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In some locations, players may encounter Video Poker machines that will autohold cards. In a few cases, like Dream Card Poker, it will also automatically assign a card that the machine calculates to be the best option for players to run with. A reader wonders if this is helpful:
How do you feel about poker machines holding cards rather than you picking? Is there any advantage or disadvantage?
Sandra B.
Our take: for players who like to play because of the skill involved, having it autohold can feel like training wheels. But for those who are still figuring out how the strategy works, it can be a great way to get a bit more acclimated to the right scenario for each hand.
Generally speaking, which poker hand is the best to proceed comes down to the one that, based on which cards are held, and which cards are available to be dealt, yields the expected value, or EV. Machines with autohold will do this automatically based on how each hand rates the chances of making those hands, and how much those hands pay when achieved.
Take a simple example where you have four cards to the flush. By throwing away the one card not included in the flush, you now have 9 cards that can be drawn complete the flush, and 38 that can’t. So 9 results will offer the flush pay, worth a certain amount, and 38 don’t. With EV, you add up all the payouts you could get with each card, divide by the number of total outcomes, and that’s your EV.
Of course, your four flush cards could include a Jack or better, which could offer more winning outcomes if a pair is the final result. Many hands have you drawing more than one card to attempt to improve your initial deal. And then there’s more than a dozen Video Poker variations. So it can quickly get more complicated.
Video Poker is a game that incorporates some level of skill, so if you’re less familiar, autohold can be a helpful way to bridge the gap. But most casinos don’t offer this – Video Poker tends to have a higher return to player (when played perfectly) than games like slots, and casinos benefit when people don’t really know how to play (the same goes for Blackjack and other card games where a strategy to playing is involved).
The good news is that if you’re using a machine with autohold, it will only help. So there’s nothing wrong with it. But we also know many players who enjoy Video Poker because it’s up to them to get it right; otherwise it’s really no different than a slot machine in that it’s all sort of handled for you – you make the bet, you win or lose, you move on.
Meanwhile, for most of us who only have access to Video Poker machines that have you make the decisions yourself, if you’re interested in improving your skills and knowing the best ways to play, VideoPoker.com has training software that can assist players with learning how to play various hands. It will score you, let you know when you’ve made a mistake, and help you improve your overall play.
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