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Look Ahead Poker
Introduction
Any legitimate professional gambler, or cheat, can tell you if you know the next card to be dealt, it gives the player a powerful advantage. This is exactly what you're told in Super Look Ahead Poker. After the deal, the game tells you the next card to be dealt. Unfortunately, IGT is not so foolish that they give this information for free. It costs two more coins on top of the usual five, which also pays to bump up the pay table a bit. Below are the complete rules.
Rules
- The game is based on standard single-play video poker rules, except as noted.
- The player may play normally, betting one to five coins, or may bet seven coins to invoke the Look Ahead feature.
- The wager must be made before the deal.
- If the Look Ahead feature is active, then after the deal, the game will reveal the next card to be dealt.
- The player will indicate which cards he wishes to hold, as usual.
- In addition to the extra two coins paying for the Look Ahead feature, it also bumps up the pay table on some of the hands.
Example
After betting seven coins, here is the hand I was given on the deal. The little ace of diamonds on the left is the next card in the deck.
In conventional video poker, the correct play in this situation is to hold the ace and jack. However, knowing the next card is the ace of diamond, I choose to keep the ace of hearts only.
As promised, the game replaced the first discard, the four of clubs with the ace of diamonds. Unfortunately, I didn't improve upon the pair of aces I knew I would get, so was paid for a high pair.
Please note that using my video poker hand analyzer will not give the correct numbers because after the Look Ahead card, you're drawing into a 46-card deck, not 47.
Games and Pay Tables
IGT kindly provided me a list of all games and pay tables that Look Ahead Poker is available in.
The returns indicated in the following tables are based on a full seven-coin bet.
Bonus Poker
| Poker Hand | 99.40% | 98.24% | 97.83% | 96.05% |
| ROYAL FLUSH | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 50 | 80 | 50 | 50 |
| FOUR ACES | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| FOUR 2's, 3's, 4's | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| FOUR 5's THROUGH K's | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| FULL HOUSE | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| FLUSH | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| STRAIGHT | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| TWO PAIR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| JACKS OR BETTER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Bonus Poker Deluxe
| Poker Hand | 99.80% | 98.68% | 97.68% | 96.51% | 95.70% |
| ROYAL FLUSH | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 90 | 120 | 50 | 80 | 120 |
| FOUR OF A KIND | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 | 95 |
| FULL HOUSE | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| FLUSH | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| STRAIGHT | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| TWO PAIR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JACKS OR BETTER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Deuces Wild
| Poker Hand | 99.27% | 98.00% | 97.41% | 97.08% | 96.27% | 95.42% |
| ROYAL FLUSH NO DEUCES | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| FOUR DEUCES | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| ROYAL FLUSH WITH DEUCE | 25 | 20 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 30 |
| FIVE OF A KIND | 16 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 11 | 16 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 10 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 12 |
| FOUR OF A KIND | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| FULL HOUSE | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| FLUSH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| STRAIGHT | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
| Poker Hand | 99.50% | 98.87% | 97.72% | 96.72% | 95.49% |
| ROYAL FLUSH NO DEUCES | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| FOUR DEUCES + ONE ACE | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| FOUR DEUCES | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| ROYAL FLUSH WITH DEUCE | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| FIVE ACES | 100 | 100 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| FIVE 3's, 4's, 5's | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| FIVE 6's THROUGH K's | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 14 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 11 |
| FOUR OF A KIND | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| FULL HOUSE | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| FLUSH | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| STRAIGHT | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Double Bonus
| Poker Hand | 99.23% | 98.18% | 96.65% | 94.49% |
| ROYAL FLUSH | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 50 | 100 | 140 | 100 |
| FOUR ACES | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| FOUR 2's, 3's, 4's | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
| FOUR 5's THROUGH K's | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| FULL HOUSE | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| FLUSH | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| STRAIGHT | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| TWO PAIR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JACKS OR BETTER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Double Double Bonus
| Poker Hand | 99.01% | 98.20% | 97.19% | 96.09% | 94.72% |
| ROYAL FLUSH | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 100 | 150 | 180 | 200 | 120 |
| FOUR A's + ANY 2, 3 OR 4 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| FOUR 2's,3's,4's + ANY A,2,3,4 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| FOUR ACES | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| FOUR 2's, 3's, 4's | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| FOUR 5's THROUGH K's | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 |
| FULL HOUSE | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| FLUSH | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| STRAIGHT | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| TWO PAIR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JACKS OR BETTER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Jacks or Better
| Poker Hand | 99.73% | 98.63% | 97.46% | 96.98% | 95.48% |
| ROYAL FLUSH | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 120 | 50 | 80 | 150 | 50 |
| FOUR OF A KIND | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| FULL HOUSE | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| FLUSH | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| STRAIGHT | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| TWO PAIR | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| JACKS OR BETTER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Triple Double Bonus
| TRIPLE DOUBLE BONUS POKER | 99.62% | 98.44% | 97.06% | 96.08% | 94.97% |
| ROYAL FLUSH | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| STRAIGHT FLUSH | 100 | 140 | 50 | 80 | 100 |
| FOUR A's + ANY 2, 3 OR 4 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| FOUR 2's,3's,4's + ANY A,2,3,4 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| FOUR ACES | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 200 |
| FOUR 2's, 3's, 4's | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| FOUR 5's THROUGH K's | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 |
| FULL HOUSE | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| FLUSH | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| STRAIGHT | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| THREE OF A KIND | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| TWO PAIR | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| JACKS OR BETTER | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Analysis
It takes my computer three days to run through all the combinations for any given pay table, on a single core, so forgive me for the small number of pay tables analyzed for this game. As always, these tables assume optimal player strategy.
In these tables, the return is the product of the win, probability, and 5/7. The reason for multiplying by 5/7 is that the player must bet seven coins, but the win is only five times as much as the "pay" indicates.
10-6-4 Double Double Bonus
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 800 | 60,100,115,292 | 0.000036 | 0.020511 | |
| Straight flush | 100 | 348,036,025,680 | 0.000208 | 0.014847 | |
| Four aces + 2-4 | 400 | 134,655,743,124 | 0.000080 | 0.022977 | |
| Four 2-4 + A-4 | 200 | 333,883,756,332 | 0.000199 | 0.028487 | |
| Four aces + 5-K | 200 | 287,549,935,848 | 0.000172 | 0.024533 | |
| Four 2-4 | 100 | 676,405,891,728 | 0.000404 | 0.028855 | |
| Four 5-K | 70 | 3,066,123,704,448 | 0.001831 | 0.091559 | |
| Full house | 10 | 35,553,627,217,080 | 0.021234 | 0.151670 | |
| Flush | 6 | 38,692,376,838,612 | 0.023108 | 0.099036 | |
| Straight | 4 | 48,760,613,357,316 | 0.029121 | 0.083204 | |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 132,268,313,400,384 | 0.078995 | 0.169275 | |
| Two pair | 1 | 293,264,282,158,848 | 0.175147 | 0.125105 | |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 304,865,065,482,096 | 0.182075 | 0.130054 | |
| Nothing | 0 | 816,080,329,818,012 | 0.487389 | 0.000000 | |
| Total | 1,674,391,363,444,800 | 1.000000 | 0.990112 |
10-7-4 Triple Double Bonus
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 800 | 55,827,487,800 | 0.000033 | 0.019053 | |
| Straight flush | 100 | 357,641,145,792 | 0.000214 | 0.015257 | |
| Four aces + 2-4 | 800 | 157,698,610,272 | 0.000094 | 0.053819 | |
| Four 2-4 + A-4 | 400 | 419,336,026,704 | 0.000250 | 0.071555 | |
| Four aces + 5-K | 200 | 230,854,735,188 | 0.000138 | 0.019696 | |
| Four 2-4 | 100 | 558,065,083,212 | 0.000333 | 0.023807 | |
| Four 5-K | 60 | 2,991,319,902,648 | 0.001787 | 0.076565 | |
| Full house | 10 | 32,941,051,437,672 | 0.019673 | 0.140525 | |
| Flush | 7 | 44,715,058,097,976 | 0.026705 | 0.133526 | |
| Straight | 4 | 49,676,392,631,544 | 0.029668 | 0.084767 | |
| Three of a kind | 2 | 129,536,619,778,440 | 0.077363 | 0.110519 | |
| Two pair | 1 | 281,533,946,483,160 | 0.168141 | 0.120101 | |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 297,825,527,340,432 | 0.177871 | 0.127051 | |
| Nothing | 0 | 833,392,024,683,960 | 0.497728 | 0.000000 | |
| Total | 1,674,391,363,444,800 | 1.000000 | 0.996238 |
9-6-4 Bonus Poker
| Hand | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 800 | 57,777,225,660 | 0.000035 | 0.019718 | |
| Straight flush | 50 | 300,781,663,812 | 0.000180 | 0.006416 | |
| Four aces | 100 | 352,084,163,256 | 0.000210 | 0.015020 | |
| Four 2-4 | 60 | 1,015,231,075,740 | 0.000606 | 0.025986 | |
| Four 5-K | 30 | 3,062,878,723,044 | 0.001829 | 0.039198 | |
| Full house | 9 | 36,913,475,261,880 | 0.022046 | 0.141724 | |
| Flush | 6 | 37,422,033,921,468 | 0.022350 | 0.095784 | |
| Straight | 4 | 46,642,635,726,960 | 0.027856 | 0.079590 | |
| Three of a kind | 3 | 129,490,734,791,376 | 0.077336 | 0.165720 | |
| Two pair | 2 | 337,692,546,047,808 | 0.201681 | 0.288115 | |
| Jacks or better | 1 | 273,725,942,113,260 | 0.163478 | 0.116770 | |
| Nothing | 0 | 807,715,242,730,536 | 0.482393 | 0.000000 | |
| Total | 1,674,391,363,444,800 | 1.000000 | 0.994040 |
Strategy
Sorry, you're on your own with that.
Comparison to Super Look Ahead Poker
There is a similar game called Super Look Ahead Poker. The only differences are:
- In Super Look Ahead Poker the player may decline the Look Ahead card.
- In Super Look Ahead Poker the player must pay three extra coins for the Look Ahead feature, as opposed to two.
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My Video Poker Offerings
Written by: Michael Shackleford
