Show HN: Video Poker Trainer
classicvideopoker.comI've created a trainer for video poker based on the 99.54% RTP strategy as outlined in "The Doctrine of Chances" by Steward N. Ethier (p 554 table 17.5). Apparently the maximum RTP for video poker wasn't proven until 2010, which is astonishing to me given the game has been in the wild since 1979. Note this is a strategy for classic 9/6 Jacks or Better (Full Pay) - it does not apply to popular variants which followed.
A full "cycle" in video poker from the house perspective is regarded as around 13k hands played (in which case you should see a royal flush). What I can see from the general public playing video poker over 18,471 hands is that the global RTP is 94.29% - which means the vast majority of players are using a sub-optimal strategy. This also means that 9/6 Jacks or Better was/is likely a very profitable game for land based casinos back in the day.
Looking forward to any feedback! Some folks have nothing better to do than to post comments like that. Why not give some constructive feedback ? My son is a young software engineer and has won poker tournaments, I will send this to him for a look. The tumbleweed tells me I probably need to have a long think about Balatro before making the next version ;-)