5 Card Texas Draw info

Just wondering if anyone has heard of this new table game? It just showed up in my local tribal casino (Firekeepers in Michigan). I found some info about it at the manufacturers site (Score Gaming - scoregamingnv.com) and would like to know if anyone has figured a strategy for the game or determined if it's even worth playing. According to the website, an analysis shows a house edge of 1.04% with one player, 0.83% with two players, and 1.07% with six players. I'm just looking for a bit more info before throwing any money at the "new shiny bauble" at the casino.

Thanks.

I just took a look and reviewed the GLI report. One thing that I must note is that the house edge is 1.94% and the element of risk is 1.04%. Also, it is not intuitive to me why the house edge increases with more players, since the player hole cards are dealt face up. Giving the player more info should decrease the house edge.

I also visit FireKeepers a couple times each week, and today I tried Texas Draw. I googled last night and found this post and the reference to the scoregamingnv.com. After reading the rules at the website, I thought I would give it a shot today. It was $5 minimum, which was worth a shot. However, like an idiot, I started off betting $10 ante (forgot the minimum was $5, I guess). I lost a pretty quick $100, although I did have a couple of winning hands.

Actually, I was waiting for EZ Baccarat to start up at 6pm, and since it was only 5:30pm, it dawned on me, as I was walking around, that the minimum was $5 and I decided to go back and give it another shot.

I didn't play Top The Flop, as the PDF from the gaming site mentioned the house edge over 3%. I struggled with the number of hands in which no pairs ended up in the 4-card hand and no pairs including my hole card. When I was playing $10 hands, I decided not to draw or raise $20, especially with the no-pair hands. However, once I was playing $5 ante, I decided a number of times to put out the $10 to possibly improve my low card, not really expecting to pair up. I was able to force pushes that way, but it was only a few hands, so I am still struggling to think of an optimal strategy.

I noticed a ton of games on the scoregamingnv.com website and I am curious to know if FireKeepers will adopt more. I had a few people stop by and watch me play, but my initial opinion is that the game may not last long. I found playing $5 was ok and that I will go back and play, since video craps was removed (although a new video craps set of terminals are waiting to be configured and up and running.

As I play more, I will come back here and post some thoughts, but I was really hoping someone else already some ideas for playing strategies.

This doesn't really help, but I did want to post, since I just played it this evening. I forgot to mention that I bought in for another $100, and left with $130 after a few hands to go play Pai Gow Poker. Luckily, I hit a Panda 8 at EZ Baccarat to help me get back to even, after dropping the $70 at Texas Draw and another $24 at Pai Gow Poker.

Note - one hand, there was a pair of 10s a nine and another card. I had a nine, for two-pair, so I bet $20 raise ($10 ante). Dealer turns over her hole card and BAM! A TEN! OUCH!!!!! Her full house smacked my two-pair, so that was a fast $30.

Again, thanks for your original post. This is all I could find using Google.

Another note - with only one hole card and really only one bet after you see all 4 cards, the game has more of a feel of War. A hole card of less than 7, is most likely a loser, since the dealer will stay with a hole card of 7 or more, or draw automatically - two shots to beat your low card of a no-pair hand, or your kicker.

I don't see this ever being my first option game, but again, for $5 minimum, it is cheaper than the $15 Pai Gow Poker or $15 EZ Bac that I prefer to play. Then again, with the $3 minimum video craps, I haven't played at the tables for a long time.

CrystalMath - Thanks for the correction, there is a lot I don't know about calculating all these different things (maybe I should have taken more stats classes in college). I also thought it strange that HE would increase as players increased but chalked it up to the extra hole cards taking away from possible combinations (again, those stats classes would have helped).

SanPurdue - I had the chance to return to FK twice since posting this and found very little play on this game. I did watch and talk to 1 person playing and we both came to the conclusion that the game needs tweaking and the dealer agreed. The last time I was there, they were installing the new electronic games (craps, roulette, blackjack), so we probably didn't miss each other by much. I'm usually there on Tuesdays for the "senior" giveaways (funny, I don't feel that old).

Overall, from what I've seen, I don't think this game will last very long without some serious tweaks to generate more interest.

Played a few times now, I lost $100 at two sessions and won $25 in a third. Tonight, I had an Ace and a Queen up for me, and the dealer showed two pair, so I bet the raise ($10) in back-to-back hands, and I lost them both, the dealer had a full house.... And, I had another hand where the dealer had a queen down for the Ace high straight. This all happened tonight, with my $100 losing session. I have yet to walk by and see more than 2 players. Mostly zero or one.

I don't think it will stick around, other than it is $5. Hard to find any $5 min games, except for the occasional blackjack or craps and they are almost non-existent in the evening.

Had 4 cards to a straight flush, before the final card (obviously) but missed it.

I did try out the new craps and baccarat games (video). Not a huge fan of either, but the craps is still $3 min and $5 min for baccarat.

The one thing about the craps is that you can drop a larger max than in the previous game. I sat down, after losing the $100 at Texas Draw and put $100 down on the 10 to lay. Hoping for a seven, obviously, but the roll was a 6 and a 4. OUCH! I eventually won that $100 back, but that is largest bet I have ever made on the video craps and I paid the price on the very next roll....

I typically go out on Monday nights and Friday nights. I have a free room every Friday (well, maybe better defined as pre-paid...LOL!).

If Texas Draw goes away, I won't shed a tear, but if it stays, I will probably play it once in a while. During the summer I might make it out on Tuesdays.

One guy sat down, didn't really understand the game, bet the flop and lost, then paid $10 to get a new card and lost. He said he was leaving to find a blackjack game.....

Good luck at FKC! Maybe we will run into or past each other sometime :-)

Maybe I have a braino or typo some where, but I'm getting a house edge of just over 1/2 %.

Hand	Raise/Draw	Pays	Ways	Probability	Return
Royal Flush	Yes	510	3883320	0.0000030716	0.001566519
Straight Flush	Yes	210	32673108	0.0000258436	0.005427151
Quads	Yes	40	458179920	0.0003624084	0.014496336
Full House	Yes	17	2876500800	0.0022752373	0.038679034
Flush	Yes	10	3771445584	0.0029831153	0.029831153
Straight	Yes	6	5869614348	0.0046427122	0.027856273
Trips	Yes	4	24672665088	0.0195154361	0.078061744
Two Pair	Yes	3	55170744192	0.0436386231	0.130915869
One Pair	Yes	2	218231131680	0.1726151467	0.345230293
Push	Yes	0	28568877540	0.0225972388	0
Lose	Yes	-3	118727286900	0.0939101946	-0.281730584
Two Pair	No	2	939444480	0.0007430761	0.001486152
One Pair	No	1	59618540160	0.0471567140	0.047156714
Push	No	0	183907319400	0.1454659043	0
Lose	No	-1	561415785480	0.4440652780	-0.444065278
			1264264092000	1	-0.005088622