*#1 best-selling family entertainment brand: NPD Techworld life to date dollar volume data as of March 2010.
TABLE T ABLE OF CONTENT CONT ENTS S System Requirements 3 Installation 4 Introduction 6 Signing In 7
HOYLE ® PLA PLAYER YER SERVICES SE RVICES Making a Face in Face Creator 9 Star ting a Game 12 Placing a Bet 12 Bankrolls, Credit Cards, Loans 13 13 HOYLE® Player Rewards 14 Trophy Case 15
Customizing HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES Environment 15 Playing Cards 16 Playing Games in Full Screen Mode 16 16 Setting Game Rules and Options 16 16 Changing Player Set tings 17 17 Talking Face Creator 17 17 HOYLE® Computer Players 18 Shor tcut Keys 21 Viewing Bet Results and Statistics 22 Game Help 22 Quitting Games 23 Tournament Play 23 Baccarat 24 Blackjack 27 Blackjack Variations 37 Craps 41 Hor s e Rac ing 56 Keno 57 Pai Gow Poker 60 Poker 6 66 Roulette 84
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TABLE T ABLE OF CONTENT CONT ENTS S System Requirements 3 Installation 4 Introduction 6 Signing In 7
HOYLE ® PLA PLAYER YER SERVICES SE RVICES Making a Face in Face Creator 9 Star ting a Game 12 Placing a Bet 12 Bankrolls, Credit Cards, Loans 13 13 HOYLE® Player Rewards 14 Trophy Case 15
Customizing HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES Environment 15 Playing Cards 16 Playing Games in Full Screen Mode 16 16 Setting Game Rules and Options 16 16 Changing Player Set tings 17 17 Talking Face Creator 17 17 HOYLE® Computer Players 18 Shor tcut Keys 21 Viewing Bet Results and Statistics 22 Game Help 22 Quitting Games 23 Tournament Play 23 Baccarat 24 Blackjack 27 Blackjack Variations 37 Craps 41 Hor s e Rac ing 56 Keno 57 Pai Gow Poker 60 Poker 6 66 Roulette 84
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HOYLE ® Casi Casino no Games Gam es 2011 2011
Slot Machines 87 Video Blackjack 89 Video Po Poker 90 Reerences 10 0 Credits 101 Legal Inormation 103 Customer Ser vice 103 Technical Suppor t 103 Limited Warranty Warranty 104 Remedies 105
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES 2011 Windows ®
XP (Home & Pro) SP3, Windows Vista® SP1, Windows® 7¹, Pentium® IV 24 GHz processor or aster, 512 MB (1 GB RAM or Windows Vista ® & Windows® 7), 1024x768 16 bit color display, 64MB VRAM (Intel® GMA chipsets supported), 3 GB Hard Disk Space, DVD-ROM drive, 336 Kbps modem or aster and internet service provider account required or internet access Broadband internet service recommended² Macintosh®
OS X 10411-106¹ Intel® CoreTM Solo processor or better, 15 GHz or higher processor, 512 MB RAM, 64MB VRAM (Intel® GMA chipsets supported), 3 GB hard drive space, DVD-ROM drive, 336 Kbps modem or aster and internet service provider account required or internet access Broadband internet service recommended² ¹Administrator privileges are required to properly install the program on Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows® 7 and Mac® OS X ²User is responsible or all Internet access ees and phone charges Important Installation Note: Please disable any Antivirus and/or
Firewall sotware that you have running beore installing this sotware Ater the installation has completed and the product has been updated, you can re-enable your Antivirus and/or Firewall sotware 3
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES 2011
Installing the Game Windows ®:
1 Exit all programs and insert the HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES 2011 DVD into the DVD-ROM drive The installation window opens automatically i Autorun is enabled on your system Note: I you have disabled Autorun on your computer, choose Run rom the Start menu to open the Run dialog box Type D:\setup.exe (I your DVD-ROM drive is something other than “D”, substitute it with the correct drive letter) 2 Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation Macintosh®:
1 Insert the HOYLE® CASINO GAMES 2011 DVD into your DVD-ROM drive
2 Drag the HOYLE® CASINO GAMES 2011 older into your Applications older (or wherever you’d like it to be) on your hard drive The HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES 2011 older will now copy rom the DVD to your computer’s hard drive
Uninstalling the Game Windows ®:
1 Choose Settings rom the Start menu 2 Choose Control Panel rom Settings 3 Double-click on Add/Remove Programs 4 Select the name o the program you want to uninstall and click on the Add or Remove button 5 Click Yes to conrm le deletion Macintosh®:
1 Delete the HOYLE® CASINO GAMES 2011 program older rom the Applications directory o your hard drive
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Running the Game Windows ®:
To run the games, insert the HOYLE® CASINO GAMES DVD into the DVD-Rom drive When the launcher screen appears, click Play You can also run the games rom the Start menu Click Start , Programs, and select the HOYLE® game older Click on the HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES 2011 menu item to run the games Macintosh®:
1 Double-click on the game icon in the HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES 2011 older to run the program Once you have installed HOYLE® CASINO GAMES 2011, you may eject the DVD (Please keep the DVD in a sae place in case you ever need to reinstall the game)
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
INTRODUCTION Welcome to HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, a collection o classic and popular casino games HOYLE® CASINO GAMES includes wellknown table games like Blackjack, Poker, and Craps; exciting Progressive and Multi Line Slots; an impressive suite o casino video games like Video Poker and Video Blackjack; action-packed avorites like Horse Racing at the HOYLE® Derby, and more! In addition to providing you an overview o some o the eatures o HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, this guide is a standalone card game rule book and strategy guide For additional help using HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, reer to the in-game help by clicking the Help button at the bottom o the game screen and selecting the desired topic You can play most o the games ound in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES with riends and amily members at your computer, or you can play against the witty and personable HOYLE® computer characters Each character has a unique personality, and you can set characters’ skill levels to control how well they play You can customize your game environment by setting the game speed, turning on music and sound eects, and speciying how oten the HOYLE® characters talk Set the backgrounds and card backs you like, and within each game, set options to make the game easier or more challenging or to use dierent rules variations Statistics are kept or all games, so you can try to beat your best times or the high scores o other players Plus, you can earn HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS to spend on additional game items, just by playing your avorite games! We hope you have as much un playing the games as we did making them! —The HOYLE® Team
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SIGNING IN When you start HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you will see the Main Menu screen displaying three game categories (Tables, Slots, Horse Racing and Keno) as well as the HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES Follow the Welcome message instructions and click on the HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES button HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES is a central area where you can access your character statistics, bankroll inormation, and get exciting in-game prizes by redeeming your HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS!
Once in HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES, edit your character by choosing a name and picture to represent yoursel Creating a character allows you to track your player statistics, chat with HOYLE® computer characters, and access online play You can also create additional characters or yoursel, riends, and amily One reason or creating multiple players is that some games allow more than one player on the same computer Another reason is that your statistics are tracked based on your player name You can create new players at any time, and you can change your character ace at any time To create a new player:
1 Make sure you have selected HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES 2 Click Create/Edit underneath the character In the top let-hand corner 3 A pop-up will open and ask or your player inormation The only required eld is your Nickname, or player name 4 Once you click OK , you will return to the Sign In area Here you can edit your player, create new players, and switch between players 5 Select Face Creator to show Face Creator pictures (ones you have made and a selection o premade aces), or select Non-talking to show non-talking pictures available to you Then, select the ace you want to use by moving the horizontal bar Selecting a Face Creator player will allow you to talk and interact with other players
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
6 To create your own unique character, click on Create/Edit (see more detailed inormation in the Face Creator section) You can also select Random to randomly assign eatures while creating a character or yoursel You’re sure to see some interesting combinations! 7 Once you’ve saved your character, click Exit to return to Manage Proles 8 Select OK and you’re back to HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES and ready to play! To sign in a player created during a previous session :
1 Click the player’s name in the list I necessary, scroll through the list using the vertical scroll bar To change the ace or this player, see step 5 above 2 Click OK to start playing games as this player Notes: You can remove a player rom the list o players by selecting the player name and clicking the Delete button The
player (and all o his or her statistics) is removed permanently You can sign in as a dierent player ater you’ve started HOYLE® CASINO GAMES You might do this i someone else wants to play games and you don’t want to exit From the Main Screen, click on HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES to edit your player
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HOYLE ® PLAYER SERVICES Just like a concierge in the big casinos, HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES is at your service Come here or all the latest HOYLE® news, player statistics and player rewards HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES is a central service desk where you can: • Edit your player or create a new player and access Face Creator. • View recent statistics on your player’s game play. • View your recent Achievements and HOYLE ® PLAYER REWARDS • Use your HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS to go shopping • View your player information such as Rank and current Bankroll
MAKING A FACE IN FACE CREATOR You can use Face Creator to create a unique picture to represent yoursel while you’re playing games This picture is shown on the screen when you play games on your computer or over the Internet You can make just one ace to represent yoursel, or you can make several dierent aces and choose a dierent ace each time you play!
Starting Face Creator To access Face Creator, go to HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES and select Create/Edit to open the Sign In area Then choose Face Creator and click the Create/Edit button next to your player’s current picture
To change an existing Face Creator ace: While in Face Creator, click the Load button, scroll horizontally to select the ace you want to change, and then click OK to load that ace into Face Creator
Using Face Creator You can create a unique picture or yoursel using Face Creator You can start with a new ace, or load a previously created ace by clicking the Load button
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
To make a ace in Face Creator:
1 Click a eature (head, eyes, nose, etc) on the Face Creator screen The eature will be selected, and pictures you can use or the eature will appear in the 12 eature boxes along the bottom o the screen You can select eatures in any order, and you don’t have to speciy every eature (your ace can have no nose, or example) 2 Select the picture you want to use or that eature To see additional screens o pictures, click on the numbered buttons or on the let and right arrows Note: For eyes and eyebrows, you can select matching pairs, or you can select dierent let and right eyes and eyebrows, i you like When you click on eyes or eyebrows, a selection box pops up with the choices let only, both, and right only Click on which side or sides you wish to change (both is the deault choice), then select the new eature 3 You can move eatures around on the ace by clicking the arrow buttons surrounding the sample ace or by clicking the arrow keys on your keyboard All eatures except the body, head, and clothes can be moved 4 I you move a eature and want it moved back to its original location, click the Center button 5 Add any other eatures you want 6 Select one o the our skin tones or your ace 7 Choose a voice or your character There are ve male voices and ve emale voices Click on the Voice Selection Menu to the let o your character to select a voice You can preview the selected voice by clicking on the speaker icon 8 Click Exit to exit Face Creator Your ace is saved automatically I you want to make multiple aces beore exiting, you can click Save to save your current ace beore making a dierent one I you loaded a dierent ace earlier and have made changes to that ace, you will be asked i you want to save the new ace you created over the old ace Click Update to save the ace over the old ace, or click Add to save the ace as a new ace You can assign your newly created aces to dierent players in the Sign In area within HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES You can also assign aces to a player rom within a game by selecting Options and then Face Creator
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To change an existing ace:
1 Click the Load button 2 Make any desired changes to the ace 3 Click Save A dialog will appear: you can either save over the ace you changed by clicking Update, or save the changes as a new ace without deleting the old one by clicking Add To remove a eature rom the ace: 1 Select the eature you want to remove 2 Click the Clear button To clear the entire ace: Click the New button to start a new ace rom scratch Your current ace will be cleared To delete a Face Creator ace: You can remove any Face Creator aces that you no longer want by selecting the ace you want to delete using the scroll bar below the ace window, and then clicking the Delete button to the right o the ace Notes and Tips: Moving eyebrows to dierent heights is a good, subtle way to add personality to your ace Moving a nose downward can create an impression o a longer nose; moving it upward can make a shorter nose Be creative! Many items can be moved anywhere on the ace Clothing is specic to the body you select I you select an article o clothing and then change your body, you may need to select new clothes or your new body To quickly create a unique new ace, click the Random button (This is a good idea i you’re not eeling creative, but still want a change) You’re sure to see some interesting combinations! You can still make changes to the random ace, i you want Be careul when using this button as it will erase the ace currently on the screen
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
STARTING A GAME From the Main Screen, select the type o game you would like to play Choose rom: Tables, Slots & More, or Sports Lounge (Keno) Within each game category is a list o games Click on the game you want to play To return to the main game categories rom the game list within each category, click the back arrow button at the top o the screen To switch to another game rom within a game, click on the Main Menu button on the let side o the screen You will be asked i you are sure you want to leave the current game Selecting Yes will bring you back to the Main Screen where you can choose rom the three game categories
PLACING A BET Table games When playing a table game, you will see your bankroll in the bottom right hand corner o the screen Select the chip you want by clicking on it Use the arrows to scroll through the dierent chip values The chips are available in 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500, and 1K denominations You can select multiple chips and chip denominations to place your bet Your bet total will appear in the display just above the chips Once you’ve selected the desired amount, you may need to click on the table i your chips did not automatically appear I you’d like to change your bet, select the trashcan icon next to the display This will reset the bet to zero and the chips will be removed rom the table When you are satised with your bet, click Done Your bet amount will stay the same unless you decide to change it Use Place Last Bet to repeat your bet I the game you are playing has multiple betting areas, select the chip amount you’d like to bet and then click on the betting area Repeat to place multiple bets on the table Note that the betting display indicates what you’ve bet or each betting area and not the total o all the betting areas Again, i you’d like to change your bet, select the trashcan icon next to the display The bet that is selected will be removed rom the table The bet you place is subject to the minimum and maximum limits set or that table You can change the betting limits by clicking Click to 12
Change Betting Limits located in the upper let hand corner o the
screen Click in the place values to adjust the limits to your liking
Slots and other Video Machines To place your bet, select Bet One You can continue to select Bet One to increase your bet incrementally until you reach your desired bet or the maximum You can also select Bet Max The bet you place is subject to the limits set or that machine You can change the betting limits by clicking on the denomination located on the machine Be sure to Cash Out when you are ready to leave! This adds your winnings back into your bankroll
Horse Racing Fill out a race ticket with your bet Select Win , Place, or Show and enter your bet amount next to the line that corresponds with the horse you’re betting on Then submit your bet
Keno Fill out a Keno ticket with your number picks or select rom the Quick Picks menu and submit the ticket You can change the bet value by clicking on the arrows next to the current denomination on the betting screen The available denominations are 1, 5, 10 and 20
BANKROLLS, CREDIT CARDS AND LOANS Bankrolls Each player has a bankroll, which starts at a certain amount and changes as you win or lose money in the game
Credit Cards Each player also has a credit card There are various levels o credit cards available Your line o credit is extended by winning money in the game Besides being a status symbol, your credit level determines the amount o money you can take as a loan rom the game should it become necessary or you to borrow money to continue playing
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Loans I you run out o money during a game, you are automatically presented with two choices: 1 You can reset your player to the initial $5,000, reverting back to the initial line o credit, and losing any statistical inormation or your player 2 You can take a loan, the amount o which is based on the credit level you have reached In this case, you keep your credit card and your statistics, but you have to pay the loan back beore you are allowed to advance to the next credit level Once you have taken a loan, you will need to repay it at some point You are automatically prompted to make a loan repayment when you have enough unds There are some situations in which you will not be oered a loan You can’t get a loan i you already have a loan outstanding, i you are playing in a tournament, or i the game decides you already have enough money and don’t need to borrow more
HOYLE ® PLAYER REWARDS HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS are requent fier miles or gamers As you accomplish certain eats while playing HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you automatically earn HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS The more you play, the more you’ll earn! Spend your rewards on new card decks, backgrounds, music tracks, character avatars, and décor items Your current HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS balance and any eats you’ve accomplished recently are shown in the Achievements section o your HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES To spend your HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS, click on Shopping, ound within HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES Here you can browse the HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS stores to purchase new items such as Face Creator characters and décor
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Trophy Case Items that are purchased with your HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS can be displayed in your Trophy Case You can decorate your Trophy Case with all or just a collection o your avorite items Your Trophy Case is accessed through HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES—just click on Trophy Case You can store your unused items in your trophy closet or bring them out to faunt You can also sell your unused items and arrange the order in which they appear in your Trophy Case
CUSTOMIZING HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES Environment In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you can change certain environment settings like speed o play, background music, animations, and character speech The changes made will aect all games To change the game environment, select Options rom the let hand bottom corner o the screen, then select Environment Change the ollowing parameters to the desired setting: Animations: Sets whether computer players and game elements animate Sound Eects: Sets whether you hear sound eects during games,
such as dealing cards Show Warnings: Reactivates messages previously disabled using “Don’t show this message again” Character Speech : Sets whether computer players talk while you play Attitude: Sets how talkative and animated computer players are
during the game Move the Character Attitude slider to the let towards “Serious” or less talk or to the right towards “Talkative” or more Note: The general attitude is set or all computer players in the game You cannot set each player’s attitude individually Speed: Sets the overall speed o all the games Slowing the speeds may be helpul i you are just learning a new game You might also want to slow down the games i they don’t perorm well
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
on your computer Move the Game Speed slider to the let (Slow) or right (Fast) to adjust the speed Background music: Sets whether you hear background music or not You can also select which song you’d like to hear
Playing Cards You can choose the look o your playing cards or nearly all table games From within a game, select Options and then Cards Both the ront and back o cards can be customized Use the sliding bar and click on the selections to view the dierent card styles Once you’ve made your selections, click OK Remember that HOYLE® PLAYER REWARDS can earn you new card designs!
Playing Games in Full Screen Mode You can make HOYLE® CASINO GAMES ll your entire computer screen so that the games are easier to see Maximizing the game window will not make the screen bigger; you must go to ull screen mode This may not work on all computers To play in ull screen mode : Click Full Screen rom the Options menu The program resizes to ll the screen To return to windowed mode : Click Window rom the Options menu The program resizes to a window again Windows® users: I you open the online help while in ull screen mode, the ull screen mode turns o You can press Alt+ENTER (APPLE+RETURN or Macintosh® ) to quickly switch between viewing the program in ull screen or in a window
Setting Game Rules and Options For many games, you can set game rules and options, such as the house rules or the game and whether the dealer speaks Once the game has begun, some changes to settings may not take eect until the next hand, spin, or roll To set game rules and options: 1 While in the game, click Settings rom the Options menu 2 Make the desired changes 3 Click OK to change the settings Note: Some types o games and tournaments have xed game settings that cannot be changed
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Changing Player Settings In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you are the “host” Up to three other people can play table games with you on your computer; this is called “head-to-head” play When you start a game, all o the actively signed-in people are seated in the game, i possible, along with one or more computer players to ll any empty seats You can substitute players or another and you can change your player picture at any time during the game To change player settings: 1 Within a game, click Options and then select Players
2 Change player settings as described below Some settings can only be changed beore a game starts To replace a player : scroll through the side arrows to select the player you would like to play To replace a player with someone who will play with you on your computer, select Real Person; otherwise, select a computer player You can’t change the host o a game within a game To change the host player, you must go to the HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES and change the user through the Sign In area To see a description o a computer player, click the Bio button next to that player To change the ace o a human player, click the Face button next to that player Preerred Players: When you start a game that includes computer players, random players are chosen or you I you want to play with a certain player, you can set select the player as a Preerred Player Preerred Players will appear with you in every game You can select a ew Preerred Players or you i there are players you don’t ever want to play games with, mark all the players Preerred except the ones you don’t want to see Notes: The current game always uses the environment and game
settings or the host player (the player who signed in at HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES when HOYLE ® started) To change the host player, visit HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES to select a new player
Talking Face Creator I you’ve played HOYLE® games beore, you know that the HOYLE® Characters are a bit chatty Now, you can talk back! Each character plaque, including yours, has a happy and sad ace button on it I you click on a HOYLE® character’s happy ace icon, you will say something congratulatory to them I you click on their 17
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
sad ace icon, you will say something consoling to them You can use these any time, but they will respond more oten i the situation is appropriate or congratulating or consoling them As or yoursel, i you are eeling good or eeling bad, you can say so by clicking the appropriate icon on your plaque The HOYLE® characters may have something to say about the way you eel
HOYLE ® COMPUTER PLAYERS HOYLE® CASINO GAMES oers an array o computer players or you to interact with as you play Here are just some o the colorul characters you will meet!
Anne Anne is a competitive skeet shooter rom Texas; she’s in town or the Sportsman’s Convention She’s divorced, owns a ranch, and doesn’t take any gu Anne is determined to beat the odds at the casino, but she’ll have a good time no matter what
Charlie Charlie is a proessor o Psychology Ater spending years working to rene his students, Charlie has turned to rening his skills or his great passion, HOYLE® GAMES The proessor is calculating and greedy With his knowledge o human behavior, he oten knows his opponents’ moves beore they do He is not to be taken lightly
Eddie Eddie is a tough Vegas cab driver who knows everything there is to know about Sin City He’s sick o hearing about all o his customers’ winnings, so he’s trying to cash in himsel Eddie is sometimes rude, and oten crude, but you can count on him to always call ‘em like he sees ‘em
Greg Greg is a top music magazine editor He’s tight with all the hip Indie bands and even tighter with his money There are two things Greg knows: music and HOYLE® GAMES Greg has honed his card skills through hours o play on the road and is always up or a riendly game
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Jen Jen is struggling artist rom New York City She loves her dogs and art lms She’s a recent graduate, and although her work is creating a lot o buzz, it’s not paying the bills She hopes to get more exposure with her new website, but until then she’s in Vegas trying to beat the odds Jen loves a challenge and considers hersel a pretty stark competitor
Jessica Jessica is a popular lounge singer in the casino She’s lived in town or several years and likes to gamble a little in between sets or ater a show It gives her a chance to meet new people, and she’s hoping to eventually hit the jackpot
Joe Joe was an up-and-coming ootball player when an injury sidelined his career He moved west to get a resh start, and now he works as a bartender at one o the casinos He’s heard it all—in a town o big winners and big losers, everybody has a story Joe will always lend a sympathetic ear i you have a streak o bad luck
Kelly Kelly just got married in a small Vegas chapel, but she quickly lost her new husband in the crowded casino She gures that i she stays in one place long enough, he is bound to come by While she’s here, she’s trying to make enough money to take her honeymoon in Hawaii
Marcus Marcus is a successul sports agent He’s got all the right clients and knows all the right people In the casino, Marcus plans to show you the money, and then take it away rom you
Michele Michele is a lm student rom NYU, in town or her rst visit She would love to shoot a student lm at the casino, but security won’t let her use a camera Michele is gambling or research purposes only, since a casino is the perect place to observe human drama unolding
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Nigel Nigel’s band “The Wombats” had a brie brush with ame in the late seventies, but worldwide ame has eluded them The band’s decline sent Nigel to rehab, but now he’s clean and sober When he’s not perorming in local nightclubs, Nigel is in the casino, trying to earn money to record his comeback album
Tommy Tommy has been coming to this casino since the 60’s; he knows the games, he knows the odds, and he’s here to play Stay close to Tommy and you’ll nd out why “the good old days” were so good Years o gambling have taught him when to go or the big win, and when to go home
Yvonne Yvonne is an award-winning actress who once starred in classic lms like “Yellow Is The Sun” and “Misery’s Child” She’s bitter that all o the good roles are going to favor-o-the month actresses, while she ends up playing their mothers She spends time in the casino hoping to get ree publicity
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Shortcut Keys The ollowing shortcut keys are available to you during game play: Blackjack
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Hit Stand Double Down Split Surrender Continue
H S D P R Enter
Craps
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Continue
Enter
Pai Gow Poker
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Continue
Enter
Roulette
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Continue
Enter
Slots
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Bet One Bet Max Play Max Spin Cash Out
B M P S C
Video Blackjack
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Bet One Bet Max Cash Out
B M C
Video Poker
Shortcut (Ctr + letter key)
Hold All Discard All Bet One Bet Max Deal
A R B M D
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Viewing Bet Result and Statistics As you win or lose, HOYLE® CASINO GAMES keeps track o how you are doing You can track bets and player statistics a ew dierent ways: Reviewing Bets on the Table
In some table games, you can examine bets that you or other players place on the table by moving the mouse over the chips You are not able to view bets until all players have nished betting Reviewing Bets in the Current Game Session
In all games where your player image shows above a nameplate, the nameplate will show your current bankroll or score, depending on the game The same statistics will show or any player in the session Using the Continue or Next Hand Button
Some games oer another way to view bet results as well as game results You can do so by using the Continue or Next Hand button, depending on the game This means that ater each hand, spin, or roll, the game will pause and let you examine the results on the table By pointing to the various bets on the table, you can see which bets won or lost The bets are not cleared until you click the Continue or Next Hand button Reviewing Long-Term Statistics
Visit HOYLE® PLAYER SERVICES and click on Statistics to view long term statistics or all games you have played Here you can select the game you’d like to see statistics or and view parameters like number o games won, total winning amount, and more In addition, you can view your bankroll statistics
Game Help In the game Help section, you can access a comprehensive guide to rules and strategies or each game as well as general help with using HOYLE® CASINO GAMES From the lower let-hand section o the screen, click on Help to bring up help options Some games, such as Bridge, eature a tutorial mode that can be accessed rom the H elp menu
Quitting Games You can quit a particular game or exit HOYLE ® CASINO GAMES altogether
To quit a game: Click the Main Menu button You will return to the Casino
Games main menu where you can choose a dierent game to play To exit the program: Click Exit Casino Games rom the menu on the lower let-hand side o your screen 22
Tournament Play In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you can enter Poker tournaments and compete against other players or cash prizes Winning tournaments is a great way to overcome the house edge and increase your bankroll All players enter a tournament with the same amount o money This money, called the tournament bankroll, is taken rom each players bankroll and is not a separate stake Tournaments end ater a certain number o hands, and play ends even earlier i there are no longer at least two players with enough money to bet When play is over, the player with the highest bankroll wins the tournament prize The prize is equal to the tournament bankroll I two or more players tie or the bankroll, the tournament continues until the tie is broken There are ve levels o tournament play Each round has its own entry ee, its own prize, and its own requirements or the size o wagers You can play only at the levels you can aord I your overall HOYLE® CASINO GAMES bankroll stands at $1,350, or example, you cannot participate above the $1,000 level To enter a Poker tournament, select Tournaments or No Limit Tournaments rom the Poker game list I you are unable to choose one or more o the levels o play, choose a lower level A level becomes unavailable to you when you lack sucient bankroll to play at that level
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
BACCARAT How the Game Is Played In Baccarat, no matter how many players are at the table, only two hands are dealt: the Player hand and the Banker hand Players wager on the hand they predict will total closest to 9 (or they wager on a tie) by placing chips in the appropriate box on the table layout in ront o their seat The act o placing a bet is the end o the player’s decision-making The round is then played out according to a strict procedure involving no player choices You could skip to Baccarat Payouts at this point and not be any worse o than someone who knows the Baccarat rules backwards and orwards For the record, though, here is how a Baccarat hand plays out: 1 Two cards are dealt ace down to the Player hand, ollowed by two cards ace down to the Banker hand The dealer rst reveals the Player hand, and then the Banker hand 2 The dealer assesses the current value o the hands The value o a hand is determined as ollows: • Tens and face cards count as zero. • Aces count as one. • Cards 2 through 9 count as their face value. • When a hand totals more than nine, the rst digit is dropped: for
example, a hand o a 9 and a 4 totals three, not 13 A hand o two 10s totals zero, not 20 This means that all hands have a value rom 0 to 9 3 I either hand totals 8 or 9, it is called a natural, and the hand ends I neither hand is a natural, the dealer then determines i either o the hands requires a third card based on the Baccarat drawing rules No Baccarat hand ever has more than three cards 4 The dealer determines i the Player hand or Banker hand is closer to nine, or i they are tied The dealer pays o winning bets according to Baccarat payout rules and collects losing bets
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Baccarat Drawing Rules The Baccarat drawing rules are a bit conusing, but the irony is that you don’t have to know these rules to play the game! Essentially, the player hand hits on a total o 5 or less, and the banker hand then hits or stands based on the value o the player’s third card For the record, here are the details: I either the Banker or Player hand is dealt an 8 or a 9 (a natural), the round ends I not, the dealer rst ollows the rules on the Player Hand Drawing Chart, and then, i necessary, ollows the Banker Hand Drawing Chart Player Hand Drawing Chart (No Naturals) I the player total is…
…the player hand:
and the banker hand:
0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5
draws a card
6 or 7
stands
ollows the Banker Hand Chart (below) draws on 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, stand on 6 or 7 Round ends
Banker Hand Drawing Rules (No Naturals) If banker hand total is… …the banker hand draws when the player’s third card is:
…and the banker hand stands when the player’s third card is:
0, 1 or 2 3 4 5 6 7
(never stands)
…anything 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 4, 5, 6, 7 6, 7 (never draws)
0, 1, 8, 9 0, 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 …anything
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Payoffs in Baccarat Once the hand has played out, the dealer announces whether Player or Banker is the winner, or i it was a tie • Winning Player bets are paid off at even money. • Winning Banker bets are paid off at even money, and the house
takes a 5% commission • Winning Tie bets are paid off at 8-1, and all Player and Banker bets
are a push (they neither win nor lose)
Placing a Bet in Baccarat At the beginning o each hand, you have the option to place a bet I you make a bet, it must meet the minimum bet requirement, but not exceed the maximum bet limit When you are satised with the amount o your bet, click on the type o bet you want to place: Player, Banker, or Tie You can place as many bets as you like When you are nished betting, click Done, and play will begin
Strategies for Winning Baccarat Since there is no decision-making on the part o a player during the actual game, Baccarat strategy comes down to deciding where to bet The Banker hand is a bit more likely to win than the Player hand, which is why the house takes the 5% commission on winning Banker bets Taking the commission into account, the house edge is 124% on Player wagers, 106% on Banker wagers, and 1436% on Tie wagers Obviously, the Tie wager is a sucker bet that should be avoided unless you are clairvoyant, in which case, skip Baccarat altogether and play the lottery instead As or Banker vs Player, you may be thinking: i the house edge is lower on the Banker bet, I should bet it every time, right? While it is true that the numbers support the Banker wager as the statistically better bet, the dierence is slight I you play Baccarat and bet Banker the entire time, you are trading the un o going with your gut and mixing it up a bit in exchange or a small statistical gain
Baccarat Strategy Highlights • With Baccarat’s low house advantage, it’s a relatively good bet. • Always bet Player or Banker; avoid betting tie. • Counting cards and looking for patterns doesn’t affect the odds.
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BLACKJACK Blackjack is played between a dealer and group o players The object o the game is to beat the dealer (not the other players) with a hand o cards that does not go over a total o 21 Blackjack can be played with a single deck or multiple decks The value o the hand is the sum o its cards:
Face cards count as 10 Aces count as either one or 11, player’s choice All other cards count as their ace value Play begins with each player placing a bet In games using three or more decks, the dealer pulls cards rom a plastic or wooden box called a shoe Otherwise, he deals rom his hand Each player and the dealer receives two cards The rst two player cards are dealt ace down or single-deck games and ace up or multiple-deck games In all games, the dealer receives one card ace down and the rest ace up The dealer’s rst ace-up card is called the upcard The dealer’s ace-down card is known as the hole card Ater the initial deal, each player can hit (draw cards) until they want to stand (stop drawing), or until the hand busts (goes over 21) Players can hit or stand on any card total o 21 or below Ater the players have completed their turns, the dealer must draw cards as long as his or her total is less than 16 and must stand when the total is 17 or more, unless the game setting requiring the dealer to hit on a sot 17 (an ace and a 6) is turned on
Winning and Losing You win at Blackjack by beating the dealer’s hand You must hold a hand equal to or less than 21 that also beats the dealer’s hand I the rst two cards you receive are Blackjack (total 21), and the dealer does not have Blackjack, you win immediately I you bust (go over 21) or the dealer has a hand o 21 or under that is greater than yours, then you lose your bet I you stand with any total under 21 and the dealer busts, then you win your bet I you tie the dealer, it is called a push, and neither side wins Beating the dealer pays even money, except or Blackjack I the player has Blackjack and the dealer does not, it pays 3 to 2
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Doubling Down When you double down, you place a matching bet next to your original bet and receive one and only one additional card, which completes your hand This option makes it possible or you to double your bet under avorable conditions When your hand is strong and the dealer’s is weak, you should take advantage o the situation by doubling down It is a vital method o osetting the house advantage For example, when you’re dealt a 5 and 6 (totaling 11), it is usually desirable to double down, since your odds o getting a 21 (by receiving a 10 or ace card) are very good The strength shown by the dealer is also a actor in the decision to double down When the dealer’s hand is weak (a 4 to 6 upcard), doubling down will be more advantageous
Splitting Pairs Splitting pairs is another key strategy or the Blackjack player You can split when dealt a pair o any kind (eg, two aces) To split your pairs, you separate the identical cards, leaving them ace up, and place an amount o chips equal to your original bet in ront o your new hand You then proceed to play each hand independently, requesting hits or standing, as desired You can win, lose, or bust with either or both hands
Surrender I the dealer does not have Blackjack, players have the option to surrender, and lose only hal their original bets Surrendering is only an option beore a player has opted or a hit, and it is an optional setting in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES When you surrender, the dealer will take your cards and hal your original bet Although it’s not generally to your advantage to surrender, it can be useul when your hand is weak (eg, a 16), and the dealer is showing a powerul upcard (eg, an ace)
Insurance When the dealer’s upcard is an ace, he or she will ask the players i they want to buy insurance Insurance is actually a type o secondary bet; you are betting that the dealer has a Blackjack To take out insurance, place up to hal your original bet in the “insurance” area marked on the board The dealer will then check the hole card to see i it’s a Blackjack I the dealer does indeed have a Blackjack, you are paid o at 2 to 1; however, you also lose your
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original bet I the dealer does not have a Blackjack, you lose the insurance bet Play continues as normal Do not take insurance unless you are counting cards and know exactly when it is avorable to do so
Strategies for Winning Blackjack Success at Blackjack is not the result o intuition, but o mathematics Julian Braun, an IBM computer expert, ran nine billion Blackjack card combinations based on one-to eight-deck Blackjack games The undamental system strategy tables are based on the data unearthed by Mr Braun when our decks are in play Making decisions based on these ndings is the oundation or good Blackjack play Players who apply the inormation ound in these tables can reduce the house advantage down to between one percent and two percent Additionally, a simplied card-counting method can actually give you the advantage over the house Using these methods properly only requires you to remember a single number, rather than an exact list o cards that have already been played
Hitting or Standing You may be tempted to hit or stand solely on the basis o the cards totals you are holding, but you must always consider the dealer’s upcard when deciding to hit, double down, split, or surrender For example, it may seem obvious to hit a hand o 12 I the dealer is showing a 4, 5, or 6, though, your odds o winning are better i you stand, because the dealer must hit on 16 and has a good chance o busting You can use this rule to your advantage by knowing when to stand, even i your hand total is not close to 21 Winning at Blackjack is all about gauging your hand’s potential versus the degree o threat posed by the dealer’s upcard Your strategy or hitting should depend upon these actors The degree o threat posed by the dealer’s upcard is described here:
Dealer’s Upcard Potential Threat Ace: Extreme danger, a loss is likely 10 to king: Big trouble You’ll be lucky to push 9: You’re a little uptight and may be in trouble 7 to 8: Breathe a little easier The dealer is beatable 4 to 6: Looking good You are in the driver’s seat
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2 to 3: Wait and see Be cautious
The threat posed by the dealer’s upcard is arrived at by simple arithmetic The prevalence o 10s and ace cards (accounting or 16 out o every 52 cards) makes the dealer highly vulnerable when showing an upcard o 4, 5, or 6 His hole card is likely to put him in the 12 to 16 range, orcing a hit, probably resulting in a bust You need to know the degree o threat the dealer’s upcard represents, and it should impact your decision whether to hit or stand
Hard Hand Strategy I your hand totals 13 to 16, only hit i the dealer is strong (9 upcard or better) or showing the 7 or 8 The 7 or 8 orces you to hit, because it is possible that the dealer will end up with a low hand (totaling 17 or 18), which still beats your 13 to 16 I your hand totals 12, you should always hit unless the dealer is very weak (showing a 4 to 6), and thereore likely to bust
Soft Hand Strategy Always stand when you have an ace and an 8 or better (ie, any hand totaling 19 to 21) An ace and a 7 (totaling 18) is relatively weak i the dealer is showing strength (9 or better), and you should hit Always hit when holding an ace and a 6 or less Normally you wouldn’t hit on 17 or 18 However, the fexibility o the ace in sot hands allows you to hit when you wouldn’t with a hard hand o the same value Doubling a 9 : You should double down a 9 only i the dealer is weak (3 to 6) Doubling otherwise is a poor bet, because the dealer is not as likely to bust
Doubling Down Doubling down is a powerul play, because it allows you to increase your bet ater seeing avorable cards It is one o the primary means o osetting the house advantage, but you must know when to do it When you can double down varies depending upon the game settings You can set the game to allow doubling down only on 11s, on 10s and 11s, or on any two-card combination
Hard Hand Doubling Strategy Statistically, doubling down is wise when your hand totals 9 to 11, because a 10 or a ace card would give you 19 to 21
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Doubling an 11: The best hand to double down with is an 11, and
you should do so unless the dealer shows an ace Doubling a 10 : I the dealer shows a 9 or less, double down A dealer 9 is strong, but you still have the statistical advantage Doubling a 9 : You should double down a 9 only i the dealer is weak (3 to 6) Doubling otherwise is a poor bet, because the dealer is not as likely to bust
Soft-Hand Doubling Strategy The main strategy here is to take advantage o a weak dealer upcard (4-6) When the dealer is weak, it’s time to pounce! However, you don’t want to double down i you have a hand totaling 19 or 20, because you may ruin your already strong hand Doubling an Ace, 8-9: Never hit on a hand this strong! Doubling an Ace, 6-7: Double the bet whenever the dealer is weak (4 to 6) Additionally, doubling down against the dealer’s 3 is recommended Although the dealer is not as likely to bust with a 3 as with a 4 to 6, the odds are still in your avor Doubling an Ace, 4-5 : Double down only i the dealer’s upcard is a 4 to 6 I the dealer’s card is lower than 4, chances are they will not bust Doubling an Ace, 2-3: Double down only when the dealer has the highest probability o busting, with a very weak upcard (5 to 6)
Splitting Pairs Strategy Splitting pairs is critically important to your success at the Blackjack table I you don’t split when the cards warrant doing so, the house advantage rises dramatically In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you can split pairs as desired, but split aces can only be hit once What pairs should you split? For starters, never split 10s and ace cards! The rules allow you to split any cards with a 10 value, such as a jack and a queen, even though they’re not technically a pair This is because breaking up your 20 is a bad move, so the house is happy to let you split all the 10s you want All pairs are discussed below Splitting Aces: Always split! Your odds o getting two very high hands (maybe two 21s) are tremendous Splitting 10s: Never split! Splitting 10s is always a no-no, unless you really want to lose your bankroll to the house Splitting 9s: It is best to split 9s when the dealer is relatively weak 31
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
(2 to 6 upcard) so that you can leverage the dealer’s vulnerability with an additional bet I the dealer has an 8 upcard, then you split 9s, because you might catch 10s which would give you winners (19s over the dealer’s 18) I the dealer has a 9 upcard, then you split 9s because the dealer likely has 19, which beats your 18 i you stand Splitting against the dealer’s upcard o 7 is inadvisable because, statistically, he or she is liable to end up standing pat with a 17, which you already have beat with an 18 Splitting 8s: Always split! With two 8s, it’s acceptable to split
against the dealer no matter what the dealer shows, even i the dealer shows an ace Split 8s against the dealer’s ace? Lose twice the money? At rst this seems like a bitter pill to swallow The act is, however, keeping the 8s leaves you with a lousy 16, virtually a guaranteed loser hand Splitting the 8s increases your chances o winning just enough to make splitting it worthwhile Splitting 7s: You should split 7s i the dealer’s upcard is 7 or less A
total o 14 is weak Starting two new hands with 7s is likely to result in two 17s I the dealer has an 8 to ace upcard, then you want to stand because you’re better o losing one bet (against the dealer’s likely 18 to 21 vs your 14) than two bets (dealer’s 18 to 21 vs your likely two 17s) Splitting 6s: Split these hands i the dealer’s upcard is 6 or less
Splitting 6s is risky, because you are likely to get two 16s Thereore, you only do it when it looks like the dealer will bust (dealer’s upcard is a 2 to 6) Splitting 5s: Never split! A pair o 5s combine or a strong 10
Separately, they will likely catch a 10 and orm two miserable hands and one or two probable busts Consider the 5s inseparable Splitting 4s: It is unwise to split 4s unless the dealer is showing a
5 or 6 Splitting the 4s results in two weak hands (catching 10s will make them 14s) Thereore, you only want to split the 4s i the dealer is in an even more precarious situation than you are (ie, he or she is holding a 5 or 6) Splitting 2s and 3s: Split these hands when the dealer is relatively
weak (showing a 7 or less) Against a 7, your long-term winnings will be marginal However, against the other, weaker hands, consider a split mandatory
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Re-splitting The same strategies apply or re-splitting hands as or splitting hands For example, i you split a pair o aces and are dealt a third ace, o course you should re-split again Ater all, i you had condence enough to split the rst time around, why change your mind now? Don’t wafe or you may end up conused Re-splitting is a powerul tool or evening the odds that normally avor the house
Doubling After a Split Depending on game settings, you may have the option o doubling down on one or both hands ollowing a split All recommendations or doubling also apply ollowing a split
Surrendering Strategy In a late surrender, the dealer rst checks his or her hole card or Blackjack In an early surrender, you can turn in your hand beore the dealer checks the hole card Early surrender is not an option in HOYLE ®
CASINO GAMES Surrender is only advisable when your chances o busting are very high, and the dealer has a very strong upcard Surrender on a 16 : I the dealer upcard is a 9 to ace, save hal your bet and surrender The dealer likely has a strong hand (19 to 21) and you will likely bust i you hit Surrender on a 15: I you’re holding a 15, only surrender i the dealer’s upcard is a 10 I the dealer’s upcard is an ace, it’s better to hang in there and not surrender The dealer must reveal Blackjack (i they have it) beore you surrender Thereore, i the dealer has an ace showing and they do not reveal Blackjack, you already know they do not have a 10-value hole card You can beat many o the dealer’s possible hole cards, so don’t surrender Surrender on a 14: Avoid this Despite the prevalence o 10- value cards, your chances o drawing a 7 to ace are not bad
Buying Insurance When you buy insurance, you bet on the probability o the dealer having Blackjack You can only make this bet when the dealer’s upcard is an ace You bet hal o your original bet that the dealer has Blackjack I they do, the bet pays 2 to 1 I an ace is the dealer’s rst upcard, the dealer must ask each player i he or she wants to buy insurance Ater all insurance bets are made, the dealer checks the hole card I the hole card is a 10-value card, the dealer shows the Blackjack to all players and pays o winning insurance bets I 33
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
the hole card does not make Blackjack, the dealer collects losing insurance bets and continues play without showing the hole card Unless you have been counting cards (see section on counting cards) and know the deck is extremely rich in 10-value cards, the odds are against you and you should not make this bet
Card-Counting Strategy The strategies outlined so ar assume a balanced deck Cardcounting is used to make decisions based on the cards remaining in the deck or shoe Card-counters keep track o the cards as they are dealt, but they pay more attention to the ratios o impor tant cards rather than knowing exactly which cards are let in the deck Cards are usually counted in ratios o large cards to small cards One common system, developed by a mathematician named Dr Edward Thorpe, assigns the ollowing values to each card that is removed rom play: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = +1 7, 8, 9 = 0 (neutral cards) 10, J, Q, K, A = -1 For example, ater one hand in which a 10, 10, J, Q, A, A is played, the count will be - 6 This is called the running count This count refects the balance o 10-value cards (and aces) to low cards (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) as they are dealt To accurately apply the running count, you must also actor in the number o card decks being used The result o this calculation is called the true count The true count is obtained by dividing the running count by the number o hal decks (26 cards per hal deck) remaining to be dealt The true count is oten a more accurate indicator than the running count, because it accounts or the number o decks used in a game The true count can be calculated at any time For this reason, the running count is the number you must remember each hand
True Count Example A single deck o cards is used or this example The low cards to be counted are 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s The High Cards to be counted are aces, 10s, and ace cards The deck starts with sixteen (16) 10-value cards and sixteen low cards In a game with two players (and the dealer o course), at the end o 34
the rst round o play, assume the running count is +2 The dealer has a 3, 4, and 10 (+1), the rst player has a 2, 6, and Q (+1), and the second player has a 7 and 9 (0) This adds up to +2 This count indicates there are two more High Cards than low cards le t in the deck Eight cards were dealt, which means that our small cards and two 10-value cards were played The deck now holds 14 High Cards and 12 small cards The running count (+2) indicates a avorable count, but the deck still holds a high number o small cards Now assume 30 cards have been dealt and the running count is still +2 The deck now holds 10 High Cards and eight low cards Though the running count is the same, the deck is actually much more avorable to the player than when only eight cards had been dealt The true count is determined by dividing the running count by the number o hal decks remaining to be dealt A ter eight cards have been dealt, almost two hal decks remain The running count divided by two equals +1 The running count ater eight cards is +2; the true count is +1 The true count is already slightly more accurate in weighing the higher number o small cards remaining in the deck Ater 30 cards have been dealt, the running count (+2) is divided by 05 (hal o a hal deck) The running count ater 30 cards is +2; the true count is now +4 In this game, where the running count stays at +2, as more cards are dealt rom the deck, the true count shits in avor o the player
How to Read the Count A higher count (any count with a plus [+] sign) means more low cards than High Cards have been dealt, so the deck is loaded with High Cards, which is more avorable to the player A deck rich in High Cards avors the player, because the player has a better chance o drawing Blackjack This is important because Blackjack pays better to the player (3 to 2) than or the dealer Also, when the count is high the dealer is more likely to bust, because they must draw on any hand below 17 Conversely, a lower count means more High Cards than low cards have been dealt, so the deck is more avorable to the dealer The dealer will bust less oten with a lower count A neutral count is neither avorable nor unavorable
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Using the Count When Betting You can use the true count to determine how much to raise or lower your bet Obviously, you want to bet more when the count is higher to take advantage o your increased probability o winning Use the ollowing table as a guideline or betting based on the true count Multiply the unit number by the amount o your minimum bet I the true count is:
Bet this amount:
Any negative number 0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 and above
1 unit 1 unit 2 units 3 units 3 units 4 units 6 units 6 units 8 units 10 units 12 units (or maximum bet)
Counting Aces It is also important to know whether the deck is ace-rich, acepoor, or neutral The running count and true count include aces in the high-card count However, it is also useul to keep track o the number o aces let in the deck A deck that is ull o High Cards but also ace-poor yields ew Blackjacks Because a deck holds our aces, normal distribution is two aces per hal deck I one ace or zero aces are dealt in a hal deck (on average), the remaining hal deck is ace-rich I two or more aces are dealt in a hal deck (on average), the deck is ace-poor When the true count is positive and the deck is ace-rich, you may want to add an extra unit to your bet Conversely, i the deck is acepoor, you may want to subtract a unit rom the bet Counting cards is an eective way to get an edge while playing Blackjack in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES; however, real casinos rown upon card counting, and will eject any card counters they catch
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Blackjack Strategy Highlights •
Learn the undamentals o hitting, standing, doubling down and splitting
• General rule: be conservative about hitting when the dealer has a
weak upcard (3, 4, 5 or 6) • General rule: be aggressive about hitting when the dealer has a
strong upcard (A, 10, 9 or 8) • Raise your bet if you know the deck contains a high pe rcentage of
10s and aces, since the dealer will be more likely to bust
BLACKJACK VARIATIONS With Blackjack’s success, casinos around the world continue creating variations o this game Among the most popular variations, there is Atlantic City Blackjack, and European Blackjack Below are the most common variations and sample strategy tables Legend: H = Hit S = Stand D = Double P or SP = Split
6 Card Charlie 6 Card Charlie is a special variation o Blackjack where an unbusted player hand with 6 cards automatically wins The ollowing rules are ollowed in 6 Card Charlie: • Insurance bets are allowed. • Surrendering is not allowed. • The dealer does not hit on soft 17. • Pairs can be split up to two hands. • Players may not double down after splitting. • Players can double down only if the rst two cards have a count
o 9, 10, or 11 Strategy table or 6 Card Charlie
Face Up Face Up is a special variation o Blackjack where both o the dealer’s cards are shown The ollowing rules are ollowed in Face Up:
• Face Up Blackjack is played with four decks. 37
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
• Insurance bets are not allowed. • Surrendering is not allowed. • The dealer stands on hard 17’s. • Pairs can be split up to four hands. • Players may not double down after splitting. • Players can double down only if the rst two cards have a count
o 9, 10, or 11 • Blackjack tie pays even money, dealer wins all other ties. • Dealers cards are both dealt face up. • Player may resplit to four hands. • Double on hard 9 to 11 only. Strategy table or Face Up Blackjack
Special 21’s Special 21’s is a special variation o Blackjack The ollowing rules are ollowed in Special 21’s:
• Single-deck. • All blackjacks pay 3:2. • Special 21’s pay 2:1. • All other wins pay 1:1. • No splitting pairs. • Double down on any two cards. • Insurance offered on dealer ace. • Player wins on six cards totaling 21 or less, except when dealer
has Blackjack • Dealer hits on 16 or less. • Dealer stands on 17 or more, and on six cards totaling less than 21. • Bet returned on all pushes. • Five-Card Charlie: 21 with exactly ve cards pays 2:1. • 777: 21 with three sevens pays 2:1. • Straight Flush: 21 with 6-7-8 of the same suit pays 2:1. Strategy table or Special 21’s
Other Common Variations Below you will fnd other common variations with sample strategy tables Atlantic City Blackjack
• Atlantic City Blackjack is played with eight de cks. • One bet position. • The Dealer will stand on soft 17.
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• The Dealer peeks for Blackjack. • Double Down after split, late surrender allowed. • Resplit to three hands. Strategy table or Atlantic City Blackjack European Blackjack
• European Blackjack is played with two decks. • One bet position. • The Dealer will stand on soft 17. • Double Down on 9 to 11 only. • The player may draw split aces. • No resplitting, doubling, or surrender. • Insurance not resolved until end of hand.
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HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Strategy table or European Blackjack Vegas Strip Blackjack
• Vegas Strip Blackjack is played with four decks. • One bet position. • The Dealer will stand on soft 17. • Resplit to three hands. • Double Down on any rst two cards. • Double Down after split allowed. • The Dealer peeks for Blackjack. Strategy table or Vegas Strip Blackjack Vegas Downtown Blackjack
• Vegas Downtown Blackjack is played with two decks. • One bet position. • The Dealer will hit on soft 17. • Resplit to three hands. • Double Down on any rst two cards.
Note: When dealer has
sot 17, use hard 17 column Exception: When you have Ace & Ace — split them 40
• Double Down after split allowed. • The Dealer peeks for blackjack. Strategy table or Vegas Downtown Blackjack Single Deck Blackjack
• Single Deck Blackjack is played with one deck. • One bet position. • The dealer checks for Blackjack. • Dealer hits on soft 17. • Split once. • Doubling Down after split allowed. • Double Down on any rst 2 cards. Strategy table or Single Deck Blackjack
CRAPS How the Game Is Played
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HOYLE ® Casi Casino no Games Gam es 2011 2011
Craps is a ast and exciting game with lots o action–you can win (and lose) large amounts o money in a very very short shor t period o time Craps also oers very avorable odds od ds to the player I you bet wisely, wisely, the house has no more than between a 06 percent and 08 percent advantage You can bet with or against the dice, dic e, and you can make continuous bets with each roll When you bet with the dice (right betting) and win, you are almost always paid o o at better than even money money O course, cours e, the higher the payo, the less les s likely it is that you will win Players stand around a large table tab le (with high sides to catch the dice), where the shooter rolls two dice All bets are placed place d against the house The Stickman handles the dice, dic e, passing them to the players;
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two Dealers handle ha ndle the bets; and the Boxman watches over the casino’ss bankroll casino’ bank roll Bets are placed on dierent parts o the layout (depending on the bet and the roll) Players bet amongst themselves, either with the shooter (right betting) or against the shooter (wrong bet ting) Only one player has control o the dice at one time The numbers number s thrown by the shooter determine all bet payos In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, the turn o the shoot moves around the table clockwise Beore the rst roll, the shooter usually makes a line bet The two t wo
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HOYLE ® Casi Casino no Games Gam es 2011 2011
possible line bets are: 1 Pass (Front Line) 2 Don’t Pass (Back Line) When you bet on the Pass Line, you are betting with the dice (or the shooter) to win with a natural (a 7 or 11 on the rst throw), or to make the point beore sevening out When you bet with the dice, it is reerred to as right betting bet ting The casino has a 14 percent advantage on a Pass-Line bet When you bet the Don’t Pass Line, you bet against the dice (wrong
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betting) To collect this bet, the shooter must roll a 2 or 3 on the rst roll (12 is barred by the house to prevent your advantage over the casino), or seven out beore rolling the point By barring the 12, the casino gains a 14 percent advantage over a Don’t-Pass bettor Ater placing the line bet, the shooter rolls the dice
The Come-Out Roll The rst roll o a turn is called the come-out roll I the shooter bet the Pass Line and rolls a natural (a 7 or 11) on the rst roll, he or she and all o the players that bet the Pass Line win I the shooter rolls
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a Craps (a 2, 3, or 12) on the rst roll, the shooter and all other right bettors lose I the shooter rolls any other number (ie, a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) on the rst roll, then that number is set as the point number When the point is established, a black-and white disk is placed white side up (marked “on”) in the box containing that number At this point, players can bet ree-odds on the Line bets Assuming right betting, the shooter then continues to try to roll that point number beore rolling a 7 to win I the shooter rolls the 7 beore the point, the
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shooter sevens out (loses) As long as the shooter continues to roll or the point, players can make and collect on a variety o bets up to when the point is won, or the shooter sevens out A come-out roll can occur in any o these situations:
1 Ater the previous shooter sevens out; a new roller is coming out 2 Ater a shooter rolls a 7 or 11 on a previous come-out roll (immediate win or Pass Line bettors), the same roller is coming out 3 Ater a shooter rolls Craps (2, 3, or 12) on a previous come-out roll, the same roller is coming out 4 Ater a shooter makes the point by repeating it beore rolling a 7, the same roller is coming out
Betting in Craps You need to know the di erent bets on the Craps layout to be able to play the game The bet you make must meet the minimum bet requirement or the table The ollowing bets are available on the Craps layout: • Pass Line / Don’t Pass • Free-odds bets on Line bets • Come / Don’t Come • Free-odds bets on Come bets • Place Numbers • Buy bets • Lay bets • Field Numbers • Big 6 or Big 8 • Center or Proposition bets
Pass / Don’t-Pass Bets Players bet with or against the shooter as to whether or not the point will be made These bets pay even money You can place a Pass bet on the come-out roll, or ater a point is established, but you cannot remove the bet ater placing it You can only make a Don’t Pass bet on the come-out roll Here are a ew examples that show how the Pass / Don’t Pass bets works:
1 You place a $5 bet on the Pass Line The shooter rolls a 6 on the come-out This establishes 6 as the point This roll has no eect on your bet The shooter then rolls a 5, 8, 6 in succession You win on the 6 and are paid $5 (even money) 2 You place a $10 bet on the Pass Line The shooter rolls a 9 47
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(making 9 the point) on the come-out The shooter then rolls a 7, and you lose the bet 3 You place a $10 bet on the Don’t Pass Line The shooter rolls a 9 on the come-out to set the point The shooter then rolls a 7, and you win $10 (even money) or your Don’t Pass bet 4 With $5 on the Pass Line, the shooter throws a natural (7) on the come-out roll You win $5
Pass-Line Bets and Don’t-Pass with Free-Odds A Pass Line or Don’t Pass with ree-odds bet is a wager that can be made in addition to your original Pass or Don’t-Pass bet Winning or losing a ree-odds bet is dependent upon the success o your Pass or Don’t-Pass bet Free-odds bets are not marked on the layout, but they are a legal bet and a very important actor in helping the player decrease the casino’s advantage You can make ree-odds bets ater the point has been established on the come-out roll The ree-odds Pass-Line bet can equal the amount you originally bet on the Pass Line, or it can be a multiple o the original Pass-Line bet, depending on rules settings The reeodds Don’t-Pass bet equals the amount o the payo or the original Don’t-Pass bet, or can be a multiple o the payo or the original Don’t-Pass bet Most casinos allow 2x (double) ree-odds which allows the player to make a ree-odds bet equal to twice the amount o a Pass-Line bet You place a ree-odds Pass-Line bet on the area behind your original Pass-Line bet ( just outside the layout line)You place a ree-odds Don’t-Pass bet just to the side o the original Don’t-Pass bet A Pass-Line / Don’t-Pass bet pays at even money (house: 14 percent advantage) A ree-odds bet is paid at true odds (casino: 0 percent advantage) By combining a Pass-Line bet with a ree-odds bet, the casino’s advantage is lowered to approximately 06 percent (it is lowered even more i higher multiples are allowed such as 3x, 5x, etc) These are among the best odds you will nd in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, just short o counting cards at Blackjack
The payoff ratios for free-odds bets are: Pass with Free-Odds House Payo
4 or 10 2-1 5 or 9 3-2 6 or 8 6-5
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Don’t Pass with Free-Odds House Payo
4 or 10 1-2 5 or 9 2-3 6 or 8 5-6 You must lay odds when making Don’t-Pass bets This means you are paid at less than even money The payos are low on Don’t-Pass because the odds avor the shooter sevening out—making this bet a probable win Here are two examples o Pass / Don’t-Pass bets with ree-odds (assume double [2x] ree-odds): 1 You bet $5 on the Pass Line The shooter rolls a 4 on the comeout, setting the point You then place $10 behind your original bet or a Pass-Line bet with ree-odds A point o 4 gives you 2 to 1 odds The shooter rolls a 6; your bet is unaected The shooter rolls a 4; you win $5 (1 to 1) or your Pass-Line bet and $20 (2 to 1) or your ree-odds bet 2 Ater betting $15 on Don’t Pass, the shooter rolls a 5 You place $30 or ree-odds to the side o your Don’t-Pass bet The shooter rolls a 4, 12, and 7 in succession Since the shooter sevened out beore rolling the point, you win this bet Your Don’t-Pass bet wins $15, and your ree-odds bet on a 5 pays o at 2 to 3; you win $20 or this bet or a total o $35
Come / Don’t-Come Bets The Come bet has the same characteristics as the Pass-Line bet, but it can only be made ater the come-out roll As with the Pass-Line, Come bets are paid at even money Players bet on whether or not the dice will come right (win) or come wrong (lose) beginning with the next roll You can continue making new Come bets with each roll o the dice As in a Pass / Don’t-Pass bet, the frst roll ater a Come bet wins on a 7 or 11, and loses on a 2, 3, or 12 A point is set or the Come bet (called a come point) on any other result (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10), and the Come bet wins i the point is made on a subsequent roll beore a 7 appears
Conversely, to collect on a Don’t-Come bet, the shooter must roll Craps (a 2 or 3 on the next roll; 12 is barred by the house to prevent your advantage over the casino) or seven out beore rolling the come-point again The betting can be complicated i you make Pass bets and Come bets simultaneously It’s possible, or example, to lose your PassLine bet on a roll o 7, yet win your Come bet with the same roll
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Come / Don’t-Come Bets with Free-Odds A Come / Don’t-Come ree-odds bet is a wager that can be made in addition to your original Come / Don’t-Come bet The success o the ree-odds bet (win / loss) is dependent upon the success o your Come / Don’t-Come bet For example, you win the ree-odds Come bet i you win the original Come bet Except or the act these bets modiy a Come / Don’t-Come bet, they unction identically to Pass / Don’t-Pass bets with ree-odds They also pay exactly the same, at true odds, thus reducing the casino’s edge to approximately 06 percent You place a ree-odds Come or Don’t-Come bet just to the right o the original Come or Don’t-Come-bet chips (ater they have been moved to the Place Number o the point) These bets are not marked on the layout Free-odds bets on Come bets are not in eect on subsequent come-out rolls I you lose the original Come bet, the house does not take the ree-odds bet Free-odds bets on Don’tCome bets are always working Examples o ree-odds Come bets:
The Pass-Line point is 6 You make a Come bet o $5 The shooter rolls a 5 to establish the come point You then make a ree-odds Come bet o $10 Scenario (a): The come point is 5 The roller throws a 6, and the Pass-Line gets paid The next come out roll is a 7 You lose your $5 Come bet, but your $10 ree-odds bet is returned to you Scenario (b): The come point is 5 The shooter rolls a 7 You lose both your Come bet ($5) and your ree-odds bet ($10) or a total loss o $15 Scenario (c): The come point is 5 The shooter rolls another 5 You win both the Come bet ($5) and the Come bet ree-odds ($15 paid at 3 to 2) or a total gain o $20
Free-Odds-Bet Special Allowances Under certain situations, HOYLE® CASINO GAMES allows players to bet more than the strict multiplier allowed or Pass / Come ree -odds bets These bet exceptions are benecial to the player There are two types o single-odds-bet exceptions First, HOYLE® CASINO GAMES will allow a $6 ree-odds bet (on a 5 or 9 point) on a $5 Pass / Come bet You may then round up (by as much as $5) to accommodate an easy 3 to 2 pay-o
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The first exception is as follows: Point Pass / Come Bet Single-Odds-Bet (exception)
5 or 9 (3 to 2 payo) $5 $6 5 or 9 $25 $30 5 or 9 $35 $40 5 or 9 etc etc Second, i you bet any multiple o three as your Pass / Come bet, then you can make a ree-odds bet (on a 6 or 8 point) that is 5/3 times the value o the original Pass / Come bet This is known as a three-unit-bet special allowance or single-odds bet on the 6 or 8 point The second exception is shown here: Point Pass / Come Bet Single Odds (three-unit-bet exception)
6 or 8 (6 to 5 payo) $3 $5 6 or 8 $15 $25 6 or 8 $30 $50 6 or 8 bet (divisible by 3) (5/3 x bet) There is one type o double-odds bets exception on points o 6 or 8 I you bet any multiple o two as your Pass / Come bet, then you can make a ree-odds bet (on a 6 or 8 point) that is 5/2 times the amount o the original Pass / Come bet This is known as a two-unit-bet special allowance or double-odds bets on the 6 or 8 point and is shown here: Point Pass / Come Bet Double Odds (two-unit bet exception)
6 or 8 (6 to 5 payo) $2 $5 6 or 8 $10 $25 6 or 8 $20 $50 6 or 8 bet (divisible by 2) (5/2 x bet)
Place-Numbers Bets With this bet, you are betting that a particular number will appear beore a 7 You can make a place bet ater the come-out roll You can place a bet on each or every place number You can remove, reduce, or add to a place bet at any time prior to the next roll Place bets are working (valid) on all rolls except the come-out roll Place-Number s bets are placed in the rectangles just below the Place-Numbers boxes Payos or place bets are shown here:
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Number House Payo Recommended Bet amount:
4 and 10 9-5 multiples o $5 5 and 9 7-5 multiples o $5 6 and 8 7-6 multiples o $6
Buy Bets Buying a bet is similar to making a Place-Numbers bet; you bet that the number will be made beore a 7 But this bet is made slightly dierently and the casino’s advantage is dierent as well You must pay the casino 5 percent o the amount o the bet you place The house commission is taken directly rom your bankroll and is not reimbursed i you remove the bet Buy bets are placed in the upper-third portion o the Place-Numbers boxes Buy bets pay o at true odds You cannot make a Buy bet on a come-out roll Ater you place a Buy bet, it is working on all rolls except subsequent come-out rolls
Lay Bets Making a Lay bet is similar to making a Don’t-Place-Numbers bet For example, i you think the next roll will be a 7, you could make Lay bets against all numbers instead o making a Don’t-Come bet To make this bet, you must pay a 5 percent commission to the house based on the payo The house commission is taken directly rom your bankroll and is not reimbursed i you remove the bet Lay bets are placed in the upper-third portion o the rectangles the arthest above the Place-Numbers boxes, at the top o the lay-out Lay bets pay o at true odds You cannot make a Lay bet on a comeout roll Ater you place a Lay bet, it is always working except on subsequent come-out rolls
Field Bets A Field bet is a bet on the number 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 being rolled, regardless o what the point is (This bet is always working, even on the come-out roll) The next roll o the dice immediately determines whether this bet wins or loses
Big 6 and Big 8 For Big 6 or Big 8, the shooter must roll a 6 or 8 beore sevening out This bet is always working and can be placed at any time It pays at even money
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Center or Proposition Bets Proposition bets (sometimes called Center bets) are located at the center o the layout They are made by giving chips to the dealer who will pass them to the Stickman, or, as with the Hardway bet, tossing them to the Stickman directly Center bets are always working In most cases, the next roll determines the outcome o the bet (exception: Hardway bets) A Hardway bet is a bet that a Hardway roll (a specic number made with doubles) will occur beore the bet is lost Unlike the other Center bets, a Hardway bet continues working until the same number comes up easy (without doubles), the shooter sevens out, or the shooter rolls the hard 4, 6, 8, or 10 (and collects this bet)
Center Bet House Payoff Any 7 4 to 1 Any Craps 7 to 1 2 or 12 30 to 1 3 or 11 15 to 1 Hardway 4 or 10 7 to 1 Hardway 6 or 8 9 to 1
Combining Center Bets (Horn and C& E Bets) Individual Center bets can be combined to orm the Horn bet and the C&E bet The Horn bet is a our-way bet combining the 2, 3, 11, and 12 Center bets It requires our chips to make this bet (or multiples o our) The casino pays the winning number and subtracts the other chips rom the payo The C&E bet is a combination o the AnyCraps bet and the 11-bet It requires two chips (or multiples o two) The casino pays the winning number and subtracts the other chip rom the payo
Craps Statistics Thirty-six combinations are possible with two six-sided dice: Roll Dice Combinations
2 1:1 3 2:1, 1:2 4 3:1, 1:3, 2:2 5 4:1, 1:4, 3:2, 2:3 6 5:1, 1:5, 4:2, 2:4, 3:3 53
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
7 6:1, 1:6, 5:2, 2:5, 4:3, 3:4 8 6:2, 2:6, 5:3, 3:5, 4:4 9 6:3, 3:6, 5:4, 4:5 10 6:4, 4:6, 5:5 11 6:5, 5:6 12 6:6 You can easily tell rom this chart the numbers that occur most requently For example, 7s occur more requently than any other number, with six possible dice combinations (6:1, 1:6, 5:2, 2:5, 4:3, and 3:4) out o 36 These combinations translate into the ollowing odds: Roll Odds
2 or 12 3 or 11 4 or 10 5 or 9 6 or 8 7
35 to 1 17 to 1 11 to 1 8 to 1 62 to 1 5 to 1
These are the true odds or the various dice rolls in Craps The house does not always pay out at the true odds For example, the Center bet on a 7 pays at 4 to 1 It this bet paid at true odds, it would pay 5 to 1 By paying at 4 to 1, the casino obtains a 1667 percent edge Ergo, i you make Center bets on a 7, you can lose a lot o money quickly You need to know when the house is paying at these true odds and when it’s not Odds and recommendations or the various Craps bets are listed here
Pass / Come and Don’t-Pass / Don’t-Come Bets With Pass / Come bets, your chances o winning on the come-out roll are greater than your chances o losing However, ater you’ve made a point, the odds decline drastically The true odds against repeating the roll o a point beore rolling a 7 are: • 2 to 1 against making the point 4 or 10. • 3 to 2 against making the point 5 or 9. • 6 to 5 against making the point 6 or 8.
The overall casino advantage on these bets is 141 percent The
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casino would normally be at a disadvantage on Don’t-Pass / Don’tCome bets, but maintains its advantage by barring the 12 The end result is an almost identical 14 percent edge on Don’t-Pass / Don’tCome bets Pass / Come and Don’t Pass / Don’t Come with Free-Odds Bets
The ree-odds bet is the only bet in Craps where the house does not have an advantage over you Bet as much as you can on ree-odds Naturally, casinos would be uninterested in wagers paying true odds outright However, the ree-odds bet is “married” to the Pass / Come bet—you can’t make one without the other Pass / Come and Don’t-Pass / Don’t-Come bets with single odds gives the casino a 08 percent advantage I you make this bet with double odds, it gives the casino a 06 percent advantage Once you make the ree-odds bet, don’t remove it! You won’t nd a better bet at the Craps table
Place-Numbers Bets I you want to make Place-Numbers bets, bet on 6 and 8 or better odds It is still better to take ree-odds on Come bets or 6 and 8, since they pay o at true odds
Number House Payoff True Odds House Advantage 4 and 10 9-5 2-1 667% 5 and 9 7-5 3-2 40% 6 and 8 7-6 6-5 152%
Field Bets Field bets have higher odds and are less avorable to players The house has a 55 percent advantage on these wagers
Big 6 / Big 8 Big 6 or Big 8 is not a good bet to take The house has a 909 percent advantage on this wager
Center or Proposition Bets All o these are terrible bets and clearly avor the house More experienced Craps players avoid these bets Any Seven: The house pays 4 to 1 (the true odds are 5 to 1) The house advantage is 1667 percent 55
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Any Craps: The house pays 7 to 1 (the true odds are 8 to 1) The
house advantage is 111 percent 2 or 12: The house pays 30 to 1 (the true odds are 35 to 1) The house advantage is 1389 percent 3 or 11: The house pays 15 to 1 (the true odds are 17 to 1) The house advantage is 111 percent Hardway 4 and 10: The house pays 7 to 1 (the true odds are 8 to 1) The house advantage is 111 percent Hardway 6 and 8: The house pays 9 to 1 (the true odds are 10 to 1) The house advantage is 909 percent
Strategies for Winning at Craps Most o the skill involved in Craps is in knowing the odds or the various table bets and not placing a bet when the odds are unavorable In Craps, there are bets that give the house a 1667 percent advantage (any 7, or example) However, a player can limit the house advantage to approximately 06 percent by adhering to Pass, Come, and ree-odds betting
Craps Strategy Highlights • Always bet the Pass-Line on the come -out roll. Payoff: even
money House advantage: 14 percent • Bet the Come bet. Payoff: even money. House advantage:
14 percent • Always take maximum free-odds bets on your Pass-Line and
Come bets The house has no advantage on ree-odds bets • Don’t waste money on bets with unfavorable odds (most of the
other bets on the table)
HORSE RACING HOYLE® CASINO GAMES is pleased to present Horse Racing at the HOYLE® Derby! The excitement o a real horse track is here Cheer your horses on as they round the track! Just like the real deal, you’ll be betting
on horses with names like Four Lea Clomper and Hi Ho Silversh! You have three basic betting choices in Horse Racing: Win, Place, or Show Win simply means that you are betting that your horse will come in frst
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You will see the longest odds and the biggest payouts or win bets Place means that you are betting that your horse will come in either rst or second The odds are slightly better than or win bets Show means that you are betting that your horse will come in either rst, second, or third The odds tend to be much better or show bets How much you get paid or your bet depends on the odds or that horse to win, place, or show
Understanding the Odds The odds on a horse tell you how much money you get back or the amount you bet I a horse’s odds are 10-1 to win, and he wins, you get $10 or each $1 you bet So i you bet the minimum $2 bet, you’d win $20 When you join a game, the Current Race Odds are displayed When a horse sports odds like 2-1 or 3-2, he’s a avorite You won’t win as much on this horse, but you can bet he’s likely to show up in one o the ront spots! When a horse has odds like 17-1 or 23-1, he’s a long shot This horse is a risky bet, but pays o big!
KENO Keno is a type o lottery similar to state lotteries common throughout North America These games have a long tradition o success (at least rom the perspective o the lotteries’ sponsors) Keno is no exception Lotteries are unique in that, unlike many orms o gambling, they are not only state-sanctioned but they are oten state-sponsored It is likely that arguments over the propriety o state-run “gambling” have been going on or millennia Augustus Caesar held the rst recorded public lottery; his purpose was to raise unds to beautiy the city o Rome As played in American casinos, Keno is the direct descendant o the Chinese Lottery Keno uses a transparent plastic globe called the cage that contains small air-blown balls This device is used to generate the random, winning numbers in Keno
How the Game Is Played You play Keno by lling out a Keno ticket and submitting it Each Keno ticket has 80 numbers, corresponding to the 80 numbers printed on ping pong balls contained in the Keno cage, rom which
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the winning numbers are derived When you turn in the ticket, you are registered or the next game When the game begins, the numbered ping pong balls are spit rom the Keno cage into the goose, an outlet that takes the balls one at a time The number on each ball is fashed on the brightly-lit screen located in the Keno lounge The numbers remain lit until the game is completed (ie, 20 numbers are drawn) You win i you picked a sucient number o correct balls, based on the payo chart provided or the bet you made
The Ticket In addition to showing the 80 numbers you can bet on, the tickets contain boxes or other inormation including: 1 Your name 2 The number o games (bets) you want to play 3 The amount o each bet 4 The total amount o money you’re betting (this equals the number o games you’re playing times the amount o each bet) You ll out the tickets by clicking on the numbers you think will win In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, you can pick 1 to 15 numbers or 20 numbers
Betting Most bets in Keno are designated by the number(s) you pick For example, a “one-spot Straight ticket” is a bet on a single number A “two-spot Straight ticket” is a bet on two numbers The amount o money you can bet in Keno depends on the type o bet you’re making These bets are usually or $1, $2, $5, $10, or $20 The most common bet is a ve-spot Straight ticket, in which ve numbers are picked For this bet to win, three o the numbers you pick must come up on the balls This par ticular bet pays even money i you pick three numbers right I you pick our winning balls, you are paid o at 9 to 1 In this example, i you guess all ve balls right, you’ve hit the jackpot paying 800 to 1 As another example, the payos or a common $2 bet (in this case, a 10-spot Straight ticket) are shown here:
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Catch Win
10 50,000 9 8,000 8 2,000 7 260 6 40 5 4 In addition to Straight bets, other types o bets are available These include specials, the edge, top/bottom, and let/right bets HOYLE® CASINO GAMES oers special promotional tickets that pay more than the usual ticket These tickets are better deals, and your odds o winning are increased The our-spot, ve-spot, or six-spot specials t into this category and can be used on any 4 to 6 number bets You are required to place a higher wager, but the odds are better I you stick to playing just the special tickets, you will certainly increase your overall Keno winning percentage
Winning In HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, your Keno winnings are automatically credited to your account; you don’t need to do anything In a real casino, i a subsequent game begins beore you’ve presented your winning ticket, you oreit all winnings!
Strategies for Winning at Keno Number games like Keno are made-to-order or gamblers with a superstitious streak Lucky numbers, unlucky 13s, special dates, and special numbers all can play a part in picking your numbers I the numbers pay o in Keno, you can win big, which is the attraction Unortunately, it’s hard to win a lot in Keno, even when playing the special tickets with better odds The house advantage in Keno normally runs rom 20 percent to 30 percent or even higher Proessional gamblers who earn their living in the casinos are not usually ound sitting in the Keno lounge, marking “Xs” in the little boxes on the ticket
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PAI GOW POKER How the Game Is Played In Pai Gow Poker, each player receives seven cards and sets or arranges the seven cards into a ve-card hand and a two-card hand The only stipulation or setting hands is that the ve-card hand (high hand) must outrank the two-card hand (low hand) To win a bet, you must win both the hands The deck used in Pai Gow Poker is a standard 52-card deck with the addition o one Joker The Joker is not a traditional wild card; it can only be used as an ace or as a card that completes a Straight or a Flush One player is designated the banker The house dealer is the deault banker, but any player can actually be the banker Players’ hands are compared against the banker to see who wins a given hand Beore play begins, each player places their bet on the table in ront o them The dealer then deals seven hands consisting o seven cards, each ace down, to the banker and to each player Dealing starts at a randomly selected seat and cards are dealt to every position regardless o whether a player is present there or not Each player in turn sets his hand to orm one ve-card hand (the high hand) and one two-card hand (the low hand) Likewise, the banker also sets his or her hand Players’ hands are compared against the banker’s hand to see who the winner is In order to win a bet, the banker or player must win both the ve-card and the two-card hand I one hand is won and one is lost, this is a push, and no money is exchanged The banker wins tie hands, which are called copies A 5 percent commission is paid to the house or any winning bets by the player regardless o whether they are the banker (5 percent o net winnings)
Hand Rankings The hand rankings in Pai Gow Poker, ranked rom highest to lowest, are almost identical to Poker One exception is that an A-2-3-4-5 is considered the second highest Straight (or Straight Flush) ranking 60
just behind the A-K-Q-J-10 and just ahead o the K-Q-J-10-9 Five Aces: Four aces plus the joker orm Five Aces This is the highest-ranking hand in Pai Gow Poker Straight Flush: Five cards in sequence in the same suit are called a Straight Flush I two Straight Flushes compete, the hand with the highest-ranking cards in the Flush sequence wins The highestranking Straight Flush is called a Royal Flush (A-K-Q-J-10) Four o a Kind : Any our cards o the same rank orm Four o a Kind I two players have Four o a Kind, the hand with the our higher cards wins Full House: Three o a Kind and One Pair orm a Full House The Full House with Three o a Kind with higher-ranking cards wins against another Full House with a lower-ranking Three o a Kind hand Flush: A hand o any ve cards o same suit is called a Flush A Flush with the highest-ranking cards beats another Flush hand I the highest cards rom each player’s hand tie, the next highest-ranking cards determine the winner, and so on Straight: A hand o any ve cards in sequence, but not o the same suit is a Straight The Straight with the highest-ranking cards at the head o the sequence is the winner against another Straight hand Three o a Kind: Three cards o the same rank orm Three o a Kind The highest ranking three cards win against another Three o a Kind hand Three aces are the highest; three 2s the lowest Three o a Kind beats Two Pair or any lower hand Two Pair: Two cards o the same rank and two matching cards o any other rank orm Two Pair The hand with the highest-ranking pair wins against another hand o Two Pair I the highest-ranking pair ties, the hand with the second highest ranking pair wins One Pair: Any two cards o the same rank orm One Pair The hand with the highest-ranking pair wins against another hand o One Pair I both hands have the same pair, the highest-ranking unmatched card in the hand determines the winner High Card: A hand with no matched cards is called High Card With two competing High Card hands, the hand with the highest-ranking card wins I the highest-ranking unmatched cards tie, the next highest-ranking unmatched cards are compared, and so on
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Strategies for Winning at Pai Gow Poker Cashing in on Pai Gow Poker will be the result o two things: (1) Taking on the banker role, and (2) Learning to set your hand to your best advantage To maximize your odds at Pai Gow Poker, remember to take your opportunity to act as the banker The banker wins copy hands For example, i the banker and a player both show an ace-queen as a two-card hand, the banker wins that hand The banker’s advantage works out to about 127 percent over a player, based on the requency o copy hands When you are betting as a player, keep your bets low As a banker however, the more money the other players bet against you, the better o you’ll be Another important actor in winning Pai Gow Poker is the 5 percent commission the casino takes on winning hands Although this appears to be a hety ee, the majority o players’ hands will result in a push (win-lose) or a losing hand (lose-lose) There is no cost incurred or these hands, so the casino’s 5 percent commission is reduced to 157 percent on average I a player is banker, the casino’s 157 percent advantage on the rake is actually a variable (or the banker only) This is because the 5 percent is taken rom banker’s net winnings, rather than rom his or her gross winnings The cost o the rake to the banker is about 12 percent with ve players and increases in reverse proportion to the number o players With only one player, the casino’s rake is 163 percent against the banker Thereore, as a banker, it is also advantageous to have more people participating I you are the banker, you can actually obtain an edge over the casino The more people that are playing, the better o you are For example, your banker’s advantage gives you a 127 percent edge I three people are playing, the casino takes 126 percent o your winnings The result o this is a net 001 percent advantage This edge is quite small; in act, it’s too small to be o consequence But it brings up the other important actor, which is your ability to set your hand correctly Skillul setting o your hand can account or an additional 03 percent advantage or either the player or the banker
Setting Your Hand Most o the time, the best way to set your hand is apparent In some cases however, the best thing to do is not the most obvious Beore you set your hand, always check or Straights and Flushes, since 62
they’re easily missed in a hand o seven cards Defnitions: Five-carding means to select choice cards or your ve-card hand Two-carding reers to placing specic cards into your two-card hand The ollowing section describes the dierent possible card combinations and how each hand should be played: High Card: Although this hand o all singletons, which contains no Pairs, Straights, or Flushes, is common in the various orms o vecard Poker, it is an atypical hand in Pai Gow Generally, the best way to play this hand is by two-carding your second and third best cards One Pair: This is the most common Pai Gow Poker hand and assumes you have no Straight and no Flush Five-card the pair, and two-card your two highest singletons Two Pair: Hands with Two Pair occur more than 20 percent o the time It is in the setting o Two Pairs that the most requent mistakes occur in Pai Gow You will usually want to split your pairs (two-carding the lower pair) in either o the ollowing cases: (1) I you have a powerul high pair (eg, aces) or (2) your low pair is two 10s or better This simplied strategy chart shows you what to do with the ollowing high pairs: High Pair
Singletons
Five-card (Action)
Two-card (Action)
3-3 to 6-6 3-3 to 6-6 6-6 to 9-9 6-6 to 9-9 10-10 to Q-Q 10-10 to Q-Q K-K to A-A
(A, K, or Q)x-x (J or less)-x-x (A or K)-x-x (Q or lower)-x-x A-x-x (K or lower)-x-x x-x-x
Two Pair High pair Two Pair High pair Two Pair High pair High pair
(A, K, or Q)-x Low pair (A or K)-x Low pair A-x Low pair Low pair
Three Pair: The best way to play this hand is to two-card the highest
pair The kings can be placed in your two-card hand, retaining the more-powerul Two Pair or your ve-card hand This combination is very hard to beat Three o a Kind: This hand is oten misplayed You want to strengthen your two card hand as much as possible while still winning the ve-card hand Since two aces will usually win the ve-card hand, the third ace is “expendable” Always split o an ace 63
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when you hold three aces This gives you a good chance o winning both hands I you hold three kings, split o the third unless you are holding a singleton ace, a queen, or a jack-10 combination I you hold three queens or less, always ve-card the Three o a Kind Three of a Kind
Singletons
Five-card (Action)
Two-card (Action)
2-2 to Q-Q x-x-x-x Three o a Kind K-K-K (A or Q)-x-x-x Three o a Kind K-K-K (J or less)-x-x-x K-K A-A-A x-x-x-x A-A
x (high)-x (A or Q)-x K-x
Straight: You want to keep a Straight together whenever possible I
you have a Straight o six cards, make sure you two-card the highest card rom the Straight Flush: This hand is played just like a Straight I you have a six-or seven-card Flush, make sure you two-card the highest possible cards without breaking up your Flush Straight and One Pair: I one card in the One Pair is part o your Straight, you should split the One Pair and keep the Straight The exception is i your Straight is very high, and your One Pair is 10 or higher (see chart) Straight
Pair
Five-card (Action)
10-Ace Aces Pair o aces 10-Ace Kings Pair o kings 10-Ace Queens Pair o queens 10-Ace Jacks Pair o jacks 10-Ace 10s Pair o 10s All others Any pair Straight x (high)-x
Two-card (Action)
K-Q A-Q A-K A-K A-K
Flush and One Pair : Don’t break up a Flush unless by doing so you
gain an ace-jack combination or better or your two-card hand and a 9-9 or better One Pair or your ve-card hand Full House: Usually you should ve-card the Three o a Kind and two-card One Pair I however, you have some high singletons and your Full House is composed o low cards, then you should maintain
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A-x
the Full House, two-carding your high singletons Four o a Kind : Split your Four o a Kind into Two Pairs i it is composed o kings or aces Five-carding Three o a Kind and a high singleton (eg, i you have our aces) is a poor choice in the long run The ollowing chart shows your best strategies or setting your hand with Four o a Kind Four o a Kind
Singletons
Five-card (Action)
Two-card (Action)
Four 6s (or lower) Four 7s/8s Four 7s/8s Four 9s/10s Four 9s/10s Four Js/Qs Four Js/Qs 4 Ks/As
x-x
Four o a Kind
(x high)-x
(A, K, or Q)-x Four o a Kind (A, K, or Q)-x (J or lower)-x Pair Pair (A or K)-x Four o a Kind (A or K)-x (Q or lower)-x Pair Pair A-x Four o a Kind A-x (K or less)-x Pair Pair x-x Pair Pair Straight Flush: A Straight is almost as likely to win as a Straight Flush Use the same strategy as is recommended or a Straight You’ll wish you were playing Video Poker when you get a Straight Flush because, unless you have two additional High Cards, you are likely to tie What a waste!
Pai Gow Poker Strategy Highlights • Follow the basic strategies presented in this chapter to ma ximize
your odds o winning • General Rule: A pair of queens or higher will usually win the ve-
card hand; an A-8 or better will usually win the two-card hand Try to set your hand so you have a good chance at winning both • General Rule: I you have weak cards overall, don’t try to win both hands
I possible, set one hand up to win; your objective here is a push • Sometimes you have to break up your great ve-card hand to win
both hands Splitting up a Full House is hard to do, but it is usually the right thing to do
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POKER How the Game Is Played Poker is a game o betting, where the objective is to have the best hand in a showdown or to win by having everyone else old (drop out o a hand) In a High/Low Poker game, the player with the highest-ranking hand splits the pot with the player with the lowest-ranking hand
All bets made by all players go in a pile o chips in the center o the table, called the pot No player can compete or the pot unless they are willing to meet the highest bet made by another player Because o this rule, players are able to blu and win the pot (everyone else olds, because they don’t want to call the bet) The object o the game is to win the pot A player can win the pot in one o two ways: 1 Ater all bets are in, all players who are still in show their hands This is called a showdown The player with the best hand wins 2 I during betting, a player makes a bet that no other players are willing to meet, that player wins the pot without showing his/her cards
A standard 52-card deck is used The cards are dealt one at a time, clockwise motion (number o cards varies with game) Aces are high, but aces rank low in the sequence A-2-3-4-5 The lower and upper bet amounts you make at each betting interval will vary depending on what game you are playing and the rules or the betting interval at that point in the game I you want to join a table with higher stakes, be sure you have enough cash to stay in the game A no limit game means that you can wager all o your chips any time you bet In Poker, turns (opportunities to check, call, raise, old, show, etc) pass rom player to player in clockwise rotation
Ranks of Poker Hands Beore you play a game o Poker, you should learn the hierarchy o hand rankings The ollowing combinations o cards rank the same in every orm o Poker They are listed in order rom highest to lowest value 66
Straight Flush Five cards in sequence in the same suit are called
a Straight Flush I two Straight Flushes compete, the hand with the highest-ranking cards in the Flush sequence wins For example, a hand composed o A-K-Q-J-10 (Royal Flush) beats a hand composed o K-Q-J-10-9 The Royal Flush is the highest standard hand and beats all other hands Four o a Kind Any our cards o the same rank orm Four o a Kind
I two players have Four o a Kind, the hand with the our higher cards wins Four o a Kind beats a Full House or any lower hand Full House Three o a Kind and One Pair orm a Full House The Full
House with the highest-ranking Three o a Kind beats another Full House with a lower-ranking Three o a Kind Full House beats a Flush or any lower hand Flush A hand o any ve cards o the same suit is called a Flush A
Flush with the highest-ranking cards beats another Flush hand I the highest cards rom each players hand tie, the next highest-ranking cards determine the winner, and so on A Flush beats a Straight or any lower hand Straight A hand o any ve cards in sequence, but not o the same
suit is a Straight The Straight with the highest-ranking cards at the head o the sequence is the winner against another Straight hand The highest possible Straight is A-K-Q-J-10 The lowest possible Straight is 5-4-3-2-A A Straight beats Three o a Kind or any lower hand Three o a Kind Three cards o the same rank, such as three 8s,
orm Three o a Kind The highest-ranking three cards win against another Three o a Kind hand Three aces are the highest; three 2s are the lowest Three o a Kind beats Two Pair or any lower hand Two Pair Two cards o the same rank and two matching cards o
any other rank orm Two Pair The hand with the highest-ranking pair wins against another hand o Two Pair I the highest-ranking pair ties, the hand with the second highest-ranking pair wins I all pairs in both hands tie, the hand with the highest-ranking th card wins Two Pair beats any hand with One Pair, or no pair (High Card) One Pair Any two cards o the same rank orm One Pair The hand
with the highest-ranking pair wins against another hand o One Pair I both hands have the same pair, the highest-ranking unmatched card in the hand determines the winner I the highest-ranking unmatched cards tie, the next highest-ranking unmatched cards are compared,
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and so on One Pair beats any hand with no pair (High Card) High Card A hand with no matched cards is called High Card
This hand is commonly reerred to as a runt With two competing High Card hands, the hand with the highest-ranking card wins I the highest-ranking unmatched cards tie, the next highest-ranking unmatched cards are compared, and so on
Rules for Aces In a Straight, the ace can rank either high or low, depending on the card sequence The ace is high in the sequence A-K-Q-J-10 Aces rank low in the sequence 5-4-3-2-AYou cannot use the ace to wrap a lower sequence with a higher sequence, such as 3-2-A-K-Q Aces rank high in all other hands except an ace is low in a low-hand (High/ Low) game
How Betting Works in Poker Betting takes place during periods o the game called betting intervals Depending on which game is being played, most games have between two and ve betting intervals HOYLE® CASINO GAMES requires the rst betting interval to begin with a mandatory bet (two mandatory bets in Hold’em games) called a Blind Ater the rst round, at each betting interval, a specic player has the rst right or obligation to bet (open) Which player opens the betting depends upon the type o Poker being played Usually, the player to the dealer’s let opens the betting In the Stud-Poker games, the player with the lowest or sometimes the highest-ranking hand opens the betting You can stay in the hand by doing one o our things:
1 Call Match the current highest bet in the pot This is reerred to as staying in the hand 2 Raise Match the current highest bet in the pot, and then add more money to the pot to become the highest bet in the pot Each player must at least match (call) this bet to stay in The HOYLE® CASINO GAMES raise rule is: in all betting intervals, i more than two players are betting, there is a limit o three raises total 3 Check You are permitted to check i no player beore you has opened with a bet 4 All In Place all o your chips on the table When you check, you stay in the hand without having to call or raise 68
Each player ater you can also check until one o the players makes an actual bet You can also drop out o the pot by olding When you old, you turn in your hand and lose any chips you have added to the pot or that hand You can old at any time However, it is recommended that you only old i you don’t want to call a bet (ie, don’t old i you can check) Betting continues until all bets are equalized Bets are considered equalized when the turn comes around to the player who originally made the highest bet and when every other player has either called the bet or olded A player does not have to meet a bet or an amount which is larger than all the chips or money that player has on the table A player in this situation is all-in and can put all o his or her money in the main pot (even i it does not cover the bet) and stay in the hand This player no longer participates in the betting I more than two players are still in a hand in which one player is all-in, bets made ater that point are added to a side pot, which is only available to the players who have paid in the required bets I the player who is all-in wins the main pot (which they contributed to), the best hand o the other players wins the side pot Many variations o Poker with slightly dierent rules are popular throughout the Poker-playing world Following are the specic rules or the variations o Poker included in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES: • Texas Hold’em • Omaha Hold’em • Omaha Hold’em Hi-Lo • Seven Card Stud • Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo • Five Card Draw • Five Card Draw Lowball
Texas Hold’em In Texas Hold’em, seven cards are available to each player Players’ hands consist o two cards dealt ace down to each player and ve cards dealt ace up to the board, which are shared by all players in the game Players can construct their nal hands using any ve cards rom the two cards in their own hands and the ve cards rom the board A player wins by having the highest-ranking hand o ve 69
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cards Each hand can start with eight players or less (i a player runs out o cash or i you remove players beore the deal) Play begins with each player receiving two cards ace down, ollowed by the rst betting interval In the rst round, the player immediately to the let o the dealer is orced to open the betting The rst mandatory bet, the blind open (or small blind) is equal to hal o the lower bet amount or the table (rounding down) The player to the let o the blind open in the rst round is responsible or the second mandatory bet, the blind raise The blind raise (or big blind) raises the pot to be equal to the lower bet amount For example, at a $25 to $50 Table, you can expect the ollowing blind bets: Blind open = $10 Blind raise = $15 (Pot = $25) The player to the let o the blind raise must call the mandatory bet amount, raise an amount equal to the size o the bet, or old Betting then passes around to each player as it would normally I all players either call or old, the player who made the blind raise then has the option o checking or raising In all betting intervals, i more than two players are betting, there is a limit o three raises (not counting the blind rais e in the rst betting interval) The Flop The next three cards dealt ace up to the board are called the Flop The dealer turns all three cards over at the same time, or all players to use in their hands The second betting interval ensues with the rst player to the let o the dealer This player can check, old, or open with a bet The lower bet amount is required at the Flop (eg, $25 at a $25 to $50 table) Betting stops when all players have called (the betting has equalized) The Turn The ourth card dealt ace up to the board is called the Turn A third betting interval ensues, again starting with the player to the let o the dealer The upper bet amount is now in orce (eg, $50 at a $25 to $50 table) The River The th and nal card dealt ace up to the board is called the River or FithStreet The nal betting interval takes place The upper bet amount is still in orce The Showdown When betting is complete, all players that are still in show their hands The player with the highest-ranking ve cards wins the pot I hands tie, the pot is split between the winners
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Here is a summary o the deal:
1 Two cards dealt to each player (ace down), rst betting interval 2 Third, ourth, and th cards dealt to the board (ace up), second betting interval 3 Sixth card dealt to the board (ace up), third betting interval 4 Seventh and fnal card dealt to the board (ace up), fnal betting interval
Omaha Hold’em Omaha Hold’em is a variation o Texas Hold’em, but nine cards are available to each player instead o seven Players’ hands consist o our cards dealt ace down to each player and ve cards dealt ace up to the board, which are shared by all players in the game Players must construct their nal hands using two cards rom their own hands and three cards rom the board A player wins by having the highest-ranking hand o ve cards Each hand can start with eight players or less (i a player runs out o cash, or i you remove players beore the deal) Play begins with each player receiving our cards ace down, ollowed by the rst betting interval All the subsequent game events, including blind bets, the Flop, the Turn, the River, and the Showdown are handled in the same way as in Texas Hold’em See the preceding section or details Here is a summary o the deal:
1 Four cards dealt to each player (ace down), rst betting interval 2 Fith, sixth, and seventh cards dealt to the board (ace up), second betting interval 3 Eighth card dealt to the board (ace up), third interval 4 Ninth and nal card dealt to the board (ace up), nal betting interval
Omaha Hold’em High-Low Omaha Hold’em is a variation o Texas Hold’em, but nine cards are available to each player instead o seven In a High/Low Poker game, more than one player has the opportunity to win and split the pot Players’ hands consist o our cards dealt ace down to each player and ve cards dealt ace up to the board, which are shared by all players in the game Players must construct their nal hands using two cards rom their own hands and three cards rom the board A player wins by having the highest ranking or lowest-ranking hand o ve cards (or both) In the same hand, the low hand and high hand can use dierent sets o cards
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HOYLE® CASINO GAMES’s Omaha Hold’em Hi-Lo is also known as Eights or Better To qualiy as a low hand in Omaha Hi-Lo, the hand must be an Eight High (8 as the High Card in an unmatched hand), or better (such as Seven High) In low hands, Straights and Flushes are ignored, and aces count as low cards The best low hand possible is 5-4-3-2-A, though it is also a Straight It is possible or no player to have a low hand At least three dierent cards o Eight or less must be on the board or a low hand to be possible Each hand can start with eight players or less Play begins with each player receiving our cards ace down, ollowed by the rst betting interval Most o the subsequent game events, including blind bets, the Flop, the Turn, and the River are handled in the same way as in Texas Hold’em See the Texas Hold’em section or details When betting is complete, all players that are still in show their hands (the Showdown) The players with the highest and lowest ranking ve cards split the pot I no player has a low hand, the highest-ranking hand wins the pot I there is a tie between high hands or low hands, the high or low portion o the pot is then split between those hands The deal is summarized as ollows:
1 Four cards dealt to each player (ace down), rst betting interval 2 Fith, sixth, and seventh cards dealt to the board (ace up), second betting interval 3 Eighth card dealt to the board (ace up), third interval 4 Ninth and fnal card dealt to the board (ace up), fnal betting interval
Seven Card Stud Players’ hands consist o seven cards dealt to each player The rst two are dealt ace down The third, ourth, th, and sixth cards are dealt ace up The nal (seventh) card is dealt ace down A player wins by having the highest-ranking hand o ve cards Each hand can start with seven players or less I eight players are sitting at the table, one has to sit out or the hand Play begins with each player adding his or her ante to the pot Each player receives two cards ace down and one card ace up, ollowed by the rst betting interval The player with the lowest-ranking card showing must lead the mandatory blind open, equivalent as usual to hal o the table’s lower bet amount I there is a tie in low card rank, the player closest to the let o the dealer opens The rst raise increases the size o the bet to the size o the lower bet amount or 72
the game The betting continues as long as players keep raising their bets—up to three raises, not counting an opening partial raise I only two players are in the hand, the number o raises is unlimited On the next three rounds o dealing each active player receives a ace-up card and then another betting interval takes place Cards are dealt ace up until the player has our ace-up cards (and two ace down) The betting intervals at this part o the game begin with the player with the highest-ranking cards showing During the rst and second betting intervals, the lower bet amount or the table is in orce or bets On the third, our th, and nal betting intervals, betting must open and continue at the higher bet amount or the table Finally, the nal card is dealt to each player (seventh card, ace down) The highest hand showing starts the betting The players with the highest-ranking ve cards split the pot I hands tie, the pot is split Here is the summary o the deal:
1 Three cards dealt to each player (two down, one up), frst betting interval 2 Fourth card dealt to each player ace up, second inter val 3 Fith card dealt to each player ace up, third interval 4 Sixth card dealt to each player ace up, ourth interval 5 Seventh card dealt to each player ace down, nal betting interval
Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo This game is exactly like Seven Card Stud, except it also uses the standard criteria or winning in a High-Low Poker game: a player wins by having the highest-ranking or lowest-ranking hand o ve cards (or both) In the same hand, the low hand and high hand can use dierent sets o cards For more inormation on High-Low Poker rules, see the preceding section on Omaha Hold’em High-Low
Five Card Draw The player with the highest-ranking hand o ve cards wins Five Card Draw Play begins with each player receiving ve cards ace down, ollowed by the rst betting interval The player immediately to the let o the dealer must open the betting (blind open) Ater the rst betting interval, each player discards up to three cards
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Ater all discards are completed, the dealer deals out replacement cards as necessary (leaving each player again with ve cards) A second interval o betting takes place, ollowed by the show-down Here is a summary o the deal:
1 Five cards dealt to each player (ace down), rst betting interval 2 Up to three cards may be discarded by each player 3 The dealer replaces discarded cards, second betting interval
Five Card Draw Lowball This game is a type o Five Card Draw in which the lowest-ranking hand o ve cards wins Aces are always low Play begins with each player adding his or her ante to the pot Five cards are dealt ace down, ollowed by a betting interval Each player then discards up to three cards, which are replaced by the dealer as in Five Card Draw The second round o betting ensues, ollowed by the showdown Here is a summary o the deal:
1 Five cards dealt to each player (ace down), rst betting interval 2 Up to three cards may be discarded by each player 3 The dealer replaces discarded cards, second betting interval
General Strategies for Poker To become a good Poker player, you must learn the hand rankings and the relative power o the cards you’re holding The power o a particular Poker hand is determined by two things: 1) How many people you’re playing against, and 2) What game you’re playing The more people you’re playing against, the bet ter your hand will need to be in order to win In addition, the game you’re playing determines the number o cards that make up your hand and is thereore also critica l
On average, i you’re one o our Poker players, you’ll win one o our hands (25 percent), and i you’re one o seven players, you’ll only win one o seven hands (14 percent)You are bound to lose the majority o the time Thereore, your emphasis should be on betting correctly based on the hand you currently hold rather than on winning a huge percentage o hands How do you know how strong your hand is? Here are the typical winning hands or various Poker games: Game and Typical Winning Hand
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• Texas Hold’em: • Omaha Hold’em: • Omaha Hold’em:
Two Pair Three of a Kind High-Low Three of a Kind and/or 7 or 8 high
or the low hand • Seven Card Stud: • Seven Card Stud:
Two Pair High-Low Two Pair and/or 8 or 9 high for the
low hand • Five Card Draw: • Five Card Lowball:
Two Pair or Three of a Kind 9 or 10
These winning hands assume a group o seven players I you are playing with a smaller group, you will need to revise these winning hands downward slightly Suppose you’re playing Omaha Hold’em with seven opponents In order to win against a group o seven, you’ll need a pretty good hand to win More than likely, at least one o the others will have a Three o a Kind, a Straight, or a Flush Conversely, i you had only our opponents, Two Pair would be a hand worth betting on
Betting in Poker The strength o your hand determines how you bet in a Poker game General strategies or playing strong hands, average hands, hands with potential, long-shot hands, and bad hands are described here Strong Starting Hand: Be patient, and lay low in the beginning Don’t start out betting too high; try to draw people in, and keep as many people in as possible Don’t raise too high (perhaps a little below normal) Call, but do not raise in response to another player’s raise In middle rounds, make normal bets In the nal round, make your big bets For example, i you are dealt an opening hand o two aces, consider a low bet, perhaps raising it once This is like “dangling a worm” in ront o your opponents and tr ying to make them bite I you bet too high, it’s the equivalent o splashing in the water—you’ll scare away the sh Ater the second round o betting starts, you can aord to bet higher Average Starting Hand, with Vulnerability : Exaggerate the strength o your hand by betting as much as possible to reduce the number o players that stay in At any point in later betting intervals, i you nd that you don’t think you can win, old It is important to mention that in games with seven or more people or a lot o cards (eg Omaha Hold’em) it is very hard to win by blung because 75
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people’s hands will be stronger and they will be more likely to stay in Drawing Hand: This hand is currently weak but has great potential to improve as cards are drawn (such as a our-card Straight or Flush) Try to stay in while betting as little as possible In games with our or ve betting rounds, get out when your odds o getting the card you need don’t look good For example, your hand, an “ace high,” is pretty weak You’re not going to win unless you draw a high pair (an ace) or something equally good You can always scare some people out by betting high, but chances are you’ll just be losing money Try to hold down the bet by checking Long Shot Hand : This hand has a small chance o improvement, but may show some promise, such as three cards towards a Flush or our cards towards a Straight Try to stay in while betting as little as possible Get out when your odds o getting the card you need don’t look good Bad Starting Hand: Fold as soon as you are required to call a bet
Other Factors in Betting Your position in the betting sequence can also determine how you bet When the deal has moved to you, or you are sitting just to the right o the dealer, take advantage o this position As one o the last players to bet, you can gauge whether the other players are strong or weak and bet accordingly I you choose to blu, try to do it when you’re one o the last to bet, and everyone has checked in ront o you Otherwise, your blu may be wasted against an opponent with a good hand who takes your bet and raises it I you are betting in the middle or at the end, remember this: i you raise beore another player calls the opening bet, players will oten old I you raise ater other players call the opening bet, the players will most likely call your raise, since they want to protect their initial investment The player to your let opened the betting Your hand is strong, and i you raise the bet now, the players who did not old are likely to stay in This will be to your advantage and increase your potential winnings I the player who opened the betting had been sitting to your right, you would want to call the bet instead o raising, so ewer players would be scared o When you are the rst player required to bet (because you’re sitting to the let o the dealer), play only your very
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best hands I you start winning some hands and getting ahead, you have the option o betting higher While risky, this is likely to drive a couple people out; they just can’t aord to hang in unless they have a great hand Fewer opponents, o cour se, will improve your odds o winning
Strategies for Winning at Texas Hold’em Because you only hold two cards in Texas Hold’em, the strength o your hand is highly dependent on the cards dealt to the board Each card dealt to the board can have a huge impact on your hand (bad or good) Always be aware you are sharing the cards on the board with all players in the hand, so the cards you hold are what give you your advantage Overall, you want the two cards you hold to be as strong as possible I you don’t get a good hand by the Flop, it is best to cut your losses early by olding Higher-ranking cards are usually promising to start with (beore the Flop), such as an ace and any other card A hand o two cards o 10 and higher is good initially To be certain o a strong hand, you need a high pair ater the Flop Don’t count on it lling out a Straight on the th card dealt to the board In this case, you ought to old beore you put in more money
Strategies for Winning at Omaha Hold’em The strategies or winning at Omaha Hold’em dier rom Texas Hold’em because our cards are dealt to the player instead o two Also, the Showdown hand must be made o two cards rom the player hand and three rom the board With nine cards to choose rom, the possible hand combinations are more complex, and it’s much harder or you to assess the strength o your hand Because each player must use three cards rom the board, the cards on the board help determine the best possible hand in Texas Hold’em Don’t expect to win with anything less than a high Three o a Kind Flushes and Straights are airly common They are better i they contain an ace or a king
Strategies for Winning at High-Low Poker For High-Low games, low hands start better than high hands because they have the potential to become high hands, while high hands cannot become low hands Your best strategy is to try to win both the high and low hands because the payo is bigger I you have
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a good hand ater the three or our cards have been dealt, you have a good chance o winning
Strategies for Winning at Seven Card Stud Seven Card Stud is a no-rills Poker game I you hold at least One Pair, three cards toward a Straight, or three cards toward a Flush: stay in the rst and second betting intervals (unless another player has a higher pair showing) I you have nothing promising in your hand by the ourth card (second betting interval), you should old Usually you should old when your cards (including your hole cards) are beaten by the showing cards o any other player I another player shows a pair, do not stay in unless you hold a higher pair (or better hand)
It is not a good idea to bet heavily against a player whose hole cards can give him or her a hand you can’t possibly beat
Strategies for Winning at Five Card Draw Keep tabs on which player or players are doing the most betting It will help you evaluate their hands when it’s time to draw new cards The drawing o cards adds a dimension to this game that is not ound in Stud and Hold’em games
Strategies for Winning at Five Card Draw Lowball Although a 9 or 10 high is a typical winning hand in Five Card Lowball, sometimes you can win i dealt a pair ater your discard, so don’t old immediately unless there is more than one other player still in the hand I two or more o your opponents stayed in the hand, you should old as soon as you’re orced to call a bet As in Five Card Draw, you can attempt to glean inormation rom your opponents based on the number o their discards I they draw one card, they will be trying to rid themselves o a pair or a High Card Their hand is potentially dangerous I another player draws two cards, you need not ear them excessively; they are liable to draw a king, ace, or One Pair I they draw three cards, it may be the rst time they’ve played Five Card Lowball (ie, they’re in trouble), or they’re desperate I a player does not draw any cards at all, they are either blung, or they have a good hand More oten than not, it’s because they have a good hand
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Poker Strategy Highlights • Know the hand rankings. • The more people you are playing against, the better your hand will
need to be in order to win • Never fold when you can check. • Focus on betting correctly based on the hand you currently hold
rather than winning a huge percentage o hands
Texas Hold’em Strategy Highlights • Two Pair or better typically wins (with seven players). • Consider folding in the rst round if you have a non-pair hand with
both cards less than 10 • Consider folding in the second to fourth round if you don’t have at
least a high pair or the potential or a Straight or Flush • Be aware of what the highest possible hand is and where your
hand is relative to it
Omaha Hold’em Strategy Highlights • Three of a Kind or higher typically wins (with seven players). • Remember that you must use two cards from your hand and three
rom the board • Consider folding in the rst round if you don’t have a pair, you
don’t have an ace, king, or queen, and you have low potential or a Straight or a Flush • Consider folding in the second through fourth rounds if you don’t
have at least Three o a Kind or the potential or a Straight or better • Be aware of what the highest possible hand is and where your
hand is relative to it
Omaha Hold’em High-Low Strategy Highlights • Three of a Kind or higher typically wins (with seven players). • 7 or 8 high typically wins the low hand (with seven players). • Remember that you must have an “eight high” or lower hand to win
the low hand • Remember that you must use two cards from your hand and three
rom the board • Consider folding in the rst round if you don’t have a pair, you have
low potential or a Straight or a Flush, and you don’t have at least 79
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two unlike cards eight or under • Consider folding in the second through fourth rounds if you don’t
have at least Three o a Kind, potential or a Straight or better, and you don’t have an eight-or better hand • Be aware of what the best possible hands are and where your hand
is relative to them
Seven Card Stud Strategy Highlights • Two Pair or better usually wins (with seven players). • Consider folding in the rst or second round if you don’t have at
least One Pair or three cards to a Straight or Flush • Consider folding in the third and four th rounds if you don’t have at
least one high pair or our cards to a Straight or Flush • Consider folding in the fth round if you don’t have Two Pair or better. • Generally fold if you are beaten by the showing cards of any other
player Always old in the last round i this is true • Determine what the best possible hand could be for each of your
opponents based on ideal hole cards, and bet according to how your hand stacks up to them
Seven Card Stud High Low Strategy Highlights • Two Pair or better usually wins high (with seven players). • 8 or 9 high typically wins low (with seven players). • Consider folding in the rst or second round if you don’t have at
least One Pair or three cards to a Straight or Flush, and you don’t have at least three unpaired cards 9 or under • Consider folding in the third and four th rounds if you don’t have
at least one high pair or our cards to a Straight or Flush, and you don’t have our unpaired cards 9 or under • Consider folding in the fth round if you don’t have Two Pair or
better and you don’t have a low hand o 9 high or lower • Generally fold if you are beaten by the showing cards of any other
player Always old in the last round i this is true • Determine what the best possible hand could be for each of your
opponents based on ideal hole cards, and bet according to how your hand stacks up to them
Five Card Draw Strategy Highlights 80
• Two Pair or Three of a Kind usually wins (with seven players). • Keep track of how many cards your opponents draw:
o Stands Pat: Either has a great hand or is blung o Draws 1: Has Two Pair or is going or a Straight or Flush o Draws 2: I the betting was heavy beore the draw, then this person is likely to have Three o a Kind I the betting was light, they could be going or a long shot Straight or Flush, or have a pair with an ace kicker It could just be a blu o Draws 3: I there was heavy betting, they likely have a high pair I there was light betting, they likely have a low pair or no pair • Consider folding before the draw if you have no pairs, no face
cards or an ace, and no potential or a Straight or Flush • Consider folding if the betting is heavy before the draw and you
don’t have a high pair • Consider folding in the nal round if you have less than Two Pair.
Five Card Draw Lowball Strategy Highlights • 9 or 10 high typically wins the hand (with seven players) • Keep track of how many cards your opponents draw:
o Stands Pat: Either has a great hand or is blung o Draws 1: I there has been any raising prior to the draw, then watch out! It is likely they have our very low cards o Draws 2: I the betting was heavy beore the draw, they likely have three very low cards, but the odds are still against them drawing a winning hand o Draws 3: Probably not a contender • Consider folding before the draw if you don’t have four unpaired
cards under 10 • Consider folding in the nal round if you don’t have a 10-high or
lower hand
POKER TOURNAMENTS How Are Poker Tournaments Played?
Real world tournament structures can vary widely rom one to the next, but most have the same underlying oundation: a large number o players sit down with the same number o chips and play until only one person has any chips let This is true o the HOYLE® 81
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CASINO GAMES tournament, which will be discussed in the rest o this chapter To succeed in a HOYLE® CASINO GAMES Poker tournament, you should understand the level and progression o the stakes, the structure or advancement and elimination, and the prize distribution These things are what make it a tournament, and not just regular Poker The Stakes
Each player buys in or a set amount o tournament chips that have no value outside o the tournament Everyone in the tournament starts with the same amount o chips There are no re-buys, meaning you cannot buy additional chips ater you’ve run out in order to stay in the tournament This is called a reezeout tournament There are two types o tournaments: limit and no limit A Limit Tournament means each bet and raise is a set amount The bet amounts are increased every seven hands throughout the tournament This gradually orces the betting higher and higher, so no matter how conservative the play, players will eventually be eliminated rom the large blinds and antes (see the chapter on Poker or details on blinds and antes) A No Limit Tournament also increases the minimum bet amount every seven hands, but the player can bet all o their chips at any time Advancement
The HOYLE® CASINO GAMES Poker tournament uses a roundbased structure or advancement There are three rounds in each tournament The rst round has 49 players at seven tables Ater 14 hands, the top three players at each table, 21 in all, advance to the second round The second round lasts or 28 hands The top two players rom each table then advance to the nal table The seventh spot at the nal table goes to the round two third-place player with the most chips The third round lasts or as many hands as it takes or one player to win all the chips Payout Structure
Once you have paid the buy-in and begin play, eventually you will either walk away with a cash prize or making it to the third round, or you will walk away with nothing The winner is the last player with any chips Second place and below are determined by the order o elimination I two players “in the money” are eliminated in the same hand, the two prizes are
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combined and split between the two players The rst place prize is thirty times the buy-in amount, the second place prize is ten times the buy-in, and the third place prize is 5 times the buy-in The ourth through seventh place players win back their buy-in
Strategies for Winning at Poker Tournaments Success in Poker tournaments requires skill at both the game that is Poker, and the game that is the tournament Understanding how to play the game at hand (7 Stud, Texas Hold ‘Em, etc) is, o course, essential to winning The key to success in a tournament however, is knowing how to play the game that is the tournament as well as the game at hand The structure o the tournament can alter how you play each hand—sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically Consider how the stakes, the rules o advancement, and payout structure might aect your strategy For example, since the stakes increase every seven hands, winning early round hands isn’t as important as winning late round hands, where the stakes are higher Consider this in your risk-reward assessment o staying in a given hand Or, consider this scenario: there are two hands left in round two, and you are in fourth place at the table where the top two players will advance Are you going to play those last two hands strictly by the book? If so, you are playing the Poker game, but not the tournament game
In this situation, you should stay in with any reasonable chance o winning in the second to last hand, provided it looks like the pot will grow big enough to move you into contention I you are still in our th place in the last hand, you should stay in on any chance o winning at all The tournament chips can’t be used at any other game, so you have nothing to lose, and you give yoursel one last shot at making the cut, which is all that matters As the rst two rounds advance, you should generally play a bit more conservatively i you are in a position to make the cut, and much more aggressively i you are not Do not take this to unwarranted extremes however I you bet too aggressively on undeser ving hands, you may nd yoursel out o chips with several hands to go that could have made the dierence I you old playable hands because you are in a position to make the cut, you might miss out on a large pot and take less money with you into the next round
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Betting strategy also changes when you are playing against an all-in player in the third round o a tournament When a player goes all-in, they must win the current hand or they are eliminated It is to everyone else’s advantage to see them eliminated I you have a hand worth betting on, but you are not sure you can beat an all-in player, checking to keep some other hands in is not a bad idea Betting “incorrectly” in an eort to eliminate another player might eel underhanded, but it is not Since you are doing it to put yoursel in a better position to win a bigger prize, it is simply smart play, not crooked play Just remember that in a tournament your goal is to nish high enough to win a prize, not just to win each hand Know the rules o the tournament well, and consider how they will aect your strategy to earn a spot at that nal table
Poker Tournament Strategy Highlights • Advancing is the bottom line. Stay alive! • Become familiar with the tournament format, particularly the level
and progression o the stakes, the structure or advancement, and the prize distribution • Play more aggressively if you are behind towards the end of a
round, and more conservatively i you are ahead towards the end o a round • Always work to eliminate other players.
ROULETTE How the Game Is Played The American Roulette wheel, used in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, is divided into 38 sections (European wheels have 37 sections), each o which has walls to hold a small ball where it lands ater the wheel is spun The sections are numbered rom 1 to 36 (hal red and hal black, hal odd and hal even), plus two green sections marked 0 and 00 European wheels have only the 0 green section The addition o the 00 section greatly increases the odds in avor o the house Numbers 1 to 18 are considered the lows; numbers 19 to 36 are the highs Roulette is a banking game; all bets are placed against the house As many players are allowed to play as can get close enough to
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the table to bet Players bet on the layout or a number, group o numbers, or color which they expect to win Ater all bets are placed or that turn, the dealer tosses the ball along the rim o the wheel Ater the ball comes to rest in a winning number, the bank pays or collects rom each bettor Bets can then be placed again or the next spin The chips’ values are set or the table For example, i you are playing a $5 table, each o your chips will be valued at $5 You can place a bet beore every spin o the wheel The bet you make must meet the minimum bet requirement or the table You can place as many chips on the table at a time as you like (up to the maximum limit)
Roulette Odds The ollowing odds are in eect or Roulette bets: 1 Winning bet on red, black, low 1 to 18, high 19 to 36, even, or odd: the bank pays even money 2 Winning bet on the down (1 to 12, 13 to 24, or 25 to 36), or on the column in which the winning number alls: the bank pays 2 to 1 3 Winning bet on the number itsel: the bank pays 35 to 1 4 Bet on either o two numbers, one o which wins: the bank pays 17 to 1 5 Bet on three numbers, one o which wins: the bank pays 11 to 1 6 Bet on our numbers, one o which wins: the bank pays 8 to 1 7 Bet on ve numbers (0, 00, 1, 2, and 3 only), one o which wins: the bank pays 6 to 1 8 Bet on six numbers, one o which wins: the bank pays 5 to 1 9 When a zero or double zero comes up, the house pays bets on the zero (or double zero), or on the zero (or double zero) and any other adjacent numbers in combination with it, but collects on all other bets
Roulette Bets The two types o bets allowed on the Roulette layout are Combination bets and Straight bets You need to know both bet types to be able to play the game
Combination Bets Combination bets reer to the bets you make by placing your chip on the lines between the marked boxes to include more than one box in the bet These bets have dierent odds than the Straight bets • Inside bets (or Straight up) Pay 35 to 1 Place a chip on any 85
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single number • Split bets. Pay 17 to 1. Place a chip on the line between any two
adjacent numbers I either number comes up, you win • Street (Trio or Three number) bets. Pay 11 to 1. Place a chip on
the horizontal line across the top o the layout on any o the twelve columns o three numbers You get all the numbers in that street • Quad (Corner) bets. Pay 8 to 1. Place a chip between any four
number groupings (or example 4, 5, 7, 8), and you get all our numbers in that group • Quint bet. Pays 6 to 1. The only possible ve number grouping in
the Roulette layout is 0, 00, 1, 2, 3 Place the chip on the upper horizontal line between the 00 and the 3 This bet avors the house by almost 8 percent • Double Street (Six number) bets. Pay 5 to 1. Place a chip on the
outside line between adjacent streets to get all six numbers in the double streets
Straight bets A Straight bet is any bet you make by placing your chip outside the 36 numbers marked on the layout • Dozen bets. Pay 2 to 1. Place a chip in the 1st 12 (1 to 12), 2nd 12
(13 to 24), or 3rd 12 (25 to 36) • Column bets. Pay 2 to 1. Place a chip in a box at the end of one of
three columns • Outside (Even money) bets. These bets pay even money. Place a
chip in Odd or Even, Black or Red, High or Low
Strategies for Winning at Roulette The payos or the Roulette bets are based on a wheel with 36 numbers For example, i you make a Straight up bet on the 13, the payo is 35 to 1 That would be a great bet, giving you true odds However, the house must have its edge; the Roulette wheel contains not 36 but 38 numbers, with the 0 and 00 added in True odds, thereore, or betting the 13 would be 37 to 1, which o course is a better payo than 35 to 1 The 0 and 00 are also painted green, so that they are losers in the Red and Black bets Getting out our calculator, we can determine that these wheel modications give the house a 526 percent advantage on every bet The only exception to this is the Quint bet which gives the house 86
almost an 8 percent advantage! No matter what system o betting you use with Roulette, the bank will get this 526 percent in the long run It is however, a act that winning and losing oten takes place in streaks I you have a system and it’s actually working or a period o time, stay in while it lasts, then get out as soon as it looks like it’s taking a turn or the worse I you choose to take your chances on Roulette, you should take advantage o being able to place multiple bets on dierent parts o the layout using Straight bets or Combination bets Suce to say, this is more a game o chance than a game o skill Lay out your chips, then sit back, and enjoy the leisurely pace o the spinning wheel Maybe you’ll be lucky!
Roulette Strategy Highlights • Avoid the Quint bet, which gives the house a 789 percent advantage • In all other Roulette bets, the house advantag e is 5.26 percent.
SLOT MACHINES How the Game Is Played To play a slot machine in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, click the coin or bill slot and speciy how many credits you want to put in the machine You can add more credits at any time The payo scale shown on the machine tells you how many coins (credits) you receive or all possible winning combinations, or each coin you play Betting is a very straightorward process I you plan on playing the machine or quite a ew spins, you may want to put a good number o coins in at the outset Any extra coins you inser t (above the amount needed or one play) will be counted as credit You can then use these credits to make bets on subsequent spins or you can receive the credits as cash winnings You are allowed to keep spinning as long as you have enough credits, or you continue to insert coins You can bet anywhere rom one to ve credits at a time, depending on which machine you’re playing You have several betting options: 1 Hit the Bet One button or each credit you wish to bet 2 Hit the Bet Max button to bet maximum credits (or that machine)
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Hit the Spin button (or pull the handle, i your machine has one) to start the game You win i the result o your spin matches any o the combinations shown in the payo scale I you win, you accumulate credits To collect your credits, hit the Cash Out button
Types of Slot Machines Following are some descriptions o the types o slot machines you will nd in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES For details on each machine, reer to the in-game Help, or just give it a spin! Single Line slots are single-line machines that ollow the straightorward ruit model: there is one cherry-style symbol that pays a small payout when one or two show up, and there is one lemon-style symbol that is worth nothing, even with three in a row For all other symbols, get three in a row and win! They have one payline, with the number o coins bet determining the pay column used Multiple Line slot machines let players bet on additional paylines by adding more coins Each additional coin activates an additional payline up to the 3 or 5 line maximum, depending on the machine Multiple line slots use the traditional bar and 7 symbols, as well as special, machine-specic symbols Progressive slots are similar to their multiple line counterparts Progressive slots however, have an ever-increasing super jackpot tied to a network o multiple machines The jackpot progressively increases each time someone plays a machine in the network When a player eventually hits the progressive jackpot, it resets to a base starting point and begins building again Video slots use a video screen and a computer instead o the traditional reels and gears With all the action happening through computer-generated animation, video slots aren’t limited by three spinning reels, only by the imaginations o their creators Video slots oten include un bonus games which add to their popularity
Strategies for Winning at Slots First, know the odds are against you Slots are set to pay out a certain percentage return on deposited coins A high-return machine (called a loose machine) may pay 97 percent o what is put in A lowreturn machine may pay only 86 percent
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Another important tip in Slots is to always play as many coins as you can! This is called playing ull coin You can easily conrm that playing ull coin is to your advantage by reading the pay line or a given machine Whenever the payo is more than tripled or three coins (or more than quintupled or ve coins) as compared to one coin, then you should always play or ull coin Choose (i you can gure it out) machines with ewer symbols on their reels and higher numbers o jackpot symbols on each reel Progressive machines are oten more desirable to play, depending on the current size o the jackpot In the long run, these machines sometimes pay a higher than average return rate
Slot Machine Strategy Highlights • Remember that the odds are against you in the long run. • Always play maximum coin to minimize the house edge. If you play
a quarter slot machine with a ve-coin max, think o it as a $125 slot machine • Try to nd high-return machines to play. • The progressive machines with big jackpots are often the best
machines available
VIDEO BLACKJACK How the Game Is Played Video Blackjack ollows the same basic structure o its table-game cousin, so i you are amiliar with the rules and str ategies o Blackjack (see Blackjack section), you will be right at home playing Video Blackjack
Strategies for Winning Video Blackjack The rst step or maximizing your return at Video Blackjack happens beore you ever place a bet: picking a machine Traditional Blackjack games have many rules variations, and Video Blackjack is no dierent Some rules improve the odds or the player while some improve the odds or the house Following are some rule variations you will nd in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES Video Blackjack, and the impact o each on the percentage
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according to John F Julian, author o Julian’s No-Nonsense Guide to Winning Blackjack The percentages are based on how they aect a Las Vegas Strip, single-deck game, which is eectively even The Las Vegas rules are: doubling is allowed on any rst two cards, insurance is allowed, blackjack pays three to two, splitting is allowed on any pair, and doubling is allowed ater splitting This is not a comprehensive list o all variations, only some variations ound in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES: • No Splitting o Pairs: Not good or the player Expectation Impact:
-021 percent • Insurance: This eature is usually available But unless you are a
card-counter and know exactly when to use it, it’s a bad bet I you don’t ever use it, it won’t aect your expectation I you do use it and you are not a card-counter, your expectation drops - 588 percent! • Six-Card Winner: You win i you are dealt six cards without busting
Favorable to the player Expectation Impact: +010 percent • Five-Card Charlie: Another player-avorable gimmick I you get
21 with ve cards, you win a two to one bonus The payout on this may vary Expectation Impact: +20 percent Once you choose your machine, play with an appropriate basic strategy or card-counting strategy, as ound in the Blackjack section Playing without at least a basic strategy lowers your expectation signicantly
Video Blackjack Strategy Highlights: • Pick a machine with a reasonable expectation based on the
inormation above • Play with a basic strategy at the very least (see Blackjack section).
VIDEO POKER How the Game Is Played To play a Video Poker machine, click the coin or bill slot and speciy how many credits you want to play with You can add more credits at any time The payo scale or the machine is shown in the lighted
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panel above the buttons and tells you how many coins (credits) you receive or all possible winning hands Typically, the winning hands in Video Poker are the same type o hands you will nd in a traditional Poker game, such as a Straight Flush or Four o a Kind (see the section on Poker or more inormation about winning hands) You can bet anywhere rom one to ve credits at a time You have two options in betting: 1 Hit the Bet One button or each credit you wish to bet 2 Hit the Bet Max button to bet ve credits When you bet ve credits, the machine automatically deals you ve cards When you bet less then ve credits, you must hit the Deal button to receive your rst ve cards Five cards appear on the screen ater you hit the Deal button At this point you must choose the cards you want to keep You are allowed one re-deal, and one chance to draw anywhere rom zero to ve new cards Each card must be individually selected i you wish to keep it You can keep a card by selecting it, at which point the word “Held” shows up on the screen above the card Cards marked by the word “Held” will not be replaced when you draw new cards You can easily change your mind about keeping a card by selecting it a second time Make sure the “Held” notation disappears when you do so I you have a pat hand (ve good cards), you can hit the Hold All button to quickly mark each card as held Conversely, the Discard All button unmarks each card When you’re ready to draw new cards, hit the Deal button The cards not marked by the word “Held” will be replaced, resulting in your nal hand I you win, you accumulate credits To collect your credit(s), hit the Cash Out button
Strategies for Winning at Video Poker A Video Poker machine generates piles o random numbers continually When you hit the right button, it stops generating numbers, turns the numbers into cards and displays them onscreen Some enthusiasts o Video Poker insist they can commune with the machines during protracted playing sessions Supposedly this helps them win However, we are reluctant to say you can beat Video Poker by utilizing any paranormal strategy We preer a more earth-bound,
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mathematical means o maximizing returns Like Video Blackjack, you make the most important decision in Video Poker when you pick your machine Machine payouts dier, and thus your machine selection has a signicant impact on your long-term potential earnings Video Poker machines in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES vary rom about a 93 percent return to 100 percent To maximize your odds, play the machines with the highest return However, since you are not risking actual money in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES, eel ree to experiment with all the machines Beore examining each machine in detail, it’s helpul to know the odds or obtaining the various hands in Poker The gures that ollow are based on Jacks or Better games Because people play the games slightly dierently, these gures are approximations Hand
Royal Flush (5 credits only) Straight Flush Four o a Kind Full House Flush Straight Three o a Kind Two Pairs Pair o Jacks or better
Odds
Payo
40,000+ to 1
1,000 to 1
9,200 to 1 424 to 1 86 to 1 90 to 1 88 to 1 13 to 1 7 to 1 4 to 1
50 to 1 25 to 1 9 to 1 6 to 1 4 to 1 3 to 1 2 to 1 1 to 1
A cursory glance at the above gures reveals a seeming imbalance For example, your odds o making a straight are 88 to 1, but the payo is only 4 to 1 We also said there is a machine with a 100 percent return in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES This apparent contradiction is easily explained: many o these odds are working simultaneously Although your payo is small when you are going or One Pair o jacks, you might also end up with Two Pair, a Full House, Three o a Kind, Four o a Kind, One Pair o Aces, or something else—even a Royal Flush! Thus, many o these odds are cumulative The end result is that, on any given hand, your chances o losing money on a Jacks or Better machine is only about 55 percent At 55 percent, those are pretty good odds, especially considering that you can only lose ve credits i you bet ve credits I you hit the Royal Flush, you’ll get 5,000 credits back! 92
When we show the payos payos or the dierent di erent machines, only the ve credit payos will be shown This is because be cause o a simple Video Poker truism–never truism– never play or less than ull credit! The reason or this is shown in the ollowing sample payo chart or a Jacks or Better machine Hand
Royal Flush Straight Strai ght Flush Four o a Kind Full House Flush Flu sh Straight Strai ght Three Thre e o a Kind Two Pair Pairss Pair o Jacks or Better
Credits:
1 250 50 25 6 5 4 3 2 1
2 500 100 100 50 12 10 8 6 4 2
3 750 150 75 18 15 12 9 6 3
4 1,000 200 100 24 20 16 12 8 4
5 5,000 250 125 12 5 30 25 20 15 10 5
Read this chart, char t, and you will see that the payscale increases at a xed rate as you move move rom a one-credit one-cre dit to a ve-credit game For example, a Flush pays ve credits (coins) on a one-credit one-cre dit play play It pays 25 (5x5) credits or a ve-credit ve- credit play The one glaring gla ring exception is the Royal Flush This pays 250250 -1,000 credits on a one to our-credit play but, 5,000 on a ve-credit ve-c redit play This is our times the expected rate and is the Video Poker equivalent o a jackpot You never never want to play or less than ull coin (ve credits), or you can’t truly hit the jackpot jackpot Our comments about the payo scales sc ales are always based on the right-most column (the ve-credit column), since this is the only column you should ever play in Video Poker
Jacks or Better The Jacks or Better machines pay out 98 percent p ercent to 100 percent at the top end Stick to the best machines, mac hines, and avoid anything that pays less than 96 percent Expect an even game when playing the Jacks or Better machines, with not as many extremes o winning and losing lo sing streaks as you get with the Jokers and the Deuces Deuce s machines 1 Easy Money Payo: 100 100 percent perc ent This machine is called a 9/6 Jacks or Better machine The 9/6 reers to the payo or the Full House (9 to 1) and the Flush (6 to 1) 93
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2 Jack’s Back Payo: 955 percent This machine is called a 6/5 Jacks or Better machine The 6/5 means the Full House pays 6 to 1, and the Flush pays 5 to 1 This machine appears nearly identical to the 9/6 machine at rst glance; Jacks or Better are required require d or a win, and the Royal Flush pays 5,000 (ull coin) Comparing this machine to the Easy-Money machine, we nd a reduction in payos or the Full House (lowered rom 45 to 30) and the Flush (lowered rom 30 to 25) These reductions will be critical critica l in the long run, making this machine a rather poor investment 3 Crawdad Payo: below 93 percent The Royal Flush is less protable on Crawdad —its payo o 2,500 or ull coin co in is only hal what most Jacks or o r Better machines machine s give you! However However,, this machine pays out big credits or Four o a Kinds ormed with ace ac e cards and aces ace s So, is it good machine? No! The payo payo is a mere 926 percent One key actor is the reduction o the Three o a Kind payo to an abysmal 2 to 1 Three o a Kind (like One Pair and Two Pair) is one o your bread-and-butter bread-and-but ter hands You You absolutely need these payos to extend exten d your playing time, to give you a chance to make the higher-scoring hands
Hand Rankings for Jacks or Better Machines Oten, the choices c hoices you make in Video Poker are airly air ly obvious (eg, (eg, no one dumps a pair o queens in avor o three garbage cards) c ards) The critical decisions, decision s, however however,, are the less obvious ones, such as a s when choosing between a high hig h One Pair and three cards to a Royal Flush Which cards should you keep? The ollowing hands (dealt beore the draw) are ranked rom highest to lowest in terms o scoring potential, starting star ting with the highest What this means is that you always want to “protect” the hand that shows up highest on the list and draw dr aw accordingly Hand rankings or 9/6 Jacks or Better machines are as ollows: 1Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four o a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight (pat hand) 2 Four cards to a Royal Flush 3 Three o a Kind 4 Four cards to an outside Straight Flush 5 Two Two Pairs Pair s 6 Four cards to an inside Straight Flush
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7 High pair (Jacks or better) 8 Three cards to a Royal Flush 9 Four cards to a Flush 10 Four cards to an outside Straight that include 10 inclu de three cards ranked Jack or higher 11 Low pair (10s or lower) 12 Four cards to an outside Straight that do not include three cards c ards ranked Jack or higher 13 Three cards to a Straight Flush, only one on e inside draw 14 Two cards to a Royal Flush 15 Three cards car ds to a Straight Flush, two t wo inside draws 16 Four cards to an inside Straight that include includ e three cards ranked Jack or higher 17 One, two, or three cards ranked Jack or higher 18 Everything else: draw ve new cards Remember, these rankings refect Remember, refe ct long-term potential winnings rather than immediate gratication This means that occasionally occ asionally you may sacrifce a scoring hand ha nd in avor o a hand with greater winning potential potential
Also notice the value attributed to High Cards (Jacks through aces) You don’t want to throw these out, as they have great winning potential It is a victory victor y even i you only end up winning the ve credits that you bet; it gives you one more chance to go or a bigger win and the Royal Flush Also, i you have two or three thre e High Cards in a potential straight or fush, you can bump it up one level on the list Here are some examples o playing hands using the hand rankings ra nkings chart: 1 You’re dealt a Q-J-10 o spades, a 10 o hearts, and a 2 o clubs The 10-J-Q hand gives you three cards ca rds to a Royal Flush You You also have a pair o 10s In the long run, you’re better o o discarding the low pair (ranked 11) and keeping the three cards to a Royal Flush (ranked 8) A-K-J-10-4, 10-4, in dierent di erent suits The A-K-JA- K-J-10 10 2 You’re starting hand is A-K-Jgives you our cards to an inside straight, including three cards card s ranked Jack or higher hig her (16) (16) Keeping the inside straight beats b eats out only keeping the three High H igh Cards (17) (17) Inside straights without withou t three High Cards don’t even make the rankings, and shouldn’t be kept 3 You are dealt a Q-J-10-9 o spades and the queen o diamonds You 95
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have a pair o queens and our cards to a Straight Flush By all means, sacrifce your scoring queens (7) or the outside Straight Flush (4) Even though you trade in a winning pair o queens, you don’t oten get a better shot at the mini-Jackpot paid or a Straight Flush
Deuces Wild Some Deuces Wild machines oer great winning potential Naturally, with our wild cards, the minimum winning hand is going to change Expect Deuces Wild machines to display Three o a Kind as a minimum hand Expect a roller coaster ride o great winning streaks sandwiched between losing streaks When playing Deuces Wild machines, make sure you never discard your 2s It’s easy to orget how valuable they are 1 Wild Country Payo: below 94 percent 2 Born To Be Wild Payo: below 95 percent These machines, characterized by a low return on the Full House, seldom produce winners The exception is the progressive machines, which have a variable jackpot (or the Royal Flush) that can get very high, and may have a return over 100 percent 3 Wild Thing Payo: below 96 percent This machine oers 1,000 credits or the our deuces, which will push up the payo to approximately 97 percent 4 Wild Party Payo: 99 percent In addition to the our deuces, a wild joker is also included with this game At a 99 percent return rate, you can expect to do airly well at Wild Party Not many other games oer better odds The correct Strategies or Deuces Wild machines change depending on the payo scale, but ollowing are the hand rankings or the Wild Par ty machine, the “wild” Video Poker machines with the highest return in HOYLE® CASINO GAMES: Non-Wild Card Hands
1 Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four o a Kind, Full House, fush, straight (pat hand) 2 Four cards to a Royal Flush 3 Four o a Kind 4 Three o a Kind 5 Four cards to a Straight Flush 6 Three cards to a Royal Flush 7 Four cards to a Flush 96
8 Two Pairs 9 Three cards to a Straight Flush 10 One Pair 11 Four cards to a Straight 12 All other hands: draw ve new cards Wild Card Hands
1 Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four o a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight (pat hand) 2 Four deuces 3 Three deuces and a joker 4 Three deuces with no other help 5 Two deuces and a joker with no other help 6 Four o a Kind with one or two wild cards 7 Four cards to a Royal Flush with one or two wild cards 8 Two deuces with no other help 9 One deuce and the joker with no other help 10 Four cards to a Straight Flush with one wild card 11 Three o a Kind with one wild card 12 Three cards to a Royal Flush with one wild card 13 Four cards to a Straight with one wild card 14 Four cards to a Flush with one wild card 15 Three cards to a Straight Flush with one wild card 16 One wild card with no other help You need big hands in Deuces Wild Discard all ve cards i you get anything that does not appear on the above list For example, don’t bother keeping our cards to an inside straight Due to the prevalence o wild cards, you’re usually better o taking ve new cards Likewise, three cards to a Straight and three cards to a Flush are not worth keeping Discard all ve in this situation
Tens or Better Some o the earliest Video Poker machines are Tens or Better machines They are usually some o the worst Video Poker machines in the casino, although it’s possible to nd some wheat among the cha A ew machines may oer close to a 100 percent return, but most are in the 90-95 percent range 1 A-10 Shun Payo: 991 percent This is one o the best 10s- orBetter machines you will nd You can expect the payos or a Tens or Better machine to be lower than the Jacks or Better 97
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machine This is natural, since a lower hand (One Pair o 10s) brings a win in the Tens or Better machines 2 Hang Ten Payo: below 95 percent Comparing this machine to the preceding machine, you nd a deceptively higher payo or the Full House (45 credits) and Straight (30 credits) However, the reduction o a Two Pair to a ve-credit pay-o erases the benet you might have derived otherwise The result is that the Hang-Ten machine occupies the video “cellar” in terms o its return rate Here are the hand rankings or a Tens or Better machine with the A-10 Shun payo scale: 1 Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four o a Kind, Full House, fush, straight (pat hand) 2 Four cards to a Royal Flush 3 Three o a Kind 4 Four cards to a Straight Flush 5 Two Pairs 6 High Pair (10s or better) 7 Three cards to a Royal Flush 8 Four cards to a Flush 9 Four cards to a Straight with a jack, queen or king high 10 Low pair (9s or lower) 11 Three cards to a Straight Flush with a 10 or Jack high 12 Four cards to a Straight 13 Two cards to a Royal Flush with jack, queen or king high 14 Four cards to an ace-high inside Straight 15 Three cards to a Straight Flush 16 One, two, or three High Cards 17 All other hands: draw ve new cards Tens or Better machines are played much like Jacks or Better
machines High Cards, however, now include 10s Low cards are anything below a 10
Multi-Hand Video Poker Take the popularity o Video Poker and multiply it by ty What do you get? Multi-Hand Video Poker, o course–one o the hottest casino games around It plays just like regular Video Poker, except you can play up to ty hands at once! This is not as overwhelming as it may sound Really, you are playing one hand o Video Poker, but
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getting up to 50 dierent results on the draw To play, rst choose the number o hands you wish to play by clicking one o the numbers across the bottom o the Video Poker screen: 1, 5, 10, 25, or 50 Then, place a bet and click the Deal button Clicking Bet Max will play as many credits as you can aord or every hand you chose to play The maximum bet is 250 credits —ve credits or each o 50 hands Ater you click Deal, you are presented with one large, ace-up ve card hand You now have the option to exchange cards, just like in regular Video Poker Any additional hands you are playing appear as small, ace-down hands above the main hand They contain the same ve cards as the main hand, and any cards you hold in the main hand are held or each extra hand as well When you are ready to draw new cards, click the Deal button A random set o replacement cards is drawn or each hand, as i you played the same starting hand many times in a row As the nal hands are revealed, your winning hands are tallied to the let and right o the main hand Each winning hand has a color-coded outline representing the type o hand it is Rolling the cursor over any o the small-sized hands pops up an enlarged version o it or easier viewing
Video Poker Strategy Highlights • Video Poker is not regular Poker! You are not trying to beat
someone else’s hand; you are trying to make the highest ranking hands possible or the biggest payouts • Play a machine with a high return rate, based on compar ing the pay
scales o dierent machines • Learn the hand rankings discussed in this section for a certain type
o machine (Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, or Tens or Better) Then, stick to playing that kind o machine Knowing what hand to go or is critical to Video Poker success, and changes rom machine type to machine type Always play maximum coin to minimize the house edge I you play a quarter machine with a ve-coin max, think o it as a $125 machine
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REFERENCES Books Andrew Brisman, American Mensa Guide to Casino Gambling: Winning Ways (1999) Stanley Ko, Mastering the Game of Let It Ride (1995) Albert H Morehead, Richard L Frey, and Georey Mott-Smith, The New Complete HOYLE ® Revised (1991) David Parlett, A Dictionary of Card Games (1992) John Patrick, John Patrick’s Blackjack (1991) Frank Scoblete, Beat the Craps out of the Casinos (1991) and Victory at Video Poker (1995) Lyle Stuart, Lyle Stuart on Baccarat (1997) NB Winkless, Jr, The Gambling Times Guide to Craps (1981) Stewart Wolpin, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to HOYLE ® (1990)
Web sites The Wizard o Odds, www.wizardoodds.com Henry Tamburin on Casino Gambling, www.smartgaming.com The Game Master Online, www.gamemasteronline.com
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CREDITS Encore Sotware, Inc. Development
Director o Production Glennis McClellan Producer Andrew Simpson Quality Assurance Manager Bruce James Quality Assurance Erick Solis Jason Almanza Ryan Ernest Jared Leigh Marketing
Director o Marketing Dena O’Loughlin Marketing Product Managers Dominique Grinnell Christopher Wincek Creative Services
Creative Director Allen Breiter Designer & Tracking Cesar Torres Package Design David Serrano Corporate
President Cal Morrell Corporate Counsel Ray Caldito Director o Finance and Operations Catherine Cheng Director o Business to Consumer Robert Coshland Director o Inormation Systems Chris Grote Sr Manager o Licensing & Contract Administration Noelle Stevens Special Thanks
Game Design & Additional Art Glennis McClellan Robert Coshland Purchasing Manager Jaime Chavez Director o Demand Planning & Sales Operations Jen Abell-Champion Finance Manager John Keaney 101
HOYLE ® Casino Games 2011
Financial Analyst Jennier Harley Content Manager Oscar Martinez
CREDITS Freeverse
Producer Justin D’Onorio Associate Producer Kevin O’Neil Lead Programmer Dennis Piatkowski Network Programmer Steven Cento Associate Programmer Kristian Bauer Additional Programming Kevin Parichan John Philip Britt Carmelo Piccione Creative Lead Steve Tze 3D Artist Lucas Georgescu QA Lead Matt Korybski QA Team Evan Wol Andrew Green Chris Greene Keith O’Donnell Doug Smith Music and Sound Andrew Tokuda Paul Irizarry
LEGAL INFORMATION Hoyle Casino Games 2011 © 2010 Encore Sotware, Inc All rights reserved Hoyle, According to Hoyle, the Shellback Design, and Hoyle Face Card Designs are registered trademarks o The US Playing Card Company in the United States and other countries used under license by Encore Sotware Inc, Portions o the content and technology provided by Sierra Entertainment, Inc All rights reserved Freeverse is a registered trademark o Freeverse, Inc Microsot, Windows and the Windows logo are registered
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trademarks o Microsot Corporation in the US and/or other countries Pentium is a registered trademark o Intel Corporation MacOS and Macintosh are registered trademarks o Apple Inc The ratings icon is a registered trademark o the ESRB All other trademarks are the property o their respective owners USE OF THIS PRODUCT IS SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF WARRANTY UNDER THE LICENSE AGREEMENT CONTAINED HEREIN YOUR USE OF THIS PRODUCT CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO ITS TERMS
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LIMITED WARRANTY Excluding the internet website link(s), Encore Sotware, Inc (“Encore”) warrants, or your benet alone, or a period o 90 days rom the date o commencement o this License Agreement (reerred to as “Warranty Period”) that the Sotware DVD-ROM in which the Sotware is contained is ree rom deects in material and workmanship I during the Warranty Period, a deect in the Sotware appears, you may return the Sotware to Encore or either replacement, or, i so elected by Encore, reund o amounts paid by you under this License Agreement You agree that the oregoing constitutes your sole and exclusive remedy or breach by Encore o any warranties made under this Agreement
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EXCEPT FOR THE WARRANTIES SET FORTH ABOVE, THE SOFTWARE, AND THE SOFTWARE CONTAINED THEREIN, ARE LICENSED “AS IS,” AND ENCORE DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE This product may contain hyperlinks to web sites on the World Wide Web (the “Linked Sites”) You acknowledge and agree that (i) the Linked Sites are not under the control o Encore; (ii) Encore is not responsible or liable or the content, advertising, expiration, availability, changes or updates related to any Linked Sites or hyperlink contained in a Linked Site, or any goods or services made available on such Linked Sites; and (iii) Encore is not responsible or webcasting, sotware, download or any other orm o transmission or media received rom any Linked Site Linked Sites are provided to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion o any Linked Sites does not imply endorsement by Encore o any such Linked Sites You acknowledge and agree that Encore shall not be responsible or liable, either directly or indirectly, or any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use o or reliance upon any content, goods or services available on or through any such Linked Site YOU ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL USE OF OR ACCESS TO LINKED SITES, AND ACCESS THE SAME AT YOUR OWN RISK ENCORE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR LINKED SITES LINKED SITES ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION GIVEN BY ENCORE, ITS AFFILIATES OR ITS CONTRACTORS OR THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY
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