Joker Poker

Dear Mark,

In Joker Poker, what happens if I create the wrong hand using my Joker and accidentally discard a card that would create a straight, flush or, God forbid, a Royal? Kim K.

Joker Poker is a popular video poker game where 53 cards make the deck instead of the normal 52. The extra card, of course, is a Joker acting as a wild card. The Joker can be used as an alternate for a card of any suit or denomination to complete a winning hand. No need, Kim, to worry about misplaying your hand. You’re actually just setting things up for the computer to play the hand, and the computer automatically assigns the highest possible suit and value to the Joker, giving you the highest possible payout for the cards you are holding.

Dear Mark,

What do you think about playing craps this way? You wait until the shooter makes two consecutive passes and then bet against him. For example: The odds of a shooter making a pass at craps are about 50-50, but the odds against a shooter making three passes in a row are around 7-1. Therefore, with odds against the shooter at 7-1, and the shooter just made two consecutive passes, now would be the right time to bet against him. Am I missing something playing this way? Jerry C.

Yes, Jerry, you’re missing the big picture by not understanding that each roll of the dice is a self-contained event, independent of and unrelated to any past or future occurrence. Your math is right: the odds against three passes in a row are about 7-1, but you are not wagering against three past events (those consecutive passes). You are betting against an as-yet-unborn event