The Wizard of Odds

Spin Poker

Last Update: Oct 25, 2007

Rules

  1. The game is played on a video screen. There are 15 positions in a matrix of 5 columns and 3 rows.
  2. After making a bet the player will get five cards from a 52-card deck (except for decks that include jokers) on the middle row.
  3. The player may keep and discard as he wishes, as in regular video poker.
  4. Any cards the player holds will be replicated on the top and bottom row as well, in the same column.
  5. After the player presses the "deal" button the empty squares will be filled in from the remaining 47 cards in the deck. No card in the will appear more than once in the draw.
  6. The player will be paid according to the poker value of each active payline.

Odds

The odds and strategy are exactly the same as convention video poker for the same game and pay table.

Standard Deviation

The following table shows the standard deviation in 9/6 Jacks or Better, per hand on the draw in both spin poker and mutli-play video poker, based on a random simulation of 194,010,000 dealt hands. By "per hand," I mean hand after the draw.

To get the standard deviation per hand on the deal, divide by the square root of the number of hands on the draw. This would be the standard deviation relative to the a single bet across all hands.

Standard Deviation
Lines/Plays Spin Poker Multi-Play
1 4.42 4.42
2 4.64 4.63
3 4.82 4.84
4 5.40 5.04
5 5.90 5.23
6 6.25 5.42
7 6.55 5.60
8 6.89 5.77
9 7.28 5.94

Example: Consider 9-play Spin Poker on a $1 game, playing $5 per hand.

The standard deviation per hand per hand on the draw would be $5×7.28 = $36.40.

The standard deviation of a 9 hands would be sqr(9)×$36.40 = $109.20.

The standard deviation, relative to the $45 total bet amount, would be 7.28/sqr(9) = 2.43.

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Intelligent Bonuses

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Bovada allows play on all games to count towards the wagering requirement. It’s that simple. Just no opposite betting. All casinos ought to be as easy as Bovada about this. The bonus offer itself is simple too: on your first deposit, they’ll give you an extra 10%. If you deposit $100, you’ll wind up with $110 in chips or tokens.

Finally, in the unlikely event that Bovada feels you’ve been abusing their bonuses they won’t seize your winnings like most other casinos will. In the worst case scenario they will politely tell you that they will not be offering you any future bonuses, but you are welcome to keep playing and keep everything you have made already.

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