Has anyone played this game. It's a video poker game. You make a bet, and it deals 5 cards. You might win money right there based on a 5 card stud hand. Then you hold cards and draw, and make a 5 card draw hand. Then you use those 5 cards and 2 more cards are dealt to make a 7 card stud hand. That's about all I know. I don't know how many coins are max bet and I think whatever max bet is gets bet 3 times, max for each hand. The machine was set up for penny, nickel, dime.

Obviously the pay table on the 5 card stud hand is the highest and the pay table for the 7 card stud hand is relatively weak.

Anyway, I was playing the 5 cent game, betting max coin. After about 5 hands, I was dealt a straight flush. It was the 9, 10 J, Q, K of hearts. I knew that was big money, but questioned whether I should go for the royal. I initially held them all then started scratching my bald head. I didn't know what to do, so I just kept them all and played it out. The next thing I knew, I had almost $950. I don't even know if I hit a royal in the 7 card stud hand. I don't think I did. Not bad for a 5 cent straight flush. I played it down to $901 and cashed out. Playing down to $901 went pretty fast...So fast that I didn't get to figure out how much I lost each round.

My conclusion is that if you don't hit some good hands, this game can suck sume serious coin in. OTOH, if you are dealt a good hand, it is SWEEEEEEEEEET. I still don't know how to play this game. As of now, I don't really plan to play it again.

I salute both your decisions! Did they have any way you could check the pay tables before deciding to hold all the cards?

Yes, but.....

I was overwhelmed with questions including but not limited to:
How many coins is max coin?
Analyzing the 3 different pay tables for each game. Per each denomination.
How many times do you hit deal if you hold all cards?
How many coins are bet per round? Per hand?
If I were dealt 4 aces, is there a bonus for kickers?

My brain capacity and attention span were not focused real well.

The game had a very busy screen and it wasn't focused real well either. The last thing I wanted to do was get lost in menus and lose my hand.

I later returned to a different machine on that same bank. I only wanted to figure out how I won the amount that I did. Once again, I was overloaded with questions and too distracted to learn. At one point I saw 30 coins, and don't know if that was max or what denomination it was.

I found a 3 way poker on the web, made by WMS. It's screen shots are not the same as what was in the Gold Coast. Not even close. And according to the strategy tables, holding a SF is better than 4 to the royal.

JMT - Great score! Looks like that losing streak is over!

I think I sat down at one of those machines over the summer but I got too confused when I started reading the menus and didn't even try.

Somewhere I think I have an article by Bob Dancer who explained it in Strictly Slots. I'll have to dig for it.

I woke up in the middle of my Tuesday evening nap with a thought.

I had already been paid for the SF on the 5 card stud hand, and that is the big banana.

If I had gone for the royal, I would have 3 chances for it. There were 47 cards left in the deck. I could have drawn for one chance and would be given 2 cards on the 7 card stud hand.

How many times have you had 4 to the royal? And wouln't it be nice to have 3 chances at it instead of just 1 chance?

OTOH, I would have had those 2 chances on the 7 card stud hand anyway.

And that's all the more reason to go back and check the paytables after my 2 day work marathon.

I've had 4 to the royal on a hundred hand game and not drawn the royal.

I'm bad at the math part of all this stuff, I just follow the basic rules.

This game does sound fun, though.

At first I thought you meant "Three Card Poker" which I am been fortunate to win at most times. It is a live table game and funner than BlackJack even.

And another video poker game I haven't taken the time to figure out is one that I have only seen at The Orleans, although I'm sure it is available elsewhere. It is called Shockwave.

JMT,
You got me looking forward to giving this game a try. Just because it's different. Our last trip I was getting pretty board with Dueces Wild by day 7. It's a grind after awhile and I found I was playing more DDB, and at the Dollar level it can be unnerving, and bank roll depleating rather quickly. Learning on a nickle game sounds like fun!

JMT - I think I know Shockwave. The gimmick is that if you get a Four of a Kind, the machine goes into "shock mode" for 10 hands. If you get another 4OK within those ten hands, it pays double. I THINK.

The one game I've always wanted to try is called Chase The Royal. I remember reading about it about a year ago and saw it at the Orleans but didn't play it. I can't remember exactly what the gimmick is but it had something to do with if you get 3 to the Royal, you can "chase it" for 5 hands - something like that.

About the fanciest I get when playing is spin poker - just for the variety.

ooooooh! Look at all the twirling, blinking lights!

Regarding Shock Wave, I was right for the most part but if you get another Four of a Kind within the next 10 hands of the first one, it pays 4000 credits, not double as I originally thought.

I played it yesterday at Mandalay Bay and was determined to get into "shock mode." It took quite a while but I finally did it. While in shock mode, the screen turns all different colors and the screen counts down the number of hands you have left to get another 4oak. I didn't. While it only pays 5 for Two Pair, it pays 50 for a Full House and 500 for a Straight Flush. All in all, it cost me $20 to find all of this out. It was fun but I'm not sure I would do it again.

Thanks for taking one for the team Mike!

Glad you got out in fairly good shape.

Thanks!