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Poker Bo
Introduction
Poker Bo is a simple poker-based game in which the player bets on the poker-value of five cards dealt from a six-deck shoe. Much like roulette, there are not decisions to make, other than bet selection.
As of this writing, in April 2018, it can be found at the Crown casino in Melbourne.
Rules
The following rules assume the reader already knows the definitions of the various poker hands.
- Six decks of ordinary cards are used.
- Various bets are available, as follows, on the poker value of a randomly drawn five-card hand.
- The Straight 'n' Up bet pays based on the highest poker value of the hand. In the event the hand qualifies for multiple wins, only the higher/highest ranking poker hand shall apply.
- The Three of a Kind bet shall pay 20 to 1 if the poker value of the hand is a three of a kind, including a hand that can be scored as both a flush and three of a kind. It will not pay on a full house, four of a kind, or five of a kind.
- The Two Pair bet shall pay 13 to 1 if the poker value of the hand is a two pair, including a hand that can be scored as both a flush and two pair. It will not pay on a full house, four of a kind, or five of a kind.
- The Pair bet shall pay 1 to 1 if the poker value of the hand is a pair, including a hand that can be scored as both a flush and pair. It will not pay on a two pair, three of a kind, full house, four of a kind, or five of a kind.
- The No Hand bet shall pay if the poker value of the hand is ace high or less.
- There are four Specific Suit bets, one for each suit. Each pays according to the number of cards in the chosen suit in the five-card poker hand.
Analysis
The following table shows my analysis of the Straight 'n' Up bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 10.11%.
Straight 'n' Up
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | 500 | 31,104 | 0.000001 | 0.000652 |
| Straight flush | 400 | 279,936 | 0.000012 | 0.004694 |
| Five of a kind | 300 | 552,552 | 0.000023 | 0.006948 |
| Four of a kind | 150 | 39,783,744 | 0.001668 | 0.250145 |
| Full house | 100 | 87,145,344 | 0.003653 | 0.365291 |
| Flush | 50 | 83,889,648 | 0.003516 | 0.175822 |
| Straight | 25 | 79,315,200 | 0.003325 | 0.083117 |
| All other | -1 | 23,565,387,024 | 0.987802 | -0.987802 |
| Total | 23,856,384,552 | 1.000000 | -0.101132 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Three of a Kind bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 11.95%.
Three of a Kind
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three of a kind | 20 | 1,000,276,992 | 0.041929 | 0.838582 |
| All other | -1 | 22,856,107,560 | 0.958071 | -0.958071 |
| Total | 23,856,384,552 | 1.000000 | -0.119489 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Two Pair bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.95%.
Two Pair
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two pair | 13 | 1,568,616,192 | 0.065752 | 0.854782 |
| All other | -1 | 22,287,768,360 | 0.934248 | -0.934248 |
| Total | 23,856,384,552 | 1.000000 | -0.079465 |
The following table shows my analysis of the Pair bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 8.52%.
Pair
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pair | 1 | 10,912,112,640 | 0.457408 | 0.457408 |
| All other | -1 | 12,944,271,912 | 0.542592 | -0.542592 |
| Total | 23,856,384,552 | 1.000000 | -0.085183 |
The following table shows my analysis of the No Hand bet. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 15.09%.
No Hand
| Event | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No hand | 1 | 10,128,551,040 | 0.424564 | 0.424564 |
| All other | -1 | 13,727,833,512 | 0.575436 | -0.575436 |
| Total | 23,856,384,552 | 1.000000 | -0.150873 |
The following table shows my analysis of the four Specific Suit bets. The number column reflects the number of cards in the chosen suit in the five-card hand. The lower right cell shows a house edge of 7.94%.
Specific Suit
| Number | Pays | Combinations | Probability | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 50 | 21,111,090 | 0.000885 | 0.044246 |
| 4 | 5 | 333,783,450 | 0.013991 | 0.069957 |
| 3 | 2 | 2,073,907,836 | 0.086933 | 0.173866 |
| 2 | 1 | 6,330,876,552 | 0.265375 | 0.265375 |
| 1 or 0 | -1 | 15,096,705,624 | 0.632816 | -0.632816 |
| Total | 23,856,384,552 | 1.000000 | -0.079373 |
External Links
- Official web site by game maker TCS John Huxley.
- Discussion about the game in my forum at Wizard of Vegas.
- Rack card (PDF) from the Crown Casino in Melbourne.
Written by:Michael Shackleford
