Read Online Double Blind by Heidi Cullinan - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Heidi Cullinan
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one pair and three-of-a-kind together in one hand. Three 4s and two 8s. Three kings and two jacks. Three aces and two queens. Another way to say it is ‘aces full of queens’. That means you have three aces with two queens. The three set full of the two set.”
“Okay,” Ethan said, trying to iron it out in his head. “Except that I’ve already forgotten half the orders of the hands.”
Randy waved the thought aside. “You’ll learn by playing. But do you get the concept? You’ll be dealt five cards. You want to form the best hand you can from what you’re given. Now in this game”—he tapped the monitor in front of Ethan, which was flashing INSERT COIN TO PLAY!—“you’re only playing against the hand you’re given, and you only get one discard.”
“Discard?”
“You get five cards, and then you get a chance to hold or redraw however many you want, up to five. In this game, unlike at a table game with live people, you’d need to get jacks or better. That means any single pair lower than a jack is garbage, so you ignore it. In a real game you could win with a pair of 2s, if you had the best hand or the best bluff or if nobody else had any other pair. But you can’t bluff in video poker, and nobody’s playing against you.” He leaned to the side, pulled out his wallet, and rolled off a twenty, which he fed into the machine. “Just bet one at a time to start,” he said, pushing a button. The screen immediately changed, and five cards came up. “Now.” Randy leaned back on his stool. “What do you have in this hand?”
Ethan blinked at the screen. He saw, beneath the leering face of a jester, digital images of a hand: 5 e 3 w A r 2 w K q . He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“You have jack shit, is what. But don’t worry about that. Look at it again, Slick, and tell me what you could have. What hands do you almost have, or what could you have if you discarded some and drew again? What possibilities are here?”
Ethan studied the cards again. He still had no idea. “I have an ace,” he said cautiously. “That’s good, right?” Randy said nothing, so Ethan kept looking. “I have two clubs. Oh—and they’re in order.” He looked again, starting to see it. “I have a 2, a 3, and a 5. If I had a 4 and a 6, I’d have a straight.” He stopped. “Wait! No, I have the ace! I almost have a straight!”
Randy smiled. “Very good. What else?”
Ethan squinted. “I have an ace and a king. If I had a queen, a jack, and a 10, I’d have a straight.” He looked again. “I have two clubs, which meant if I had three more, I’d have a flush.” Randy seemed to be waiting, so he looked one more time. “Oh—either the ace or king could get me a pair that would pay.”
Randy nodded. “Good. Now, you’ve got to discard and redraw. What are you going to hold onto?”
Ethan tried to remember the hand rankings. “The ace, 2, 3, and 5? To try for a straight?”
“Well, see, this is the trouble. The odds of you getting one of the 4s is not high. Of course, neither are your odds of getting anything else. You’re probably going to lose this one.”
“Can I fold?” Ethan asked.
Randy shook his head. “Not with video poker.” He pointed at the screen. “The only other thing worth trying is to hold the king or ace alone and try for a pair, if you don’t go for the straight.” He looked straight at Ethan. “It’s about odds . If you go for the straight, you have one shot to draw one of the four 4s. But if you try for an ace or king pair, you have three shots of getting one of the remaining three.”
“So I should try for the pair?” Ethan asked.
“Ah.” Randy pointed to the side of the screen. “This is where we talk about payouts. Check the payout for a straight verses a pair.”
Ethan leaned forward and scanned the list of how many credits each hand made. His eyes went wide when he saw the straight.
“Okay,” Ethan said, trying to iron it out in his head. “Except that I’ve already forgotten half the orders of the hands.”
Randy waved the thought aside. “You’ll learn by playing. But do you get the concept? You’ll be dealt five cards. You want to form the best hand you can from what you’re given. Now in this game”—he tapped the monitor in front of Ethan, which was flashing INSERT COIN TO PLAY!—“you’re only playing against the hand you’re given, and you only get one discard.”
“Discard?”
“You get five cards, and then you get a chance to hold or redraw however many you want, up to five. In this game, unlike at a table game with live people, you’d need to get jacks or better. That means any single pair lower than a jack is garbage, so you ignore it. In a real game you could win with a pair of 2s, if you had the best hand or the best bluff or if nobody else had any other pair. But you can’t bluff in video poker, and nobody’s playing against you.” He leaned to the side, pulled out his wallet, and rolled off a twenty, which he fed into the machine. “Just bet one at a time to start,” he said, pushing a button. The screen immediately changed, and five cards came up. “Now.” Randy leaned back on his stool. “What do you have in this hand?”
Ethan blinked at the screen. He saw, beneath the leering face of a jester, digital images of a hand: 5 e 3 w A r 2 w K q . He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“You have jack shit, is what. But don’t worry about that. Look at it again, Slick, and tell me what you could have. What hands do you almost have, or what could you have if you discarded some and drew again? What possibilities are here?”
Ethan studied the cards again. He still had no idea. “I have an ace,” he said cautiously. “That’s good, right?” Randy said nothing, so Ethan kept looking. “I have two clubs. Oh—and they’re in order.” He looked again, starting to see it. “I have a 2, a 3, and a 5. If I had a 4 and a 6, I’d have a straight.” He stopped. “Wait! No, I have the ace! I almost have a straight!”
Randy smiled. “Very good. What else?”
Ethan squinted. “I have an ace and a king. If I had a queen, a jack, and a 10, I’d have a straight.” He looked again. “I have two clubs, which meant if I had three more, I’d have a flush.” Randy seemed to be waiting, so he looked one more time. “Oh—either the ace or king could get me a pair that would pay.”
Randy nodded. “Good. Now, you’ve got to discard and redraw. What are you going to hold onto?”
Ethan tried to remember the hand rankings. “The ace, 2, 3, and 5? To try for a straight?”
“Well, see, this is the trouble. The odds of you getting one of the 4s is not high. Of course, neither are your odds of getting anything else. You’re probably going to lose this one.”
“Can I fold?” Ethan asked.
Randy shook his head. “Not with video poker.” He pointed at the screen. “The only other thing worth trying is to hold the king or ace alone and try for a pair, if you don’t go for the straight.” He looked straight at Ethan. “It’s about odds . If you go for the straight, you have one shot to draw one of the four 4s. But if you try for an ace or king pair, you have three shots of getting one of the remaining three.”
“So I should try for the pair?” Ethan asked.
“Ah.” Randy pointed to the side of the screen. “This is where we talk about payouts. Check the payout for a straight verses a pair.”
Ethan leaned forward and scanned the list of how many credits each hand made. His eyes went wide when he saw the straight.
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