Perfect Play As Easy as 1-2-3

1) Take the book with you when you play

2) Look up any hands you are not sure of 

3) Hold underlined cards, discard the rest

 

To Look Up Your Hand

• Find your hand in 1 of 6 tabbed sections labeled:  "5", "4-1", "3-2", "3-1-1", "2-2-1", and "2-1-1-1"

The "5" tab lists hands where all five cards are the same suit

The "4-1" tab lists hands with four cards of 1 suit and one card of a 2nd suit

The "3-2" tab lists hands with three cards of 1 suit and two cards of a 2nd suit

The "3-1-1" tab lists hands with three cards of 1 suit, one card of a 2nd suit, and one card of a 3rd suit

The "2-2-1" tab lists hands with two cards of 1 suit, two  cards of a 2nd suit, and one card of a 3rd suit

The "2-1-1-1" tab lists hands with two cards of 1 suit, one card of a 2nd suit, one card of a 3rd suit, and one card of a 4th suit

• Hands are listed in order with page markings for rapid access

• Hold underlined cards and discard cards not underlined

For Example

Say you were dealt two clubs the Q & 9, two diamonds the J & 2, and one heart the 2

The correct draw for this hand would be listed in the section after the tab labeled "2-2-1"

In the book this hand is listed as  Q9 - J2 - 2

Hold the underlined cards (the two 2's) and discard the non underlined cards (the Queen, 9 and Jack)

Will using The Poker Code slow me down? - You don’t look up every hand; you only look up hands you aren’t sure of - and those are the hands you were likely playing wrong anyway.  Hands in the The Poker Code are listed in order with tabs and page marks that allow you to look up any hand in just a few seconds.  Use of The Poker Code will make you a better video poker player and the better you get the less frequently you will need to look up your hand.

What if I already use a different system?  - The Poker Code can be used along with other systems.  You can continue to use other systems to make decisions you are sure are correct.  However, no system that relies on hierarchical rules and tables or memorization will generate perfect play.  When the decision is not clear, or you have forgotten the other system’s rule, refer to The Poker Code and you will see the perfect draw for that hand.  You should also occasionally check the other system’s recommendation against The Poker Code.  If the 2 systems differ make the draw listed in The Poker Code.  The Poker Code returns the maximum possible payback for every hand; other systems use approximations that return less than optimal payback.