5 Card Slingo - INSEFTG

If you’ve never played poker before, well, don’t start with 5 Card Slingo. *^_^* I’m serious! Go with Quick-Draw Poker, since that’s nearly impossible to mess up.

On the other hand, if “regular” poker is too boring for you, then you’ll LOVE 5 Card Slingo! It’s a fast-paced cross between poker and slots.

You start with a very green 5x5 board. This is where you’ll place your cards.

 It ain’t easy being green.

On each deal you’ll get five cards. Now the tricky part is that each card can only be placed in the column directly above it. Also, once the cards are placed, you can’t remove them. Until the round is over you can move cards around in their own columns, but you can’t put another card on top or anything sneaky like that. ^_^

Well…. crap.

Each row, column, and diagonal line counts as a separate hand and is scored individually. It can get a little confusing, but at least you don’t need to have a full hand (5 cards) before it’s scored!

Every game consists of five deals plus a sixth bonus deal. (The bonus deal costs 500 points.) The deals are timed, and you have a maximum of 30 seconds to decide what to do!

Those of you who are math savvy may have noticed a slight discrepancy. With six deals of five cards each, you’ll have a total of 30 cards to work with. But there are only 25 spots on the board. How can that work?

Easy. ^_^ You don’t have to place every card that you get! If you have something awesome going on and the wrong card pops up, just don’t use it.

IMPORTANT: The cards are taken from a virtual 52 card deck. (That’s a normal deck.) If you pass up a card it won’t turn up again!

 

Scoring

As previously mentioned, each row, column, and diagonal line counts as a hand.

A flush! Woohoo!!!

The entire board is scored after each deal, and you’ll get points for any new combinations. In other words, if you score a pair after the first deal, you won’t get points for that same pair again.

However, if you add to it by making it 3 of a kind or better, then you’ll get additional points for whatever you scored.

Here’s what everything is worth!

Hand	What It Is	Value
1 pair	Two cards with the same number or letter.	50 points
2 pairs	Four cards in sets of two.	100 points
3 of a kind	Three cards with the same number or letter.	500 points
Straight	Five cards in sequential order. Ex: 2,3,4,5,6	1,000 points
Flush	Five cards of the same suit. (Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, or Clubs.)	2,500 points
Full House	A pair + 3 of a kind	3,500 points
4 of a kind	Four cards with the same number or letter.	20,000 points
Straight Flush	Five cards in the same suit AND in sequential order.	36,000 points
Royal Flush	10, J, Q, K, and Ace of the same suit.	50,000 points

 

 

 

Tips & Tricks

1. If you’re dealt a straight in the first deal or two, lay it out diagonally. Typically it’s pretty hard to score anything on the diagonal, and this will leave your columns and rows open for pairs, flushes, or whatever else you want. ^_^

 

2. The easiest way to score well 9 out of 10 games is to build for flushes. Put one suit on each row, and use the 5th row to create pairs in the columns.

 

If you start out with a pair, split it on the diagonal. Like this!

 

How come?

 

You’ll get credit for the pair and you’re all set to build flushes. If you’re lucky you might get a 3rd seven to turn it into 3 of a kind. However! If you already have a 4 card flush, don’t wreck it! The 3 of a kind is worth 500 points and the flush is 2,500. Not worth it!

 

Here’s another hand built for flushes.

 

My that’s… colorful. ^_^

 

You can see that the bottom four rows are divided by suit, and the very top row made a pair of 5’s and Jacks.

 

This doesn’t work perfectly for every single game, but most of the time I’ll score at least one flush. Often more!

 

Admittedly, I’m not an expert at 5 Card Slingo. If you have tips, PLEASE share! (Remember, the best tip of the week gets 100 P4P points!)

 

 

 

Final Rating

I enjoy poker and slots, but 5 Card Slingo is too complicated for my taste. Whenever I play I can’t help but think, “I’m not smart enough for this game.” *^_^*

 

Once I figured out the flush trick I started earning more tokens and having more fun, but my strategy is limited. Also, on more than one occasion I had a perfect Royal Flush set up, and actually got the 5th card! Unfortunately the final card was in the wrong column, so I couldn’t use it. Booooo! :(

 

I think I would enjoy 5 Card Slingo more if it was a single player, untimed game. I like having time to think!

 

Final verdict is… *drumroll*  3.5 stars out of 5.

 

How about you? What would you rate it? Do you think it’s a simple game or does it make your head hurt too? ^_^

 

 

 

Similar Games

If you like poker games then you should definitely try some of these games!

• Flush Frenzy at BugleGames – This is another poker/slots mix, but at a much slower paced. *Whew!*
• Quick-Draw Poker at Gamesville – Play 7 hands at a time! Averages 2 cash winners each day!
• Turbo 21 at Pogo – If Blackjack is more your thing then you should really try Turbo 21! It’s one of the most addictive online card games that I’ve ever found. Really!

Flush Frenzy - Fun, but not really frenzied.

Flush Frenzy is played only at BugleGames! If you like card games you should definitely try it!

Bingo! Whoops... Wrong game.

First off, Flush Frenzy is based on poker. If you don't remember what a Full House or a Straight is, click here. Come back when you're done! ^_^

Finished? Okay, let's go!

I'll have two Royal Flushes, please!

To score anything at all, you need at least a pair of Jacks or better. (Queens, Kings, and Aces are better.) When you place a bet you can wager anything from 1 to 5 coins. (Go for 5.)

Flush Frenzy is different from "regular" poker because it has Lucky Numbers and a semi-minigame when you hit a Flush!


Lucky Number

In every hand there is a Lucky Number. It's in the green box below. ^_^

King me!

If you have a winning hand AND the Lucky Number in that hand, your winnings multiply!

• 1 Lucky Number = Double winnings
• 2 Lucky Numbers = Quadruple winnings
• 3 Lucky Numbers = Octuple (8x) winnings 
• 4 Lucky Numbers = Sixteenuple (16x) winnings (Yes, I made that word up. Shhh!)

Here's how the hand turned out.

Woohoo!

I got two pair! Ordinarily that's worth 10 points, but since I had two Lucky Numbers my winnings quadrupled! Not too shabby!


Flush Frenzy

Whenever you get a Flush, ANY Flush, you trigger the Flush Frenzy.

Let the frenzy begin!

Here's how the Flush Frenzy works. For the next 5 hands, whenever you have a card in the same suit as your Flush, your get an additional bonus of 20x your bet. This is for each card!

In the picture below, I didn't have a pair or anything. But since I had three club cards during a club frenzy, I earned 300 tokens! 20(bonus) x 5(bet) x 3(cards) = 300.

Sweet!

It gets even better if you have a Lucky Number. The multiplier works on the Flush bonus too. ^_^

610?! Awesome!!

That time I ended up with a pair of Aces (5 points), three club cards (300 points), and a Lucky Number! With the double score, I earned 610 tokens from one hand!

IMPORTANT: You still need a winning hand for the Lucky Number to apply. If I only had 3 clubs and nothing else, the Lucky Number would not double my winnings.

If you get another Flush during the frenzy, then a new frenzy starts for 5 rounds. It doesn't stack! If you're on round 1 of a frenzy and pull another Flush, you'll go straight into frenzy #2.

Also, the suit you're frenzying on is highlighted in green under the Flush Frenzy logo.

Well that's handy.

I've uh, gotten mixed up a few times. *^_^* It really stinks to hold on to three diamonds when the suit you want is hearts. Don't be like me! Pay attention!


Tips & Tricks

The Flush Frenzy is where you'll earn the most points. This means that you want to get as many Flushes as you can! In Quick-Draw Poker I only aim for a Flush if I have 4 cards the same suit. On Flush Frenzy I'll try for a Flush with just two or three cards of the same suit. But sometimes you'll get two suits with two cards each. What then?

First, look to see if one suit has a Jack or better. That way if I don't get a Flush, I still have a decent chance of getting a pair. In the example below I have a Queen and King of diamonds, and a six and Ace of hearts.

Hmm.....

With the Queen and King of diamonds I double my chance of getting a Jacks or better pair, so that's what I'll pick.

If neither suit has a Jack or better, I'll look to see if one of the suits has a Lucky Number.

Ooh! I see an eight of diamonds!

This time we have a nine and three of spades, and an eight and three of diamonds. Since eight is a Lucky number, I'll grab the diamonds. It's unlikely that I'll get a Jacks or better pair on the redeal, but if I do, I want to maximize my score.

If neither suit has a Lucky Number of a Jack or better, flip a coin. ^_^


Final Rating

I enjoyed Flush Frenzy, but I kept waiting for the "frenzy" to kick in. I imagined something like a shark feeding frenzy, but with cards, I guess. *^_^* Instead I got a poker game where I set the pace. That's fine and all, but I'm not exactly a frenzied player on my own.

Anywho, it's a good game, and the addition of Lucky Numbers adds a unique twist. I'll rate this one a 3.5 out of 5 stars. What would you rate it? Better still, what would you name Flush Frenzy? Bonus points for creativity!


Similar Games

If you like Flush Frenzy then you should try some of these games too!

• Quick-Draw Poker at Gamesville - Play 7 hands of poker at one time!
• Kenoka at Slingo - One of my favoritest games ever. ^_^ Keno + Poker!
• Turbo 21 at Pogo - An incredibly addictive fast-paced blackjack game.

Kenoka - It's superlicious!

Kenoka is an old(er) game on Slingo that a lot of people pass by. In truth, I only played it on a whim one day, and then suddenly three hours were gone. Whoops! *^_^*

This highly addictive game is a combination of Keno and Poker. (I guess "Kenoka" sounded better than "Kenoker.")

You start out with 10 cards, held at the bottom of the screen. Then the dealer flips over 20 cards, one at a time. Any matching cards on your side will pop up and be highlighted. If a Joker is flipped then YOU get to pick which card it matches up with.

Hmm... What do I want?

Sometimes a golden coin will appear under a card. This is a bail token, and is only useful for the final round. (I'll get to that!)

The more matches you have, the more points you earn.

*Squints*

The most matches I've ever had were 9. I might have had 0 matches once. It's pretty rare.

Now, whatever cards are picked during Keno are what you get to play Poker with. You can have up to 3 cards redealt at a cost of 500 points per card. Since I usually have four cards or less to work with, I don't use that option very often. And it doesn't always pay off.

Picture... so.... tiny......  o_o

You have to have five cards for any flush, straight, or full house. So if you only have four cards, don't think you can try for a flush. If you're unfamiliar with these terms I suggest you check out the overview on Quick-Draw Poker. ^_^

I'm flushed with pride!

Here I traded in two cards and picked up a flush!  In the upper right corner you can see the score for each section. I earned 3,000 points in the Keno section, then spent 1,000 trying to get the flush. For actually *getting* the flush I picked up another 2,500 points. It worked out in my favor, for once. ^_^

After the Poker round you head into the BONUS ROUND!

I feel like I should have an impressive image to go with that intro, but I don't. Just imagine confetti and sirens.

The concept is simple. You're shown a card and you have to guess whether the next card will be higher or lower than the card in front of you. (Aces are both high and low.) If you win, you double your bet and move to the next round. If you lose, you lose ALL of your points unless you have a bail token. A tie (push) means that nothing happens.

You have a total of 4 chances to double your winnings here. Or you can cash out at any time if the odds are against you.

A seven?? Crap....

A measly win of 500 points could end up at 8,000 if you're lucky! Or, if you have more to start with, like 5,000 points, then four correct guesses would net you 80,000 points!!

This may be my favorite part of the game. *^_^* I'm a sucker for big wins. Though it really bites when I get a 3, bet "HI," and the next card is a 2. But that's part of the fun too! Even though the odds may be in your favor, reality may go the other way!

Oh! Key thing to remember here: the bail token will keep you from losing, but it also resets your points back to where you started. If you're on the 3rd round with 40,000 points in your pocket, you may want to pass up the bet on that 7.

Not sure when to bet HI or LO? Keep this cheat-sheet handy for a little bit.

• 2-5 ~ Bet HI.
• 6-7 ~ Slightly better odds that the next card will be high instead of low.
• 8-9 ~ Slightly better odds that the next card will be low instead of high.
• 10-K ~ Bet LO.
• Ace ~ Bet whatever floats yer boat! It'll work!

I always wince when I flip a 7 or 8 because it's nearly a 50/50 chance for HI or LO. If you're playing for points, consider your winnings before you place your bet. If you're playing for fun, do whatever you like! I've lost hundreds of thousands of points on this part of the game, but I've had a blast doing it. ^_^ (Don't freak out! You don't wager any Slingo coins in Kenoka.)

Moving on!

The Keno, Poker, and bonus game all comprise one round in Kenoka. You get a total of six rounds to earn your points and cash'em in! For every point you earn in Kenoka you'll earn one Slingo coin.

Game over?? Bah. This should totally have inifinte rounds.

After a short commercial break you can get right back into Kenoka!

You can probably tell that I like this game. ^_^ Unfortunately, it seems that not many people share my enthusiasm. (Sadness!) There's no timer so this would make a great social game, but the room is usually pretty empty.

Maybe people just don't like Keno + Poker. (I think the combo is rather brill.) But I suspect that people are pushed away more by the dated graphics. It looks boring when it pops up on the screen, and I don't think it's been touched since it's initial release in 2002.

*Long look at the screen*

It looks older than 2002, doesn't it? Oi... Poor neglected Kenoka.


Final Rating

Graphics aside, I love this darn game! ^_^ If you haven't played it yet, GO!! Try it out and let me know what you think!!

5 friggen' stars, baby!

Quick-Draw Poker - It's a good thing!

Let me be honest here. I am a terrible poker player. I don't keep track of statistics and you can CLEARLY tell when I think I have a good or bad hand. (The jumping up and down is what tips most people off.)

Well, I guess that makes me the kind of person you would want to play poker with, so you could take all of my Money. Jerk. :P

Anywho! The above reasons are why FREE video poker is perfect for me! It doesn't matter if I jump up and down with glee or not. No one is there to see me. ^_^ And since it's free, I won't lose a thing! So let me introduce you to my new friend, Quick-Draw Poker.

You can play Quick-Draw Poker on Gamesville, and I highly recommend it! It's easy to play and you can earn oodles of GV's from it!

And uh... in the interest of full disclosure, sometimes I have to open the pay table during the game so I can remember what things are worth. *^_^*

 I'd like a Royal Flush, pretty please!

If you've never played poker before, here is a quick explanation of the terms. If you're a video poker pro just skip on down to the Prize Stuff. ^_^

• Jacks or Better ~ A pair (two of the same cards) of either Jacks, Queens, Kings, or Aces
• Two Pair ~ Two pairs of ANY cards. Could be a pair of 7's and a pair of 3's. Doesn't matter.
• Three of a Kind ~ Three of the same card, like three 10's.
• Straight ~ Five cards in numerical order. For poker that order is: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Yes, the ace counts as a high or a low card.
• Flush ~ Five cards of the same suit. The four suits are: Diamonds(Red), Hearts(Red), Spades(Black), and Clubs(Black.) 
• Full House ~ Very simple. This is just a pair + three of a kind. Two 5's and three 9's would make a Full House.
• Four of a Kind ~ Four of the same card, like four Jacks.
• Straight Flush ~ As the name implies, this is a Straight and a Flush combined. The cards have to be in numerical order AND all be of the same suit. For example, if you had the 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 all in the hearts suit, that would be a Straight Flush.
• Royal Flush ~ If you have the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit, that's a Royal Flush.

So, how do you play Quick-Draw Poker? Well, you start with five cards and you pick which ones you want to keep. The kept cards are copied into the "empty" hands. 

When you're ready to draw, hit the DEAL button near the bottom. (I cropped it out of the pic! Sorry!!) The computer will deal you cards for EACH HAND separately. It uses a different deck for each hand so you may end up with different scores for each one.

In this example I saved the Jacks and bet the max. I ended up with

4 Hands with just a pair of Jacks = 40 points
1 Full House = 60 points
1 Two pair = 20 points
1 Four of a Kind = 150 points

Total = 270 points!! Not bad for one round! But unless you're dealt a good hand to start with, you're more likely to end up with something like this:

It isn't a terrible return, but 5 out of 7 hands didn't win me anything. That isn't as fun. (I'm a little greedy.)

Of course, the best is when all 5 cards are awesome to begin with. ^_^

Hmmm.... What should I keep?

I didn't have enough time to get a 2nd screenshot of the results, but I kept the flush. The guaranteed 350 points (50 x 7) was too awesome to turn down. ^_^

Now, you may have noticed the little clock in the upper corner of the pics. This is indeed a timed game! You have 20 rounds to play, and each round lasts about 13 seconds. This is plenty of time to pick your cards unless you get distracted. Not that I ever get distracted...

*Chases a butterfly*

Anywho, you are also competing against everyone else in the room. The person with the TOP score gets double the GVs!! And while I'm not a great poker player, I did manage to hit 1st place once.

 Pics or it didn't happen!

Everyone is dealt the same starting cards. But what you each get after hitting DEAL will be different.

Now, what is my non-professional method? It's pretty simple. ^_^ I look for whatever will take the fewest cards to win. This is what I would keep:

1. Any pair - Need one more card to make it three of a kind!
2. Jack, Queen, King, or Ace - Only need one card to qualify for Jacks or better
3. A 4 card flush - If I'm dealt 4 clubs I'll give it a shot. Just need one card to make it a flush!
4. Double ended straight - This is what I call being dealt something like a 4, 5, 6, 7. Getting either a 3 or an 8 would turn it into a straight, so I have more options. I try to avoid attempting to get straight out of something like a 3, 4, 5, 7. For that to become a straight I *have* to get a 6, and my luck is rarely that good.

If I happen to get, oh, a 10, King, and Ace of hearts I may keep 'em and hope for a Royal Flush. No luck so far, but that's the fun of free poker. It doesn't hurt to gamble and lose. ^_^

Prize Stuff
Beyond the prize of GV's, there is a Progressive Jackpot for this game. The pot starts at $5 and maxes out at $100. Gamesville doesn't post the odds for winning their games, but from talking to the rooms (and looking at the dates for previous winners) it appears 1-2 people win the JP every day.

This is the benefit of playing games with smaller pots. More people get to win! ^_^

And though I haven't won anything yet, here is what it looks like if you win the JP for Quick-Draw Poker.

Cuz I have a golden tiiiiiiiiicket...

I don't know if you can get this on the redeal or not. When I win I'll let you know. ^_~

One nitpicky thing - Whenever you join a new game you'll need to change the bet to MAX immediately. It will remember your bet as long as you keep playing or keep the window open. When you leave just remember that you'll need to hit MAX the next time you play. Several times I've jumped into a game, been dealt an AWESOME hand, only to get pitiful tokens because I forgot to change my bet. :( Sad day.


Final Rating
The rounds are fast, the GV's are great, and I love winning multiple hands in one go. ^_^

5 stars!