World Championship Poker 3 Featuring Howard Lederer: All In FAQ (PS2)
By: dps2002 (David Straub)
Date: September 4, 2006
Version: 0.2
Hello there, and welcome to my FAQ on the third edition of the World
Championship Poker video game series. There's a lot to get to, so
let's just get to it. Shuffle up and deal!
Table of Contents:
1) Disclaimer
2) Version History
3) Hand Rankings
4) Games List
5) Career Mode
6) Scenario Mode
7) Loading Screen Tips
8) My Advice
9) Legal Stuff
10) Contributing to this FAQ
11) Credits
1)---------------------------DISCLAIMER-----------------------------
I feel it is my duty to get this out of the way first, because I know
what some of you are probably thinking. You're thinking, "I can use this
thing for some free poker tips next time I play online." NO. ABSOLUTELY
NOT. I have crafted this FAQ for one purpose...to help you beat this
video game. The strategies, tips, and hints I give in this document,
whether they are my own, from the game, or from other outside sources
I may use, are included here to help you succeed at this video game, not
in the real world of poker. If you choose to ignore this warning and
apply my video game tips to the real world, you do so at your own risk.
I do not claim responsibility for how well these tips work in the real
world, since I have never tried them out in a real-life poker setting
(nor will I ever, most likely). I'm here to help you beat the video game,
not win $12 million.
OK...sermon over. On with the show.
2)-------------------------VERSION HISTORY--------------------------
0.1 (started 9-4-06): Your basic everyday beginning to a FAQ. Got some
structural things out of the way, as well as typed out the basic format
of the games you can play in WCP3.
0.2 (9-10-06): Thanks to my handy-dandy camera phone, I've been able to
record a few of the Loading Screen Tips. I didn't expect the formatting
to go perfectly the first time, so I cleaned up a few things here. Also
started giving advice. Changed the legal stuff, too...apparently some
people don't know how to read.
3)--------------------------HAND RANKINGS---------------------------
World Championship Poker 3 features a truly bewildering amount of games
you can play. However, they all draw from the same general rules of poker,
where one hand is always higher than another. If you're a savvy enough
poker player, you probably already know these, but for the less educated
out there, here are the ten different hands you can hold in poker, along
with their relative strengths.
1) ROYAL FLUSH
The strongest hand you can have. The royal flush consists of a ten, jack,
queen, king, and ace all in the same suit. I have yet to see this come up
in WCP3, though I did see it once in WCP2.
2) STRAIGHT FLUSH
The straight flush is basically any other straight except the ace-high
straight, with all cards in the same suit. In case of multiple hands with
straight flushes, the higher straight flush will win. Example: 4-5-6-7-8 in
spades will beat 2-3-4-5-6 in diamonds.
3) FOUR OF A KIND
Also commonly known as "quads," four of a kind is rather self-explanatory.
Four cards of the same rank in the same hand. In the case of multiple hands
with quads, the higher ranked hand will win. Example: 5-5-5-5-K will beat
4-4-4-4-A.
4) FULL HOUSE
This hand is a three of a kind in one ranking and a pair in another.
Multiple hands with full houses are broken using the higher of the
three-of-a-kind hands. Example: K-K-K-5-5 will beat Q-Q-Q-8-8.
5) FLUSH
All five cards in your hand are of the same suit. To break ties between
multiple hands with flushes, the highest card wins. If the highest card
ties, then the second-highest card breaks ties, and so on. Example:
A-Q-J-9-7 in clubs will beat A-Q-J-9-5 in hearts.
6) STRAIGHT
Five cards of sequential rank. The highest-ranked card will break ties
between multiple hands with straights. Ties between identical straights
cannot be broken and will result in a split pot, where each player receives
an equal portion of the pot. Example: K-Q-J-10-9 will beat J-10-9-8-7.
7) THREE OF A KIND
Three cards in your hand all of the same rank, also called "trips" or a
"set." The higher in rank your set is, the better. Example: Three aces
beats three queens.
8) TWO PAIR
Two cards of one rank, and two cards of another rank. The higher pair
wins. If the highest pair ties, the higher of the second pair wins. In
the unlikely event that both pairs tie, the fifth unpaired card breaks
the tie (this extra card is often referred to as a kicker). Example:
K-K-4-4-8 beats K-K-4-4-5.
9) ONE PAIR
Two cards of one rank. Higher pairs beat lower pairs. In the case of tie
pairs, the kickers are looked at to break the tie. Example: J-J-9-7-4
beats 10-10-A-4-9.
10) HIGH CARD
No pairs, no flush, no straight, no nothing. Just the highest card in your
hand.
The ranking of cards is A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2. The ace can serve as
either low, for purposes of a five-high straight (A-2-3-4-5), or high in
most other cases.
4)----------------------------GAMES LIST----------------------
With all this card ranking now in mind, let's take a look at the games you
can play in WCP3. All games can be played in one or more of three versions.
Limit (denoted by an L): There are limits to what you can bet at a time.
Most casual games are played in this format. Example: a $4/$8 limit game
means that bets and raises in the early rounds are $4, and bets and raises
in the later rounds are $8.
Pot Limit (denoted by a P): The limits to what you can bet at any time are the
size of your chip stack and the size of the pot at the time you bet. You can
bet the size of the pot in any game mode in WCP3 by pressing the triangle
button.
No Limit (denoted by an N): Self-explanatory. You can bet whatever you want,
whenever you want. The only thing constraining you is the size of your chip
stack.
Now, then...on with the games. I will break them down into four segments:
Hold'em games, Stud games, Draw games, and Mixed games.
HOLD'EM GAMES
TEXAS HOLD'EM (LPN)
Basically the most popular form of poker going around today. No Limit Texas
Hold'em is the game of choice in most of the largest poker tournaments in the
world. Each player is dealt two cards face down; these are your "hole
cards." The player to the left of the dealer (denoted by a token called the
button in most tournaments) is forced to bet the size of the higher limit in
Limit games, or the higher of two pre-set amounts in Pot- or No-Limit games;
this is the big blind. The player to the left of the big blind is forced to
bet an amount equal to half of the big blind, or the small blind. The person
to the left of the small blind acts first, and must decide whether to join
the hand with a bet or fold his cards. Action continues around the table until
everyone has had a chance to bet, raise, or fold, and all raised bets have
been matched or folded. The dealer then discards one card and reveals three
more on the table (referred to hereafter as the "flop"). These community
cards are available for all to use with their two hole cards to create a
five-card poker hand. Another round of betting. The dealer then discards one
more card and reveals a fourth community card (referred to hereafter as the
"turn"). Betting, discard, then the fifth community card (referred to hereafter
as the "river"). One final round of betting, then all players remaining in the
hand reveal their hole cards. The best five-card poker hand, using any
combination of hole and community cards, wins the pot. In case of unbreakable
ties, like identical straights, the pot is split between those tieing for the
best hand.
It sounds simple, but it really isn't.
OMAHA HOLD'EM (LPN)
Omaha is a version of Texas Hold'em in which all players are dealt four hole
cards instead of two. The structure of betting and card display is exactly
the same, but players can only use two of their four hole cards and three of
the five community cards to make the best five-card poker hand. This is a
very important distinction to understand, since people confuse it all the
time...including yours truly.
OMAHA HOLD'EM SPLIT (LPN)
Also referred to as Omaha Eight or Better, this game plays exactly like Omaha,
except for the concept of Eight or Better. If any player holds a five-card
poker hand consisting of all unpaired cards ranked 8 or lower (suit is
irrelevant), then that person qualifies for what is referred to as the low end
of the pot. In Omaha Eight or Better, the best qualifying low hand wins half
of the final pot. The best possible low hand in this scenario is the five-
high straight, which is also called the "wheel." The worst possible low hand
is the eight-high straight (8-7-6-5-4). To determine the winning low hand,
the highest of the five cards is looked at first. Lowest card wins. If the
highest card ties, the second-highest is looked at, and so on down the line
until the tie is broken. For example: A low hand of 8-7-6-3-A will beat a
low hand of 8-7-6-3-2. If there is no qualifying low hand possible, then
the best high hand will win the entire pot.
PINEAPPLE (NPL)
Pineapple is very similar to Texas Hold'em. The big difference is that you
receive three cards face-down instead of two, and after the first round of
betting, you must discard one card before you see the flop. After the flop,
the game plays exactly the same as Texas Hold'em.
CRAZY PINEAPPLE (NPL)
Crazy Pineapple is very similar to Pineapple above, except you must discard
your extra card after you see the flop and bet after the flop. Everything
else is the same.
STUD GAMES:
SEVEN-CARD STUD (L)
Since the Stud series of games does not have blinds, each player must post
an amount typically equal to one-fifth of the smaller limit before each hand.
This is called the ante. (You will often see antes in the Draw and Mixed
games as well, in addition to later in some Hold'em tournaments.) Each player
gets three cards...two are face-down and one is face-up, so that the whole
table can see it. Whoever owns the lowest ranked card on the board is
responsible for what is called the "bring-in" bet, or one-half of the
lower limit. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table as players
choose to call the bring-in, raise to the full opening bet, or fold.
After the betting is complete, players remaining receive a second card
face-up. From this point on, the person showing the best cards on the
table is responsible for starting the betting action...either with a
check or a bet. After this second round of betting, each player remaining
receives a third up card, and betting increments jump to the higher limit.
Another sequence of bets begins, which is followed by a fourth up card and
another round of bets. Finally, the seventh and final card is dealt
face-down to all remaining players. A final round of betting begins, and
all players remaining in the hand after this last round of betting show their
down cards. The best five-card combination wins the pot.
SEVEN-CARD STUD SPLIT (L)
Played like Seven-Card Stud above, but add in the low hand rule from the
Omaha Split game.
SEVEN-CARD STUD LOWBALL (RAZZ) ACE TO FIVE (L)
This game is the mirror image of Seven-Card Stud. The sequence of events
is the same, but instead of playing for the best high hand, you are playing
for the best low hand. Also, instead of the lowest up card starting the
action after the initial deal, the highest card on the board is responsible
for the bring-in bet, and the lowest hand on the board must start the action
in all subsequent rounds. In Razz Ace to Five, straights and flushes do not
affect the weakness of your hand, so the lowest possible hand is the
five-high straight, or the wheel. Also, in Razz Ace to Five, aces are only
considered to be low cards.
SEVEN-CARD STUD LOWBALL (RAZZ) DEUCE TO SEVEN (L)
Played the same way as Razz Ace to Five, except straights and flushes will
count against the weakness of your hand, and aces are considered high only.
Therefore, the lowest hand possible is 7-5-4-3-2. (You will sometimes hear
that low hand referred to as the wheel in this game only; don't confuse it
with the five-high straight.)
DRAW GAMES:
DRAW POKER (L)
Draw poker is played exactly as you would play it at a regular poker machine
in Atlantic City or Las Vegas, except against other people instead of the
house. After posting antes (refer to Seven-Card Stud above), each player
receives five cards face-down. There is no bring-in bet in the Draw games,
so the player to the left of the dealer starts the action by either betting
the low limit or checking. After this initial round of betting, player may
exchange up to three cards from their hand for different cards. (Exception:
If a player holds an ace, they may hold the ace and discard their other
four cards.) Another round of betting follows the draw at the higher betting
limit, then players reveal their cards. Best five-card hand wins.
LOWBALL ACE TO FIVE (L)
This is played like Draw Poker above, except you're playing for the worst
hand possible. Straights and flushes will not count against you, so the
worst possible hand is the wheel. Aces are always low. Lowball Ace to
Five features both blinds and antes, as well. Otherwise, the structure
is the same as Draw Poker.
LOWBALL ACE TO FIVE TRIPLE (L)
Lowball Ace to Five Triple is the exact same as Lowball Ace to Five, except
instead of one replacement draw, there are three draws, with a round of
betting after each draw.
LOWBALL DEUCE TO SEVEN (L)
In Lowball Deuce to Seven, aces are always high, and straights and flushes
count against the weakness of your hand. The lowest possible hand is
7-5-4-3-2. Everything else is the same as Lowball Ace to Five.
LOWBALL DEUCE TO SEVEN TRIPLE (L)
In Lowball Deuce to Seven Triple, you get three draws instead of one, with
a betting round after each draw. Everything else is the same as Lowball
Deuce to Seven.
MIXED GAMES:
New to WCP3 are mixed games. Mixed games are those which include several
of the above types of games. The game switches once the dealer's button
has made one circuit around the table. All mixed games are limit only.
The mixed games that WCP3 offers are:
HOE
A combination of Texas Hold'em, Omaha Eight or Better, and Seven-Card Stud
Eight or Better.
ROE
A combination of Razz Deuce to Seven, Omaha Eight or Better, and Seven-Card
Stud Eight or Better.
HOSE
A combination of Texas Hold'em, Omaha Eight or Better, Seven-Card Stud,
and Seven-Card Stud Eight or Better.
HORSE
A combination of Texas Hold'em, Omaha Eight or Better, Razz Deuce to Seven,
Seven-Card Stud, and Seven-Card Stud Eight or Better.
HORSEL
A combination of Texas Hold'em, Omaha Eight or Better, Razz Deuce to Seven,
Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud Eight or Better, and Lowball.
5)--------------------------CAREER MODE------------------------
Coming soon!
6)-------------------------SCENARIO MODE-----------------------
Coming soon!
7)----------------------LOADING SCREEN TIPS--------------------
As the video game loads new screens, you will often see an cartoon image
of one of WCP3's signature players: Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Robert
Williamson III, Erin Ness, Marcel Luske, or Thomas Bihl. These images
will come with bubble quotes containing some rather valuable poker advice.
Howard Lederer's Tips:
Coming soon...as soon as I can get them.
Annie Duke's Tips:
Avoid the trap of playing cards just because they are suited. Being
suited only improves the probability of a hand winning by about 3% on
average. All that suited cards do is turn a marginal hand into a playable
one.
Here is a shortcut to calculating the odds of your hand hitting. Count
the cards left that can help you. These are your outs. Each out is
worth 2%. If there are two cards to come, then you can multiply your
number by two. This is a pretty good shortcut.
Play tight. In a 10-handed game, you should only be playing 20-25% of
the starting hands you are dealt. Being choosy about your starting
cards will get you a long way to becoming a winning player.
Robert Williamson III's Tips:
Don't underestimate your opponents. With the large fields of today, you
may not know many of the faces. If you don't recognize them, you cannot
assume that they are not a great player. Many are learning by playing
on the Internet.
Erin Ness's Tips:
Don't go all-in all the time. If you decide to bet big, just bet enough
to put your opponent to a tough decision. It's not always necessary to
bet all of your chips to have the same effect as a nice-size bet.
Marcel Luske's Tips:
You must prepare yourself for losing on your way to winning...as there
is no progress without a struggle!
Thomas Bihl's Tips:
Trouble hands in Hold'em: AQ, AJ, and KQ are real trouble hands,
especially in 10-handed games as you might hit top pair but be out-kicked.
It is then difficult to let them go, so think twice if you even want to
play them.
Learn from the pros. There is a lot of useful books as well as articles
to be found online as well as in poker magazines.
8)-----------------------------ADVICE--------------------------
As a general rule, the less hands you play, the better. Your chances of
losing a pot or getting eliminated from the tournament are zero if you're
not part of the hand, and the less you play, the higher up you'll move
in the final standings. In the higher-number tournaments, on average, a
couple of players are eliminated at other tables during every hand that is
played at your table. The closer you get to the money in tournaments, the
less you should play to guarantee you at least getting into the money.
When playing Omaha Split (Eight or Better), if you are dealt A-2 with
your starting hand, regardless of what the other cards are, I feel the
hand is playable to the flop...at least. My reasoning (borrowed slightly
from Phil Hellmuth's book...see the credits) is this: If the board shows
three cards eight or lower, then the A-2 in your hand guarantees you at
least a tie of the low hand. If no one else holds A-2, then you have the
best low hand possible and are guaranteed at least your money back if you
choose to build the pot. This safety net allows you to play a bit more
loose than you normally would. With the best low hand and a share of the
pot guaranteed already, you have the freedom to bet strong in the later
rounds and possibly force out the other hands, thereby giving you the
full pot instead of just the low half. If someone calls you through the
river card and all you have is, say, ace-high or a pair of deuces, you
can fall back on getting your money back with the low half of the pot.
Of course, if you play A-2 to the flop and the flop shows something like
9-J-J, you're kinda stuck, and it's probably time to dump the hand.
But playing A-2 to the flop, despite the cost, is worth that chance every
time. (This concept can be stretched to anytime you hold the lowest
possible low hand on the board, such as 2-7-8 on the board and A-3-x-x
in you hand, or 2-3-7 on the board with A-4-x-x in your hand.)
When playing Texas Hold'em or either of the Pineapple games, at least
when you start out, there should be ten hands that you should look to
play. These hands are any pocket pair seven or higher, A-K, or A-Q
(I know this contradicts Thomas Bihl's advice earlier; A-Q is among the
weakest of these powerful starting hands). According to Phil Hellmuth's
book, these are the ten strongest starting hands in Texas Hold'em, and you
should play these whenever you get them. Anything worse than that, you
should fold. If you assign a skill point to Hand Strength, then you can
extend this to any pair of cards that is assigned a hand strength 90% or
higher. These hands, when played, give you the biggest chance of winning
the hand. If you're in a tournament, once you accumulate some chips and
are among the top quarter or so of the players in chips, you can probably
get away with calling hands that are between 80 and 90% in starting strength
and seeing what the flop gives you, but don't play these solid hands too
often when you don't have the chips. Keep in mind, though: No matter what
hand you play, you cannot be afraid to fold your hand, no matter how strong,
in any situation. If you've got 9s in the hole, the board shows 10-J-K, and
your opponent places a big bet or raise in front of you, you should be very
wary of calling the bet. More often than not, that player will have a higher
pair than you or, in rare cases, a king- or ace-high straight. If you don't
have a hand after the flop, I'd suggest folding much more often than chasing
a potential hand to the river and not getting it.
9)---------------------------LEGAL STUFF-----------------------
This FAQ and all subsequent versions of it are copyrighted by me. Only
those websites that I give express permission to will be allowed to host
this FAQ. As of right now, there is only one website that is allowed
to host this, and that is GameFAQs.com. I will not grant hosting rights
to anyone other than GameFAQs.com while this FAQ is under construction.
I will revisit this in the unlikely event I ever get this to a point where
it is 100% finished, with everything there is to know about the game in
this document, but for right now, no one is allowed to host this FAQ except
GameFAQs.
10)-------------------------CONTRIBUTIONS----------------------
If you see something in the above segments that you think is incorrect,
or if you have additional information that I can add to the above, send me
an E-mail at
[email protected]. Put the title of this FAQ in the title
so I know it relates to this, and I'll give it a look. If you've got
general information, there will be a much greater chance that it'll find
its way in here; if you're going to send me poker tips to include in the
"Advice" section, then be advised that any tip you give me will be tested
against the game to see if it works. If your tip works against the game,
I'll put it in here. If not, then I won't put it in. You have been warned.
And again...if you send me requests to host my FAQ on your website, you
will be refused.
11)---------------------------CREDITS--------------------------
Phil Hellmuth, Jr,'s poker book, "Play Poker Like the Pros." A lot of
the advice I give is adapted from his book. I find it works very well
in the video game, so I include it here.
Jeff Veasey, the headmaster of GameFAQs, for creating this place.
Crave Entertainment, for developing the World Championship Poker series
of video games.
SONY, for developing the hardware necessary to play this game.
Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Robert Williamson III, Marcel Luske, Erin
Ness, and Thomas Bihl for lending their names and talents to the game,
as well as some of their legendary poker knowledge.
You, for reading.
