to play typical hands. From the ANALYZE HAND screen
display, type N or click on NEW HAND to select any hand for
analysis.
The display will show all the cards in miniature on the screen.
Select five cards by moving the selector around with the arrow
keys and typing <Enter>, or click on the cards with a mouse. If
you change your mind about your selections type C or click on the
CLEAR box to start over.
Once five cards are chosen, the ANALYZE HAND screen will
automatically appear. The statistical breakdown of the selected
hand will be shown using the currently defined payoffs and bet.
You may wish to use this feature to create a "cheat sheet" of
hand rankings to use during casino play. Set the payoffs to
match the game you intend to play. Make up a list of typical
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initial hand types such as low pair, high pair, four cards to a
flush or three cards to straight flush (outside, inside or double
inside). Then analyze a representative hand of that type, and
note the correct play and its expected return. Order your list
according to expected return. Don't forget to include a typical
case with "nothing" in the initial hand to put at the bottom of
the list. Drawing five cards is often better than, say, trying
to fill an inside straight (depending on game and payoffs).
Then, try out your list during a practice session. Compare the
hands you are dealt with your list to determine the correct play
when a hand could be played two or more ways. Pick the play with
the higher ER (ie. closer to the top of your list).
Total Return Display
One of the key features of Video Poker Tutor is its ability to
calculate for the user the long-term total return of a video
poker game with arbitrary pay tables. Depending on where you
like to play video poker, what wild card options you enjoy, what
coin denomination you use, what progressive payoff values you
encounter and other factors, you will be faced with a wide
variety of games. Deciding which of these games make the best
use of your gambling entertainment dollar is the function of
total return analysis. Once you settle on a favorite, you may
wish to practice this game exclusively to avoid confusion.
Recall that total return is calculated from the expected returns
of all possible correctly played initial hands. So anything that
affects the ER of a particular hand will change a machine's TR.
This includes the presence of wild cards, the pay table, high
pair limit, etc. And since most machines have a jackpot for the
highest hand when the maximum coins are bet, the total return is
higher for the maximum bet than for a smaller bet. However,
since the TR is a percentage of the total amount bet, it is not
affected by the linear scaling of the payoffs with the bet.
Thus, for a bet of one through four coins, the TR will not
change.
Video Poker Tutor contains the pre-calculated data for the total
return of the default Jacks or Better game with a bet of five
(ie. with the 4000 coin default jackpot). To view this data, use
the EDIT SET DEFAULTS command if necessary to restore default
settings, and set the bet to five. Then choose the ANALYZE GAME
command from the menu. The total return display screen will
appear.
For each type of winning hand, the theoretical frequency of its
occurrence is shown. This frequency is also expressed as the
average number of hands played between hitting that type. For
reference purposes, the bet and payoffs that were used in
performing the calculation are shown.
- 20 -
In the rightmost column, the contribution to the total return
made by each type of hand is displayed. This is expressed as a
percentage of the total amount bet. For example, if you bet 1000
coins in a session of video poker using these default payoffs and
a bet of five, on average 21.459% of that, or 214.59 coins would
be paid back due to hitting Jacks or Better winners.
The returns of each of the winning hand types are summed to
arrive at the total return for the game. For the default case,
this is shown (with a reminder that this implies perfect play) as
99.544%. Since this is below 100%, we can expect in the very
long run that this machine can not be beaten.
Studying the total return results can yield a lot of information
about what to expect when playing video poker. You can make some
guesses about how your returns will differ from the TR due to the
relatively few number of hands played. For example in the
default data, fully 1.981% of the total return comes from hitting
the royal flush jackpot. But if you play video poker at this
machine for an evening, you will probably only play about 1500
hands (an average player plays about 300 or so hands per hour).
Your chances of hitting that jackpot are only 3.65% (calculated
as 1 - (40389 / 40390)^1500). Assuming you don't hit that 27 : 1
chance, you can subtract the 1.981% from your TR expectations.
This means that usually you will get a return averaging 97.563%.
Of course, if you play only 1500 hands, you probably won't hit
the straight flush either. However, your chances are better
(15%). The good news is that when you do hit these long shots,
you are most likely going to end your session as a winner (a big
winner in the case of the royal flush).
So for the casino player, the game of video poker boils down to
playing the common hands expertly to minimize losses while hoping
to hit the big winner.
Different games offer a player the chance to choose how much of
the total return comes from the long-shot hand. For example, the
Deuces Wild game offering a 100.8% total return has a TR of 99%
when the royal flush jackpot is excluded. Of this, about 4.1%
comes from the four deuces winner, which happens on average each
4909 hands. This is common enough so that a player has a good
chance of seeing one in a playing session, and yet it pays 200 :
1, almost ensuring leaving the machine as a winner. Plus this
payoff doesn't require a five coin bet, so this machine is a good
choice for a budget-minded single coin bettor.
Running a Total Return Analysis
If you change the default pay table, or choose a bet other than
the maximum and then select the ANALYZE GAME command you will
have an opportunity to run a total return analysis. Rather than
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immediately displaying total return data that does not correspond
to the current game settings, the game will give you three
options. First, you can cancel the command and return to the
main display by typing C or clicking on the CANCEL box. Second,
you can choose to see the existing TR display anyway by typing E
or clicking on EXISTING. Or third, you can begin a new total
return analysis based on the current pay table and bet settings.
Often, looking at the existing data will still present a fairly
accurate picture of the current game. If the difference between
the pay table used for the existing display and the current
settings is not great, it is fairly easy to estimate the impact
of the changes. This is done by assuming that the frequency of
the final hands is the same, and just adjusting the TR due to the
difference in the payoffs.
For example, to estimate the total return of the default Jacks or
Better game with a bet of less than the maximum, it is only
necessary to adjust the contribution of the royal flush hand.
Rather than the jackpot payoff of 4000 coins for a bet of five
(ie. 800 : 1), a bet of less than five will return only 250 : 1.
So the 1.981% contribution to the TR of the royal flush for a bet
of five is reduced to 0.619% (250/800 times 1.981). The game's
total return can be estimated to drop by the difference, down to
98.18%.
This type of estimate will always understate the actual total
return possible. This is because it fails to account for the
different way certain hands should be played with the new
settings. As a result, the estimate is not always including the
correct play for each hand. Consider the hand:
2S 3H 10S JS QS
With a bet of five in the default game, the correct play is to
keep the 10S, JS and QS, and try to draw the royal flush. If the
bet is one however, making a royal flush less valuable, the
correct play is to keep the four spades. Performing a new total
return calculation with a bet of one will reveal the actual TR is
98.37%.
To perform a new total return calculation, type N or click on
NEW. This procedure requires a lot of computation. On a
floating-point equipped 12 MHz 286 machine, this is about an
eight hour job (most conveniently performed overnight). You may
experience a significantly different result than this depending
on your computer's performance. In any event, Video Poker Tutor
will first check your computer's speed and present you with an
estimate of how long the process will take. Type N or click on
NO if you do not wish to proceed once seeing the estimate. If
you type Y or click on YES, the total return calculation will
begin.
- 22 -
Once the analysis begins, the screen will show the percentage
completed. Aborting the process at this point can be
accomplished only by typing ^C (ie. hold down the CTRL key and
press C). This will cause the partially completed data to be
lost, restoring the default TR data, and Video Poker Tutor will
be exited.
When the calculations are completed, the total return display
will automatically appear to show the results. This data will
have replaced the default TR data, so you can switch back and
forth among the game screens and still return to see it again.
Plus, the data will be stored in the VPTUTOR.INI file when you
exit the game, and will be restored for future practice sessions.
The data will persist until either an EDIT SET DEFAULTS command
is given, or a new total return calculation is begun.
Play Analysis
One of the best uses of Video Poker Tutor is to practice and
improve your playing skills. During and after a practice
session, use the ANALYZE PLAY command to see how well you are
doing. This display screen will present a wealth of useful
information about how your skills are progressing.
The total number of hands played and the total amount bet and won
is shown at the upper left. The ratio of winnings to bets placed
is shown as the return. This number should ideally approach the
total return of the game as larger and larger numbers of hands
are played.
The elapsed game time is shown, and is used to calculate the
hands per hour played. Don't worry about your playing speed when
learning the game. Remember, the idea is just to have fun. But
serious players who find an attractive progressive jackpot will
be very interested in playing as quickly as possible (without
making errors) to have the best chance of being the person who
collects. In this case, shoot for 500 hands per hour as a speed
goal, although the best players may sustain 700!
At the top center of the screen, your playing errors are
summarized. The count of each category of errors is shown, and
so is the total error count. An occasional minor error is
acceptable, as sometimes a hand can be played in two ways with
very similar expected returns. But practice to eliminate
moderate and especially serious errors. If you are trying to
improve playing speed but are still making these types of errors,
just slow down. The only thing worse than playing poorly at a
slow pace is doing it quickly! The ratio of hands played
correctly to total hands is listed as accuracy.
A much better indicator of playing skill than the error accuracy
is shown at the top right of the screen. The ER Possible is the
cumulative sum of the expected return for the correct play of
- 23 -
each hand dealt. This number indicates the average amount of
winnings you could expect with perfect play if you were dealt
that exact same set of hands over and over again. Compare this
value with the total bets placed. If it is bigger, this means
you have been somewhat lucky with the initial five card hands you
received. If it much less than the bets placed, you have on
average been dealt poor hands.
The ER Achieved is the cumulative sum of the expected return for
the play you actually made for each hand. If you played
perfectly, it is the same as the ER Possible value. For each
error you made, it dropped further behind the ER Possible,
because you lowered your expected return for that hand by playing
incorrectly. The bigger the mistake you made, the bigger the
discrepancy became.
The ratio of ER Achieved to ER Possible is shown as the ER
Accuracy. This is the best measure of how accurately you play
video poker. It shows the percentage of the theoretical total
return that you are likely to achieve at your current level of
skill. Multiply this ER Accuracy by the game's TR to estimate
what long-term return you can expect if you continue to make the
same types of errors. Try to improve your skills until you can
maintain an ER Accuracy of 99.9% or better for long practice
sessions. Only by doing this can you hope to attain near the
game's total return in the long run.
For fun, you can compare the ER Achieved number with the total
amount won for the playing session. For huge numbers of hands,
these two numbers should converge, but in the short run this
comparison gives you an idea of how lucky you were when drawing
cards to form final hands. If you won more than the ER Achieved,
it means you filled in your hands with better than average cards.
You will recognize the chart filling the lower part of the
ANALYZE PLAY display as being similar to the total return
display. The key difference is that the total return display
shows the long-term theoretical values, while the play analysis
shows your actual results. For huge numbers of hands played
perfectly these values should be similar. For shorter playing
sessions, it is interesting to compare the two displays.
Autoplay
It can be fun and instructive to have Video Poker Tutor play the
game automatically. Choose the OPTIONS SLOW AUTOPLAY command to
have the program play perfect video poker while you watch. The
card dealing and winner payoff will happen at the normal pace.
Choose the OPTIONS FAST AUTOPLAY command, and the computer will
play hands of video poker as quickly as possible (turn off the
audio to get the maximum speed). Run relatively short sessions
to get an idea of the range of results that are possible when you
- 24 -
play for a few hours in the casinos. When run for overnight or
longer periods, this command allows a way to verify the
theoretical total return calculations. Use the play analysis
features to see how the results for a long run compare to the
predictions.
It isn't necessary to turn off the autoplay to check the results
in the middle of a run. Just select a command (eg. ANALYZE PLAY)
from the menu as usual. When you return to the main screen, the
autoplay session will resume.
File Operations
After your computer works all night running a total return
calculation or an autoplay session, it is nice to have a way to
permanently save (or print) the results. This is the purpose of
the file operations.
The FILE HAND, FILE GAME and FILE PLAY commands will save the
results of the ANALYZE HAND, ANALYZE GAME and ANALYZE PLAY
operations. The first time one of these commands is selected
during a session of Video Poker Tutor a file named VPTUTOR.OUT
will be created in the current directory. If the file already
exists from a previous session, it will be overwritten, so be
sure to rename files which you wish to keep permanently after
exiting.
For the duration of the session, additional file commands will
append data to VPTUTOR.OUT. To save the data from a "new hand"
analysis, be sure to invoke the FILE HAND command from the hand
analysis display screen. Otherwise, this file command will save
the analysis of the most recently dealt hand.
- 25 -
THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT
The version of Video Poker Tutor that you are using is being
marketed under a concept known as shareware. This amounts to
allowing interested users to try out software before they buy it.
After a reasonable trial period you must either send a
registration payment to the author of the program, or stop using
it. Shareware authors depend on your honesty to make this
marketing alternative work.
Shareware allows the availability of thousands of quality
software products, often with a lower price and more features
than available from more traditional software publishers. If you
paid a small fee to a disk distributor for a copy of Video Poker
Tutor, this does not entitle you to unlimited use of the program.
None of this fee went to the author of the program. The
distributor is obligated to state clearly that this product is
shareware, and therefore subject to a registration fee for
continued use. Please notify the author if this has not been the
case.
Many hours of careful work has gone into the creation of Video
Poker Tutor. If you find this to be a useful program, please
send a registration payment. Your payment will probably be
returned with interest when you next apply your new video poker
skills in a casino. Registered users will receive the latest
version of software and documentation, which includes support of
Joker Wild, Deuces Wild and Deuces Wild with Joker game options.
Also, registered users are entitled to free support via mail, and
will occasionally receive updates regarding new product
introductions.
ORDERING INFORMATION
The fee to receive a registered copy of Video Poker Tutor is
$25.00 ($30.00 outside the US). Please send a check or money
order payable to Panamint Software (in US dollars drawn on a US
bank), or US currency to:
Panamint Software
316 California Ave.
Suite 683
Reno, NV 89509-1669 U.S.A.
Nevada residents, please add $1.75 sales tax. Include your
address, and specify desired floppy disk size (3 1/2" or 5 1/4").
A registration form can be printed on your printer by typing P at
the shareware notice screen which is displayed when starting the
program.
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