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Keep it Straight Second Chance
Introduction
Keep it Straight Second Chance is a poker variant by Creative Dream Gaming, LLC. It could easily be compared to High Card Flush, except the goal is to have a longer straight than the dealer. I first saw the game on November 16, 2021 at the Flamingo Las Vegas when it was on field trial.
Rules
The object is to have a longer straight than the dealer. In the event both have a straight of equal length, then the highest card in each straight will be used to determine the higher straight. For purposes of the base game, only straights matter.
Following are the specific rules. If two rules seem to contradict, then follow the first rule listed.
- The game is played with a single 52-card deck.
- Aces can count as high or low.
- Play begins with the player making an Ante bet. At this time, the player may also make the Straight Flush Bonus and Second Chance Bonus side bets.
- The dealer shall give each player and himself seven cards. He shall also set aside three more community cards for use later.
- After examining his cards, the player must either fold or raise. The Raise bet must range from 2x to 4x the Ante wager.
- If the player folds, then his Ante bet shall be taken, but any side bets shall still have action.
- After all players have acted, the dealer will turn over his seven cards.
- The dealer needs at least a three-card straight to qualify.
- If the dealer does not qualify, then all Ante bets shall be even money and all Raise bets shall push.
- If the dealer does qualify, then the player hand shall be compared to the dealer hand, the hand with the longer straight winning.
- If both the player and dealer have straights of equal length, then the side with the higher high card shall win.
- If the player has the higher hand, then the Ante shall pay even money. The raise shall pay even money with a winning straight of five cards or less. With a winning six- or seven-card straight, the Raise bet shall pay 2 to 1.
- If both the player and dealer have straight of equal length and equal high card, then the Ante and Raise bets shall both push.
- If the dealer has the higher hand, then the Ante and Raise shall lose.
- After all Ante and Raise bets have been adjudicated, the dealer shall reveal the three community cards set aside from rule 4.
- The Straight Flush Bonus pays based on the longest straight flush in the players hand only, according to the pay table below.
- The Second Chance Bonus shall pay based on the longest straight between the player's seven cards and the three community cards, according to the pay table below.
The following table shows the pay table for the Straight Flush Bonus and Second Chance Bonus. Wins are on a "to one" basis.
Side Bets Pay Table
| Cards in Straight Flush |
Straight Flush Bonus |
Second Chance Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 10 | 1000 | |
| 7 | 5000 | 1000 |
| 6 | 500 | 500 |
| 5 | 100 | 50 |
| 4 | 25 | 20 |
| 3 | 10 |
Here is both sides of the rule card. Click on either image for a larger version.
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Strategy
The following is my strategy for Keep it Straight Second Chance.
- Fold with ace-2-3 or less.
- Make 2x raise with 2-3-4 to 9-10-J.
- Make 4x raise with 10-J-Q or higher.
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis of the base game, using the strategy above. The lower right cell shows the house edge is 2.80%, measured as the ratio of the expected loss to the Ante bet. The average units bet per hand is 2.576234. This makes the element of risk, defined as the ratio of expected loss to total amount bet 2.80%/2.576234 = 1.09%.
Ante Analysis
| Event | Pays | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player wins with 6+ card straight | 9 | 0.005080 | 0.045721 |
| Player wins with large raise | 5 | 0.108513 | 0.542567 |
| Player wins with small raise | 3 | 0.033563 | 0.100688 |
| Dealer doesn't qualify | 1 | 0.229572 | 0.229572 |
| Tie | 0 | 0.006100 | 0.000000 |
| Player folds | -1 | 0.489637 | -0.489637 |
| Player loses with small raise | -3 | 0.090403 | -0.271208 |
| Player loses with large raise | -5 | 0.037133 | -0.185663 |
| Total | 1.000000 | -0.027961 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Straight Flush bonus. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 12.06%.
Straight Flush Bonus Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 5000 | 32 | 0.000000 | 0.001196 |
| 6 | 500 | 1,592 | 0.000012 | 0.005950 |
| 5 | 100 | 39,960 | 0.000299 | 0.029869 |
| 4 | 25 | 676,196 | 0.005054 | 0.126359 |
| 3 | 10 | 8,642,932 | 0.064603 | 0.646034 |
| 0 to 2 | -1 | 124,423,848 | 0.930031 | -0.930031 |
| Total | 133,784,560 | 1.000000 | -0.120624 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Second Chance Bonus. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 9.28%.
Second Chance Bonus Analysis
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 to 10 | 1000 | 25,456 | 0.000002 | 0.001609 |
| 7 | 1000 | 402,136 | 0.000025 | 0.025419 |
| 6 | 500 | 4,992,988 | 0.000316 | 0.157806 |
| 5 | 50 | 50,061,520 | 0.003164 | 0.158222 |
| 4 | 20 | 422,356,980 | 0.026698 | 0.533952 |
| 0 to 3 | -1 | 15,342,185,140 | 0.969795 | -0.969795 |
| Total | 15,820,024,220 | 1.000000 | -0.092786 |
Methodology
The Ante bet was analyzed by random simulation, experimenting with different strategies until I found the best one. The two side bets were done by looping through all possible combinations of cards.
External Links
Discussion about this game in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.