
                        BOX POKER INSTRUCTIONS


Finding the optimum placement for good cards and bad is the basic strategy
of BOX POKER, an adaptation of an old poker solitaire game.

The computer is the dealer - it shuffles the cards and turns up the first 25
cards, one at a time. You then drop the cards on a 5x5 grid by pressing one
of the letters A to Y corresponding to the boxes that make up the grid. As the
exposed top card, on the CARD DECK, is played onto the grid, the next card is
turned up. After all 25 cards are on the grid, the computer will add up and
display the scores accumulated.

The object of the game is to create ten poker hands, five across and five
vertically, of five cards each. Diagonals do not count. Hands earn a score
from zero (0) to 30, depending on the relative difficulty of achieving that
particular hand. (See the end of these instructions for scoring chart.)

Strategy is very important in this game. For example, you'll learn to go for
flushes in one direction and straights, full houses, and so on, in the other.
You will develop your own particular strategies and should become more
proficient each time you play the game.



                              SCORING CHART

                       Straight Flush.........30
                       Four of a Kind.........16
                       Straight...............12
                       Full House.............10
                       Three of a Kind.........6
                       Flush...................5
                       Two Pair................3
                       One Pair................1


The following hands are listed in ascending order. Any hand listed will beat
all hands listed above it. Note that the odds are different in real poker from
what they are in BOX POKER, so the ranking below is somewhat different than in
the scoring chart above.


NOTHING        : No cards matching in any way for any score.

ONE PAIR       : Consists of any 2 cards of the same rank, such as 2 fives.

TWO PAIR       : Consists of any 2 cards of the same rank, 2 cards of any
                 other rank, and the 5th card unmarched.

3 of a KIND    : Composed of any 3 cards of the same rank, with the other 2
                 cards in the hand unmatched.

STRAIGHT       : Consists of any 5 cards of 2 or more different suits, in
                 sequence of rank. An ace may be used as part of a sequence
                 either on the high or low end, such as in A-K-Q-J-T or the
                 A-2-3-4-5. The cards may appear in any order on the grid.

FLUSH          : Consists of any five cards of the same suit.

FULL HOUSE     : Composed of 3 of a KIND along with a PAIR of another kind.
                 Examples are as follows: 6-6-6-K-K and A-A-A-2-2.

4 of a KIND    : Consists of four cards of any one rank with the fifth card
                 unmatched. Examples are: K-K-3-K-K and 3-3-3-3-10.

STRAIGHT FLUSH : The highest ranking hand and consists of 5 cards in sequence
                 in the same suit. It is exactly as its name suggests both
                 straight and flush at the same time.

