Super Hand Poker

Introduction

   

I first saw Super Hand Poker at the 2015 Global Gaming Expo. The second time was at the Red Rock casino in Las Vegas on January 23, 2016. The game plays like Triple Play video poker except the player gets to choose one of three starting hands to play.

Rules

 

1. Super Hand Poker is based on conventional Triple Play video poker.
2. If the player bets the maximum five coins on each line, for a total of 15 credits bet, then he may invoke the Super Hand feature for an additional 15 credit fee.
3. In the Super Hand feature, the player will be given three starting hands and is immediately paid for the poker value of each hand, according to the same pay table as for winning draw hands.
4. Each starting hand is dealt from a separate deck.
5. The game will automatically put the best starting hand, as measured by expected value, on the bottom.
6. The player may choose to swap the bottom hand for the top or middle hand (but there is never an advantage in doing so).
7. The player will then hold the cards he wants to keep from the bottom hand and discard the rest.
8. The rest of the game will play out like conventional Triple Play video poker, with the selected hand and remaining 47-card deck cloned two more times for a total of three hands.
9. Each hand shall be paid according to its poker value and the pay table for that game.

 

Rules screens. Click on any image for a larger version.

 

Example

   

In the hand above, the best hand was obviously the pair of kings, which the game put in the bottom. It also immediately paid that hand 5 credits for the high pair.

 

I held the pair of kings, which improved to a two pair in the bottom hand and remained a high pair in the other two. Each hand paid five credits on the draw for 15 credits. Counting both the deal and draw, my total "win" was 5+15=20 credits. Given that the bet cost 30 credits, it was actually a 10-credit loss.

Bonus Poker Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 7-5 Bonus Poker. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 97.87%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Bonus Poker Deluxe Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 82-8-6 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 98.70%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 82-7-5 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 96.35%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 83-6-5 Bonus Poker Deluxe. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 95.80%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Deuces Wild Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 25-16-13 Deuces Wild. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 100.03%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

In case you're wondering where to play this generous pay table, I've only seen it at VideoPoker.com. A Gold membership is required for this game.

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 20-10-8 Deuces Wild. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 97.84%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Double Bonus Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 55-9-6 Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 98.36%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 52-9-5 Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 95.64%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Double Double Bonus Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 6-5 Double Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 95.00%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Jacks or Better Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 30-9-5 Jacks or Better. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 98.51%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 32-6-5 Jacks or Better. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 95.04%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Triple Double Bonus Analysis

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 9-6 Triple Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 100.58%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

In case you're wondering where to play this generous pay table, I've only seen it at VideoPoker.com. A Gold membership is required for this game.

 

The following table shows the probability and return for each win on both the deal and the draw for 8-5 Triple Double Bonus. The lower right cell shows a combined return of 98.35%. As usual, all probabilities assume optimal player strategy.

 

Return Summary

 

The following table summarizes the returns for all known games and pay tables.

 

Strategy

 

You can never go wrong with accepting the game's determination of the best hand to put on the bottom. Sometimes it will be a tie, in which case you can switch with an equal hand, but it will neither help nor hurt you.

For which cards to keep and discard, you may use conventional video poker strategy. There are some unusual pay tables, so you may wish to use my video poker strategy calculator to help.

Written by: Michael Shackleford