Hello video poker sharks! We're pleased to announce another update to Jacks or Better Pro '98. With v1.0.2 we've fixed some annoying bugs and added some new features. Read on to learn more!

See "made" hands on deal

If you're lucky enough to be dealt a hand that's already a winner right off the bat, you'll now see its name on-screen after being dealt in:

Auto-hold

Following on from the above feature is auto-hold. If you're lucky enough to not just be dealt an already winning hand but one that's either a Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush or a Royal Flush, those cards will be automatically held for you! 

We get it. Sometimes you're on video poker auto-pilot and it's all too easy to hit DRAW before you've realized you had a pat hand that's just gone down the drain. Auto-hold's got your back.

Video poker fact: the odds of being dealt a Royal Flush are 1/649,740 or about 0.00015%.

Custom pointer

Sure, it's rude to point...but this time we really felt like it's worth pointing out something subtle: a new pointer that's easier to see and perhaps a little more in keeping with 1998:

Full changelog:

• FEATURE: See made hands on deal-in.
• FEATURE: Auto-hold when dealt a Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush or Royal Flush.
• FEATURE: New custom pointer.
• BUGFIX: Fix issue where no sound would play when winning a small number of coins.
• BUGFIX: Fix issue where sometimes a distorted high-pitched note would be heard before the regular winning sound effect. 

Closing words

Work continues on the Android mobile version and I'll aim to share something more detailed about its progress in the coming days. 

The app will be a paid product, containing no adverts, no micro-transactions, no subscriptions. Just a one-time purchase (like how games used to be). 

What's that? "Free-to-play" model? I'm sorry, I can't hear those words all the way over here in 1998!

As a bonus, I can share something here already (I will make a more formal announcement in the next post)...

The first 50 buyers of Jacks or Better Pro '98 (Windows/macOS edition) here on itch.io will qualify for a free Google Play download code for the app once it's launched. 

That's right, a free copy of the mobile app for being an early supporter of Jacks or Better Pro '98.

You'll get the code sent to the email address you use when buying the game on itch.io (again, once the mobile app has been launched on the Play Store).

That's all for now, catch you in the next post.