Big Shark on 3Win8: Five-Card Draw Poker with a Seven-or-Better Paytable

Players who open Big Shark in 3Win8 expecting sharks and an ocean scene get a surprise: it is a five-card draw video poker machine. The screen is five purple-backed cards, a paytable across the top and two buttons. If you want an actual shark theme, the underwater multiplier games Shark on Mega888 and Crazy Shark on Playboy Casino are where to look.

The paytable

The table shows cash values for the current bet. At 0.10:

Two hands on this list do not exist in a normal 52-card deck: Five of a Kind and Five Bars. That means a special card is in play, most likely a bar or joker-style card; the screenshots do not show one, so check the ? help pages in the game before you count on it.

How a round plays

1. Set your stake with - and + next to Bets.
2. Press Deal. Five cards come face up.
3. Tap the cards you want to keep. A HOLD tag appears under each.
4. Press Draw. The unheld cards are replaced and the final hand is paid from the table.

In the screenshot the deal is 6♠ 4♦ Q♣ 3♠ 9♥ with only the three held. That is a weak hold. With no pair and no draw, keeping the queen alone (or throwing everything) gives a better shot at a paying pair, since a pair of sevens or higher is the first thing that pays.

Hold basics for Seven or Better

• Always keep any paying hand: two pair or better, or a pair of 7s to Aces.
• A low pair (2s to 6s) is still worth holding; it can improve to three of a kind or two pair.
• Four cards to a flush or an open straight are worth holding.
• With nothing, keep your high cards (7 and up) and draw the rest.

Bet size and pace

Video poker hands are quick, and a 0.10 bet with Full House paying only 1.00 means most of the money is in the rare hands. On a RM30 balance, 0.10 a hand gives you a long session. Raise the stake only if you are comfortable losing it faster.

The rest of the 3Win8 game list is in the 3Win8 guide. If you want to play, ask for a 3Win8 game ID.