Oasis Poker/Nicaragua (BUY) Strategy
May 4th, 2022 at 2:06:17 PM
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This thread is to address basic strategy for Oasis Poker -Nicaragua (BUY) Variant. Currently there is no published strategy for that game, although many parts of the Nicaragua strategy would be expected to be similar to the strategy for the Switch version of Oasis Poker.
Direct link to Wiz's WOO page on Oasis Poker: https://wizardofodds.com/games/oasis-poker/
In Oasis/Nicaragua-BUY, the player wins when he makes a better 5-card poker hand (from his 5 or 6 cards) than the dealer.
1. Player makes an ante bet.
2. Player and dealer each are dealt 5 cards, one of the dealer cards is face up.
3. Player makes a decision to BUY or NOT BUY a 6th card for the price of one ante bet. The amount spent on buying a 6th card is NOT a wager, is never returned to the player, and never forms a basis for calculating any payouts.
-In the Nicaragua BUY variant, the player does not discard a card prior to being dealt his Buy card,and will then make his best 5 card poker hand from the 6 cards in his hand.
4. The next player decision is to make a RAISE bet -which is twice the ante bet- or Fold.
5. If Player has raised, the player and dealer hands are then compared.
6. If dealer's hand is less than AK-High, dealer does not qualify. Player's ante pays 1:1 and the Raise bet Pushes.
7. If dealer qualifies, both the players' ante and raise bets either Win, Lose or Tie according to conventional poker rules. The Raise bet receives higher payouts if player's hand is higher than a pair. The Raise payout table I am currently analyzing is shown here:
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This version of the game is reportedly offered at the Princess casino in St. Maarten. And may be available online or on some cruise ships (?)
OUTLINE of BASIC STRATEGY
BUY vs DON'T BUY Decision
This Nicaragua variant BUY/DoON'T BUY strategy is different than the strategy for the conventional OASIS Poker game because drawing a 6th card to 5 cards (rather than to 4 cards) increases the probability of improving your hand.
1. Always BUY when you have a (4-card) Flush draw, even if you also have a pair.
- Don't BUY with a 4-card Flush draw if you also have a 5-card straight
-_____EXCEPT, do BUY with an open-ended straight flush draw even if you have a 5 card straight.
2. Always BUY a card with an open-ended straight draw (and with no flush).
3. With no flush or flush draw, sometimes BUY with a gut-shot straight draw:
a) always BUY with a gut-shot straight draw if you also have a pair in your hand
b) With NO Pair, the strategy for when to BUY with a gut-shot straight draw is complicated and is something I will be working out and presenting on this thread.
RAISE vs FOLD Decision
This strategy is essentially unchanged from the main Oasis strategy (and the Caribbean Stud Poker strategy). The only twist in how you apply that strategy comes when you have this situation:
In this special situation you should consider your best 5-card poker hand to include the matching 6th card when using the rules that the Wizard has laid out.
Example: You have an AsKsTs9s8d. With four spades you bought a card and now have: AsKsTs9s8d7c.
The Caribbean Stud rules say to FOLD an AKT98 vs 7; however they also say to RAISE an AKT97 vs 7 (because the presence of the 7 in your hand reduces the probability of the dealer pairing his 7. You should recognize that the 7 in your 6-card hand is affecting the probabilities of a dealer having a 77 pair, even if it is defined as not being in your highest ranking 5-card poker hand. Thus, is this special situation you should RAISE an AKT98-7 vs 7.
My next post will begin to address when to BUY with a gutshot straight draw (with no flush draw and no pair.)
Direct link to Wiz's WOO page on Oasis Poker: https://wizardofodds.com/games/oasis-poker/
In Oasis/Nicaragua-BUY, the player wins when he makes a better 5-card poker hand (from his 5 or 6 cards) than the dealer.
1. Player makes an ante bet.
2. Player and dealer each are dealt 5 cards, one of the dealer cards is face up.
3. Player makes a decision to BUY or NOT BUY a 6th card for the price of one ante bet. The amount spent on buying a 6th card is NOT a wager, is never returned to the player, and never forms a basis for calculating any payouts.
-In the Nicaragua BUY variant, the player does not discard a card prior to being dealt his Buy card,and will then make his best 5 card poker hand from the 6 cards in his hand.
4. The next player decision is to make a RAISE bet -which is twice the ante bet- or Fold.
5. If Player has raised, the player and dealer hands are then compared.
6. If dealer's hand is less than AK-High, dealer does not qualify. Player's ante pays 1:1 and the Raise bet Pushes.
7. If dealer qualifies, both the players' ante and raise bets either Win, Lose or Tie according to conventional poker rules. The Raise bet receives higher payouts if player's hand is higher than a pair. The Raise payout table I am currently analyzing is shown here:
[/img]This version of the game is reportedly offered at the Princess casino in St. Maarten. And may be available online or on some cruise ships (?)
OUTLINE of BASIC STRATEGY
BUY vs DON'T BUY Decision
This Nicaragua variant BUY/DoON'T BUY strategy is different than the strategy for the conventional OASIS Poker game because drawing a 6th card to 5 cards (rather than to 4 cards) increases the probability of improving your hand.
1. Always BUY when you have a (4-card) Flush draw, even if you also have a pair.
- Don't BUY with a 4-card Flush draw if you also have a 5-card straight
-_____EXCEPT, do BUY with an open-ended straight flush draw even if you have a 5 card straight.
2. Always BUY a card with an open-ended straight draw (and with no flush).
3. With no flush or flush draw, sometimes BUY with a gut-shot straight draw:
a) always BUY with a gut-shot straight draw if you also have a pair in your hand
b) With NO Pair, the strategy for when to BUY with a gut-shot straight draw is complicated and is something I will be working out and presenting on this thread.
RAISE vs FOLD Decision
This strategy is essentially unchanged from the main Oasis strategy (and the Caribbean Stud Poker strategy). The only twist in how you apply that strategy comes when you have this situation:
you have bought a card and one of your six cards is the same rank as the Dealer's card, but your best high-card poker hand does not include that matching sixth card.
In this special situation you should consider your best 5-card poker hand to include the matching 6th card when using the rules that the Wizard has laid out.
Example: You have an AsKsTs9s8d. With four spades you bought a card and now have: AsKsTs9s8d7c.
The Caribbean Stud rules say to FOLD an AKT98 vs 7; however they also say to RAISE an AKT97 vs 7 (because the presence of the 7 in your hand reduces the probability of the dealer pairing his 7. You should recognize that the 7 in your 6-card hand is affecting the probabilities of a dealer having a 77 pair, even if it is defined as not being in your highest ranking 5-card poker hand. Thus, is this special situation you should RAISE an AKT98-7 vs 7.
My next post will begin to address when to BUY with a gutshot straight draw (with no flush draw and no pair.)
Last edited by: gordonm888 on May 5, 2022
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
May 4th, 2022 at 2:10:01 PM
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Here is a strategy for playing a 9-8-6-5 gutshot straight draw (with no flush or flush draw).
The strategy for whether to BUY a card with a 9865 gutshot straight draw depends upon the dealer's face-up card and upon the rank of your 'kicker' -i.e., the 5th card in your hand. It occasionally, on very close call decisions, depends upon whether you have a suited card in your hand -that is, one or more cards that are the same suit as the dealer's card (because the presence of such cards in your hand reduces the probability of the dealer having a flush.)
The main features are:
1. if your kicker is a 9,8,6 or 5, you have a pair in addition to your straight draw: you should always buy a card because you have outs to make 3oak and Two Pair in addition to the four outs to make a Straight.
2. Your 9865-x draw is stronger when facing an Ace or King then when facing a T-Q. All of those ranks pose a substantial risk of the dealer making a higher pair than you, even if you pair the 9,8,6 or 5. However, when the dealer's card is an Ace or King, there is also a substantially higher chance that the dealer will qualify with an AK high, which will increase the probability of getting a payout on the Raise wager when your sixth (bought card) makes a pair or straight.
3. Facing a dealer card of 7 is unfavorable to you. This rank, 7, is your gap card that you need to make a straight and a lot of the equity in drawing to this hand comes from the 4 outs to make a straight (with a payout of 4:1). When the dealer's card reduces this to 3 outs, it is less advantage to BUY a card.
4. When facing a rank lower than your lowest straight draw card (in this case a 5), your hand has more equity from the scenarios in which you make a pair with your BUY card. You will usually BUY with a 9865 draw versus a 2-4.
5. There is no strategy in the above table for when your kicker is a 7 -because a 7 means your hand is already a 9-high straight rather than a straight draw. You should not BUY with a 5 card straight (unless in the very rare event you have an open-ended straight flush draw.)
The strategy for whether to BUY a card with a 9865 gutshot straight draw depends upon the dealer's face-up card and upon the rank of your 'kicker' -i.e., the 5th card in your hand. It occasionally, on very close call decisions, depends upon whether you have a suited card in your hand -that is, one or more cards that are the same suit as the dealer's card (because the presence of such cards in your hand reduces the probability of the dealer having a flush.)
The main features are:
1. if your kicker is a 9,8,6 or 5, you have a pair in addition to your straight draw: you should always buy a card because you have outs to make 3oak and Two Pair in addition to the four outs to make a Straight.
2. Your 9865-x draw is stronger when facing an Ace or King then when facing a T-Q. All of those ranks pose a substantial risk of the dealer making a higher pair than you, even if you pair the 9,8,6 or 5. However, when the dealer's card is an Ace or King, there is also a substantially higher chance that the dealer will qualify with an AK high, which will increase the probability of getting a payout on the Raise wager when your sixth (bought card) makes a pair or straight.
3. Facing a dealer card of 7 is unfavorable to you. This rank, 7, is your gap card that you need to make a straight and a lot of the equity in drawing to this hand comes from the 4 outs to make a straight (with a payout of 4:1). When the dealer's card reduces this to 3 outs, it is less advantage to BUY a card.
4. When facing a rank lower than your lowest straight draw card (in this case a 5), your hand has more equity from the scenarios in which you make a pair with your BUY card. You will usually BUY with a 9865 draw versus a 2-4.
5. There is no strategy in the above table for when your kicker is a 7 -because a 7 means your hand is already a 9-high straight rather than a straight draw. You should not BUY with a 5 card straight (unless in the very rare event you have an open-ended straight flush draw.)
Last edited by: gordonm888 on May 4, 2022
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
May 4th, 2022 at 2:52:12 PM
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i think the casino changed the payout for full house.
if you buy a card, the payout is cut in half but i dont know if they raised the payout for a full house.
ie: $100 dont buy, $50 buy
or kept it at $50 dont buy and reduced payout to $25 if buy.
so do you buy for the chance to get quads?
if you buy a card, the payout is cut in half but i dont know if they raised the payout for a full house.
ie: $100 dont buy, $50 buy
or kept it at $50 dont buy and reduced payout to $25 if buy.
so do you buy for the chance to get quads?
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice).
Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
May 4th, 2022 at 3:12:44 PM
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Quote: 100xOddsi think the casino changed the payout for full house.
if you buy a card, the payout is cut in half but i dont know if they raised the payout for a full house.
ie: $100 dont buy, $50 buy
or kept it at $50 dont buy and reduced payout to $25 if buy.
so do you buy for the chance to get quads?
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Thanks for asking this question. Because I didn't mention that the strategy I am analyzing and posting assumes that you have not made a wager on the Bonus Bet sidebet. I can see that, if you have wagered on that sidebet, the decision whether to BUY a card with 2 pair or 3 of a kind may be decided by the equity associated with the prospect of making a Full House or 4oak and getting a large payout on the Bonus Bet (supplementing the larger payout on the Raise bet.)
So, I can't immediately answer your question. But the process of analyzing whether to BUY a card with a 2pair or 3oak hand given a wager on the Bonus Bet and a given Bonus Bet payout table is a lot less work than analyzing these loony gutshot straight draws.* We have so many math wizards in this forum that I imagine that someone may answer your question rather quickly.
* BTW, a decision on whether to BUY a card with a gutshot straight draw is NOT dependent upon whether you have wagered on the Bonus Bet sidebet because there is no sidebet payout for a straight.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
May 5th, 2022 at 7:53:46 AM
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Let me clarify the BUY/DON'T BUY decision rules to include the 1-way straight flush draw cases. These rules are for the Oasis Poker Nicaragua variant with no wager on the sidebet called Jackpot Bonus. A Jackpot Bonus wager will give more incentive to BUY with straight flush and flush draws.
Note: a "2-way straight draw" can look like this: 9-8-7-6-2 or like this: J-9-8-7-5. A 1-way straight draw can look like this: K-9-8-6-5 or like this: A-K-Q-J-7 or A-9-4-3-2.
I am still working on general rules for a 1-way straight draw with no pair. The 9-8-6-5 table I presented in a previous post was an example of an analysis for a 1-way straight draw of medium strength.
| Draw | With | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 2-way straight flush draw | Flush or lower | BUY |
| 1-way straight flush draw | Flush | DON'T BUY |
| 1-way straight flush draw | Straight or lower | BUY |
| Flush draw | Straight | DON'T BUY |
| Flush draw | Pair or lower | BUY |
| 2-way straight draw | Pair or lower | BUY |
| 1-way straight draw | Pair | BUY |
| 1-way straight draw | High Card | It depends |
Note: a "2-way straight draw" can look like this: 9-8-7-6-2 or like this: J-9-8-7-5. A 1-way straight draw can look like this: K-9-8-6-5 or like this: A-K-Q-J-7 or A-9-4-3-2.
I am still working on general rules for a 1-way straight draw with no pair. The 9-8-6-5 table I presented in a previous post was an example of an analysis for a 1-way straight draw of medium strength.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
May 5th, 2022 at 1:22:53 PM
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This table (below) says that the RAISE bet pays 1:1 on a PAIR (not on "all other.") Does this mean that the RAISE bet does not payout when Player has an AKxxx high-card hand that beats a dealer's AKxxx hand? Does the RAISE bet lose with a winning AK-high vs a dealer's AK high?
That is a big deal in terms of analyzing strategy.
That is a big deal in terms of analyzing strategy.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
May 5th, 2022 at 2:00:10 PM
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Quote: gordonm888This table (below) says that the RAISE bet pays 1:1 on a PAIR (not on "all other.") Does this mean that the RAISE bet does not payout when Player has an AKxxx high-card hand that beats a dealer's AKxxx hand? Does the RAISE bet lose with a winning AK-high vs a dealer's AK high?
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I can't speak for this cruise ship, but I suspect that rule card is in error and the bottom line of the pay table should be "all other."
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
