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Reason #2 why the Wizard likes Bovada:
No-hassle practice games
Most online casinos spend more effort trying to separate you from your money than they do trying to give you a good experience. They have all kinds of popup windows, they usually make you download their software, and if they do offer play-in-browser games then you have to register an account before you can play. And if you register they start sending you emails trying to get you to deposit real money.
But Bovada is different. They have no popup windows at all, and their practice games play right in your browser, with no download, and no registration required. You don’t even have to give up your email address. It couldn’t be simpler: just one click and you’re playing the game.
I wish all online casinos showed this much respect for their players. Other casinos practically ask for your first born child to play for free. Meanwhile Bovada is patient and does not twist anybody’s arm to play for real money. You can play as long as you like for free with no obligation. The real-money games are available if that’s your preference, but if not, you can play the free practice games for as long as you like without hassle.
Royal Draw
Last Update: Nov 08, 2006
Royal Draw is a video poker variation by Bally. I noticed it at the Suncoast in Las Vegas on November 7, 2006. The rules are the same as conventional video poker except the player plays the Royal Draw bonus with any four of a kind, in addition to his regular four of a kind win. The bonus round is like another hand of video poker except with a 13-card deck, one each of the 13 cards of a suit chosen by the player. The pay table in the bonus round is the same as the base game, based on the same number of coins bet as the initiating game. Comparing the "9/6" Royal Draw game to "9/6" Jacks or Better, the former will have 3.317 times as many royals.
Proper strategy in the bonus round is to go for the royal, with the exception to always keep a pat straight flush. Following optimal strategy, the return table of the bonus round is as follows.
| Royal Draw Bonus Round Return Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 436939 | 0.024745 | 19.796025 |
| Straight flush | 50 | 282877 | 0.01602 | 0.801004 |
| Flush | 6 | 16937830 | 0.959235 | 5.755409 |
| Total | 17657646 | 1 | 26.352438 | |
The lower right cell shows the bonus has an average value of 26.352438 times the amount bet. Adding that to the value of a four of a kind (50) results in an average win of 76.352438 for a four of a kind. The following is the pay table for the "9/6" game I noticed at the Suncoast, substituting the average value for a four of a kind.
| Royal Draw "9/6" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 473481924 | 0.000024 | 0.019003 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2172269688 | 0.000109 | 0.005449 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 47014134108 | 0.002359 | 0.180083 |
| Full House | 9 | 228947750892 | 0.011486 | 0.103372 |
| Flush | 6 | 221544090528 | 0.011114 | 0.066686 |
| Straight | 4 | 255600824868 | 0.012823 | 0.051291 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1476003456204 | 0.074047 | 0.222142 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2558163543084 | 0.128337 | 0.128337 |
| Pair | 1 | 4214845162188 | 0.211448 | 0.211448 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10928465803716 | 0.548254 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.987811 | |
Here is the "9/6" pay table, breaking down the possible Royal Draw bonus events. Combinations are to 15 significant digits (a constraint I hate in Excel).
| Royal Draw "9/6" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 8,360,576,201,390,900 | 0.000024 | 0.019003 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 38,357,169,167,234,400 | 0.000109 | 0.005449 |
| Four of a kind + royal flush | 850 | 20,542,308,743,015,400 | 0.000058 | 0.049609 |
| Four of a kind + straight flush | 100 | 13,299,217,214,068,700 | 0.000038 | 0.003778 |
| Four of a kind + flush | 56 | 796,317,411,118,506,000 | 0.002262 | 0.126696 |
| Full House | 9 | 4,042,678,337,747,120,000 | 0.011486 | 0.103372 |
| Flush | 6 | 3,911,947,123,935,380,000 | 0.011114 | 0.066686 |
| Straight | 4 | 4,513,308,882,827,140,000 | 0.012823 | 0.051291 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 26,062,746,524,426,700,000 | 0.074047 | 0.222142 |
| Two pair | 1 | 45,171,146,253,883,000,000 | 0.128337 | 0.128337 |
| Pair | 1 | 74,424,243,818,728,300,000 | 0.211448 | 0.211448 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 192,970,980,485,123,000,000 | 0.548254 | 0 |
| Total | 351,973,928,109,115,000,000 | 1 | 0.987811 | |
The rest are hypothetical pay tables, which may or may not ever exist in a real casino.
| Royal Draw "6/5" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 491939760 | 0.000025 | 0.019744 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2157022404 | 0.000108 | 0.005411 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 49643321292 | 0.00249 | 0.190154 |
| Full House | 6 | 163845131004 | 0.00822 | 0.049318 |
| Flush | 5 | 216560104836 | 0.010864 | 0.054321 |
| Straight | 4 | 260290671468 | 0.013058 | 0.052233 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1559213724564 | 0.078222 | 0.234665 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2172303530532 | 0.108979 | 0.108979 |
| Pair | 1 | 4578690274164 | 0.229701 | 0.229701 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10930034797176 | 0.548332 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.944526 | |
| Royal Draw "7/5" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 491854620 | 0.000025 | 0.01974 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2154468204 | 0.000108 | 0.005404 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 47005734660 | 0.002358 | 0.180051 |
| Full House | 7 | 228890267460 | 0.011483 | 0.08038 |
| Flush | 5 | 216500514576 | 0.010861 | 0.054306 |
| Straight | 4 | 260261261016 | 0.013057 | 0.052227 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1475241247320 | 0.074009 | 0.222027 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2556431280000 | 0.12825 | 0.12825 |
| Pair | 1 | 4216659716952 | 0.211539 | 0.211539 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10929594172392 | 0.54831 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.953925 | |
| Royal Draw "8/5" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 491854620 | 0.000025 | 0.01974 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2154468204 | 0.000108 | 0.005404 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 47005734660 | 0.002358 | 0.180051 |
| Full House | 8 | 228890267460 | 0.011483 | 0.091863 |
| Flush | 5 | 216500514576 | 0.010861 | 0.054306 |
| Straight | 4 | 260261261016 | 0.013057 | 0.052227 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1475241247320 | 0.074009 | 0.222027 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2556431280000 | 0.12825 | 0.12825 |
| Pair | 1 | 4216659716952 | 0.211539 | 0.211539 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10929594172392 | 0.54831 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.965408 | |
| Royal Draw "9/5" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 491856684 | 0.000025 | 0.01974 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2153793276 | 0.000108 | 0.005403 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 47005841988 | 0.002358 | 0.180052 |
| Full House | 9 | 228890861892 | 0.011483 | 0.103346 |
| Flush | 5 | 216486883920 | 0.010861 | 0.054303 |
| Straight | 4 | 260255023608 | 0.013056 | 0.052225 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1475246648808 | 0.074009 | 0.222028 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2556440400816 | 0.12825 | 0.12825 |
| Pair | 1 | 4216746386376 | 0.211544 | 0.211544 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10929512819832 | 0.548306 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.976891 | |
| Royal Draw "8/6" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 473481924 | 0.000024 | 0.019003 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2172269688 | 0.000109 | 0.005449 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 47014134108 | 0.002359 | 0.180083 |
| Full House | 8 | 228947750892 | 0.011486 | 0.091886 |
| Flush | 6 | 221544090528 | 0.011114 | 0.066686 |
| Straight | 4 | 255600824868 | 0.012823 | 0.051291 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1476003456204 | 0.074047 | 0.222142 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2558163543084 | 0.128337 | 0.128337 |
| Pair | 1 | 4214845162188 | 0.211448 | 0.211448 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10928465803716 | 0.548254 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.976325 | |
| Royal Draw "10/6" Pay Table | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hand | Payoff | Combinations | Probability | Return |
| Royal flush | 800 | 473734764 | 0.000024 | 0.019013 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 2173028208 | 0.000109 | 0.005451 |
| Four of a Kind + Bonus | 76.352438 | 47036533668 | 0.00236 | 0.180169 |
| Full House | 10 | 229024825812 | 0.01149 | 0.114896 |
| Flush | 6 | 221668234968 | 0.011121 | 0.066723 |
| Straight | 4 | 254739744708 | 0.01278 | 0.051119 |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 1476869429076 | 0.074091 | 0.222272 |
| Two pair | 1 | 2559283090740 | 0.128393 | 0.128393 |
| Pair | 1 | 4211166789108 | 0.211264 | 0.211264 |
| Nonpaying hand | 0 | 10930795106148 | 0.54837 | 0 |
| Total | 19933230517200 | 1 | 0.9993 | |
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