Big Split Poker

Introduction

Big Split Poker is a video game modeled after poker, where players receive 8 cards and must create both 5-card and 3-card hands, earning payouts based on the poker value of one or both hands. It requires minimal skill, catering to those who seek a challenge beyond slots but find traditional video poker too complex.

Rules

1. The player chooses to wager either (1) solely on the 5-card payout structure or (2) on both the 5-card and 3-card payout structures.
2. Players can wager anywhere from one to five coins for each pay table.
3. After placing their bets, players hit the deal button to receive 8 randomly selected cards from a single deck.
4. If no winning combination can be made, the game concludes instantly.
5. When a winning combination is achievable, players arrange their 8 cards into both a 5-card hand and a 3-card hand.
6. Once the player is happy with their chosen hands, they press the submit buttons to finalize their selections.
7. Both the 5-card and 3-card hands are evaluated for scoring purposes.
8. If the player opted to bet on just the 5-card pay table, they will only receive payouts based on that particular hand.
9. If both pay tables were chosen for betting, the payout is determined by the combined results of the 5-card and 3-card pay tables.

Below are the six pay tables for Big Split Poker, which do not include wild cards. These pay tables are calculated per coin and depend on the maximum number of coins wagered. Notably, a royal flush pays out only 50 for each coin if fewer than the maximum is wagered. All payouts are on a 'for one' basis, meaning the original stake is not returned. You can find the pay tables for joker poker, double joker poker, and deuces in Bob Dancer's article, The New Game in Town. A Friendly Look at Big Split Poker, which serves as the source for these pay tables.

Big Split Poker - Five Card Pay Tables

Hand	Table 1	Table 2	Table 3	Table 4	Table 5	Table 6
Royal flush	200	200	200	200	200	200
Straight Flush	20	16	10	20	18	14
Four of a kind	10	8	7	16	14	9
Full House	5	5	5	4	4	4
Flush	2	2	2	2	2	2
Straight	2	2	2	2	2	2
Three of a kind	2	2	2	2	2	2
Two pair (jacks and twos or better)	1	1	1	1	1	1

Important: If you are placing bets on only one pay table, a royal flush will provide a payout of 50 for each coin staked.

Big Split Poker - Pay Tables for Three Card Hands

Hand	Table 1	Table 2	Table 3	Table 4	Table 5	Table 6
Three of a kind	16	16	16	14	14	14
Straight flush	15	15	14	12	12	12
Flush	4	4	4	4	4	4
Straight	4	4	4	4	4	4
Pair	2	2	2	2	2	2
Nothing	1	1	1	1	1	1

Strategy

The game lacks a complex strategy. Simply arrange your cards to achieve the highest potential payout. You can explore various arrangements, and the score for each will be promptly displayed. If you create a non-paying hand for the 5-card hand, the game will notify you that a winning hand can be constructed. The return is greater when playing on both pay tables.

Return

My program requires approximately six hours to process a pay table, so I only completed analysis on two. Below are the return rates for playing both one and two pay tables based on the 'full pay' table 1 mentioned earlier. For the returns with two pay tables, the return column is calculated based on the probability, the payout, and a coefficient of 0.5. Dividing by 2 aligns the return with the total of two coins bet. Note that the return for playing both pay tables under pay table 1 is an impressive 99.95%.

Big Split Poker - Return Rates for Pay Table 1 - Two Pay Tables

Total return	Combinations	Probability	Return
3200	8288	0.0000002	0.00031467
3000	9408	0.00000022	0.00033487
800	319648	0.00000758	0.003034
400	610176	0.00001448	0.0028958
320	73920	0.00000175	0.00028065
300	81536	0.00000193	0.00029022
200	2684640	0.0000637	0.00637044
160	1541904	0.00003659	0.00292705
150	1178464	0.00002796	0.0020973
80	7402528	0.00017566	0.00702625
75	7208544	0.00017105	0.00641449
40	41190016	0.00097741	0.01954814
32	87833312	0.00208422	0.03334745
30	123453120	0.00292945	0.04394169
20	271201056	0.00643539	0.06435389
16	147974400	0.00351132	0.02809054
15	113088192	0.00268349	0.02012621
10	184812096	0.00438545	0.02192723
8	3029319776	0.07188339	0.28753357
5	1222040736	0.02899807	0.07249518
4	3719582496	0.08826279	0.17652558
2	6041842464	0.14336821	0.14336821
1	4744341504	0.11257952	0.05628976
0	22394338176	0.53140016	0
Total	42142136400	1	0.9995332

Next, you'll find the return rates for pay table 3, which I encountered at the MGM Grand on July 15, 2004.

Other Information

bigsplitpoker.com : Offers a no-cost play option and a directory of casinos where the game is available.

Written by: Michael Shackleford