The Game
This game can be found on Bally GameMakers. As the game itself was not copyrighted, unlike its name, IGT began to offer it on its machines but using another moniker, Pick-a-Pair. However, special promotions at casinos in Canada and the United States often feature Pick ‘Em Poker.
Differences are mainly related to poker hands and odds for the calculation of payouts. But sometimes developers of software for online casinos delight users with original models. Our review from experts of the portal Casinoz is dedicated to one of them. This is a free video poker Pick'em, produced by the company Playtech, which you have to test.
The game uses a regular 52-card deck, while the lowest rank of winning hand is a pair of Nines.
Pick ‘Em Poker begins once two exposed cards are dealt on the left side of the screen and two stacks each comprised by three cards appear on the right side. The top card in each of the two stacks will appear exposed. A player has to keep the two exposed cards on the left, but needs to select one of the stacks on the right they are willing to hold. After a choice is made, the two hidden cards in the selected stack will be exposed and the player will have a complete hand.
What is important to note is that as no card replacements on the left screen side are allowed, the chance of achieving a high-ranking hand after the draw is reduced. This explains why in this game the player gets paid for a hand of relatively low rank (a pair of Nines). Since such a hand occurs frequently, Pick ‘Em Poker is an appropriate game for novice players and players having a thin budget.
As for the game version providing the greatest earning opportunity, experts recommend Full-Pay Pick ‘Em Poker, which offers an expected return of 99.95%. A Royal Flush in the game is worth 6 000 coins. As the payout percentage is below 100%, Pick ‘Em Poker is an easy video poker game to come across, because it is offered in a large number of casinos.
There were various short pay variations of the game, known as ”Slim Pick 'Ems”, where a combination such as a Royal Flush was worth 10 000 coins. However, one or more of the other winning combinations paid less compared to the ordinary game version.
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The Strategy
Pick 'Em Poker provides a lesser number of possible combinations in comparison with the other video poker games we already paid attention to. However, this feature contributes to faster gameplay.
We are going to present the play strategy for Pick 'Em Poker in a table form, which should be examined from top to bottom.
The first column will show the card combination one will have after they have chosen one of the two stacks. If we take Three of a Kind in the first column, this means that the two unchangeable cards and the card at the top of one stack completes a Three of a Kind hand. The second column will show cases when a player should not pick the stack, or facilitates a choice between the two stacks when either of them will provide the card combination listed. The third column will list actions one should always avoid in the particular situation.
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| Dealt Hand with the Top Card of the Chosen Stack | Exceptions and Alternate Decisions | Actions one should avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Three of a Kind | None | None |
| Three to a Royal Flush | 1. In case one of the three cards to a Royal Flush is an Ace, if possible, one should choose the stack that completes a high Pair. | 1. One should never choose a stack that makes three to a Royal Flush, if one of the three cards is an Ace, over a high Pair. Always select the high Pair. |
| High Pair (One that pays) | None | 1. One should never choose a stack that makes three to a Straight Flush over a high Pair. Always select the high Pair. |
| Three to a Straight Flush with zero or one gap | 1. In case both stacks complete three to a Straight Flush, one should choose the stack with zero gaps. 2. In case the stacks have the same number of gaps, one should choose the high-card stack. | 1. One should never choose the stack with one gap over the stack with zero gaps, when both stacks complete three to a Straight Flush. One should keep the stack with zero gaps. 2. One should never choose the stack with an Eight or lower over the stack with a Nine or higher, in case both stacks have the same number of gaps. One should keep the high-card stack. |
| Low Pair (Non-paying) | 1. In case one of the stacks is a high card and completes three to a two-gap Straight Flush, one should choose it and not the stack, which completes a Low Pair. | 1. One should never choose a low pair stack over a three to a Flush stack, when two out of the three cards are high ones. The player should choose three cards to a Flush. 2. One should never choose a low pair stack over three to a two-gap Straight Flush, when any of the three cards is high. Keep the Straight Flush stack. 3. One should never choose a two-gap Straight Flush stack with three low cards. Choose the low pair stack. |
| Three to a Straight Flush with two gaps | 1. In case both stacks complete three to a Straight Flush with two gaps, one should choose the high-card stack. | None |
| Three to a Flush | 1. In case both stacks complete three to a Flush, one should choose the high-card stack. | None |
| Three to a Straight with zero or one gap | 1. In case both stacks complete three to a Straight with zero or one gap, the player should choose the high-card stack. 2. In case both stacks have either high or low cards, one should choose the stack with the lowest number of gaps. | 1. One should never choose a low-card stack with zero gaps over a high-card stack with one gap. Keep the high-card stack. 2. One should never choose a stack with one gap over a stack with zero gaps, in case the stacks are either both high, or both low. Keep the stack with zero gaps. |
| High Card (Nine or higher) | 1. In case both stacks have high cards, one should choose the stack, which completes three to any Straight. | 1. One should never choose a stack without a Straight opportunity over a stack with a Straight opportunity, in case both stacks include high cards. |
| Three to a Low Straight with two gaps | None | 1. One should never choose a stack without a Straight opportunity if none of the above-mentioned situations applies. Keep the Straight stack with two gaps. |
| Low Card | 1. In case both stacks are low and none of the situations above applies, one should choose either card. | None |
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$1000Pick'em Video Poker Highlights
Pick'em is very different from a regular video poker game. In this game you are dealt two cards starting on the left and then 2 stacks of cards. Each stack contains 3 cards.
You can only hold on one of the two stacks. The single cards cannot be discarded. Choose between the 2 stacks to give you the best hand based on the card on top of the stacks and the 2 cards on the left.
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Once you choose and draw, the stack you didn't choose is discarded and the stack you held will spread and display the other cards underneath You won't know what's under the top card of the stack until you choose and draw.
The rate table starts with: a pair of nines or better, two pair, 3 of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and Royal Flush.
This can be a frustrating game particularly when the same kind of card is on top of both stacks and you have to discard one of them. Not knowing what is beneath the top card makes this more a game of chance than skill.
A deck of 52 cards is used and the deck is reshuffled each hand. You can bet from 1 to 5 coins per hand and you have 5 coin denominations to choose from: 5¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1 and $5.
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