CueCards

Preserved reference

Is a book too bulky to carry with you and use during play? Of course it is.

Do you prefer not advertising to casino personnel that you're using a computer-generated strategy?

For your actual casino excursion, you should consider my highly optimized cue cards. The heavy laminated, shirt pocket size strategy cards are available for 18 of the most attractive games, plus certain variations on some of those games. See below for details on the various cards.

These cards are functional, not fancy. Every card is original laser printed in sharp black on white for best readability in dim casino lighting, and heavy laminated for durability. The cards will fit easily in your shirt pocket or in the palm of your hand.

Before ordering cue cards, it's a good idea to scout around and find out what games are available where you play. Having the card for a 102% game will get you 102% payback only on that specific game. I like to sell cards, but I don't want you to waste money. There is no point in buying a card for a game that is not available where you play.

Each card features an optimized hand rank table for one game, and some can be used for several variations on that game as described (numbers such as "9/6" refer to the per-coin payoffs that are most commonly changed -- in the case of Jacks or Better they refer to the full house and flush):

Jacks-or-Better optimized strategy for full pay 9/6 (99.53%, or 99.85% with 4700-coin royal), 8/5 (97.3%), 8/5 Bonus Poker (99.2%), Aces and Eights (100.15%), Jacks or Better 10/6 (100.67%, but this variation appears to be extinct), Aces&Faces 8/5 (99.25%), and most J-or-B progressives. This one card covers all those variations, so it's a must have for every video poker player.

Double Bonus Poker 10/7 at 100.15%. This is the most widely available 100%+ game around southern Nevada and some other parts of the country, but the strategy is very complex, and the volatility is high. Recommended primarily for players who like to play $1 or higher denomination, or multi-play machines, but this game is also popular with players who like the mini-jackpots on various four-of-a-kind hands.

Double Double Bonus 9/6 at 98.8% or rarely avbailable 10/6 at 100.05%. This is a very popular game with recreational players, and the strategy is relatively easy, but the variance is very high. It is not recommended where higher payback games are available.

Double Double Jackpot is one of the easiest games to play accurately. The 10/6/5 version (101.4%) of this Sigma game appears to be extinct, but 9/6/5 (100.3%) may still be available in some areas. This strategy is also fairly close for the (apparently extinct) 10/7/4 version.

All American Poker is the best game available in many parts of the country, especially in the Midwest, and occasionally in Atlantic City and Connecticut casinos. This refined (but necessarily complex) strategy will yield 100.7% payback. Sporadically available paying 250-for-5 for quads (102.9%) on some Bally GameMaker machines. This same game has also been seen with other names, including Gator Bonus Poker.

Flush Attack at up to 101.8%±. This is the optimized "Flush 50" strategy for unlinked machines that go into "Attack" mode after 3 flushes. (Most now require 4, but you can often pick up a "free" flush left by a previous player, thus making this strategy viable for short term play.)

Pick'em Poker at 99.9% plus liberal slot club rebates in some Strip and Midwest casinos. This game deals two cards, then you pick one of two shown for your third card, and it shows the final two cards. This is the best game available in several Las Vegas Strip casinos. A very fast game, good for lots of dollar action when there's a good promotion, but some people find it boring.

Deuces Wild at 100.75% with the "full pay" 25/15/9/5/3/2/2/1 payoff schedule. (This game can yield 101.1% with 4700-coin royal.). Strategy modifications for a $15,000 sequential royal flush are included (adds 0.6%) in case you should spot such a machine. I highly recommend this game for the beginning or intermediate player in Nevada, especially for Las Vegas area "locals" casinos.

"Not So Ugly Deuces" (NSUD) at 99.7% with the 25/16/10/4/4/3/2/1 payoff schedule is the best game available in many casinos. This card is highly recommended if you play on the LV Strip or outside Nevada.

Bonus Deuces at 100.9% is the best game at Sam's Town (LV), where you also get 0.1% slot club cash rebate or 0.167% in comps.

Loose Deuces 17/10 at 101.6% on a nickel coin-dropper at Fitzgeralds, 15/10 at 100.95% at a few casinos, and the more common 15/8 (100.09%). The 15/8 version is available at the Las Vegas Hilton, where you get 0.33% cash rebate. This is a very high variance game, so avoid the 12/8 version like the plague.

Deuces Deluxe at 100.2%± (plus up to 0.4% slot club cash rebate at the Stardust). This same payoff schedule is also available in a few other casinos under a different name.

Joker Wild (Kings or Better 20/7) at 100.65%± (this game may still be available a few places with 4700-coin royal for 101% payback, last seen at the Hacienda casino near Hoover Dam).

Double Joker Wild (AC) at up to 99.9%, making this possibly the best game still available in Atlantic City, but full pay machines are scarce and may no longer exist. One casino used to have a 3-coin $5 machine (100.3%), but at last report that game had been removed.

Double Joker Wild (LV) at up to 100.6% in Las Vegas. This pay schedule is not available in Atlantic City, and it's rare even in LV.

The following games appear to be extinct, but I still have these cards in stock in case you happen to find one or more of them somewhere. Suggested only for players who are always on the lookout for an unexpected good opportunity. Please let me know where you find any of these games.

Jacks-or-Better (9/7) at 100.78% (this is 0.16% more than you would get on this game with the 9/6 strategy above). We have not heard of this game in any casino since 2004.

Pick Five Poker. This game shows you two cards at a time, and at each juncture you must pick one of the two to be part of your final hand. According to the game's developer, the maximum expected return is 103.1%. This strategy has been shown by simulation to yield a bit over 102%.

Joker Wild (Two Pair) at up to 102% (with 5000-coin royal). This game was pounded hard by the vultures, so it will probably never be seen again. We have not heard of this game in any casino since 2003.

Please do not order a card for a game that is not listed, but note in the descriptions above that some cards are optimized for several versions of a game. If you find an attractive game other than above, let me know, and I may make a card.

Many other games have been covered in Video Poker Times. Get all of those strategies in the book All The Best of Video Poker Times.

Pricing for cue cards, including first class US mail postage:

Any one card, $5.00
Additional cards, add $4.00 per card

Any 5 cards (mix or match), $18.00
Additional single cards, add $3.25 per card

Any 10 cards (mix or match), $30.00
Additional single cards, add $2.75 per card

All 18 cards (one each), $42.00
Additional complete sets, $40.00 each
Additional single cards, $2.50 each

An explanation sheet is included with each cue card order to clarify use and abbreviations.

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