Video
Poker Strategy Basics and Guide
Introduction to video poker
- Video poker has experienced
enormous gains in popularity. Today it is played by
more people in casinos than any other game except slots.
Many are turning to video poker because, unlike slots,
a player's knowledge and skill can affect the outcome
of the game. Video poker machines not only provide you
with hours of entertainment, expert video poker play
can put your payoff expectations at close to 100%!.
We have only one word of strong advice, always play
for maximum coins. Your payout line always rewards such
play! Most video poker machines are programmed to pay-out
close to 100% when players play at the expert level,
the casinos can do this because the vast majority of
players don't play anywhere near the expert play level
required. We would like to credit a fellow GPWA portal, Casino
Dreams, with a lot of this content. There is a huge
amount of info and they seem to have been able to summarise
it better than most.
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Background
The original versions
of video poker required Two Pair or Better for a payout.
When the payout schedule was increased to include a
high pair, business boomed. Thereafter, a number of
different versions evolved. Playing video poker is easy.
Once you've placed your bet, one to five coins, you
get your initial five cards dealt. From the five cards
dealt you determine which, if any, you wish to retain.
After selecting the cards you wish to keep, you draw
to obtain your final hand.Once all your cards have been
dealt the video poker machine will recognize the ranking
of your final hand value and pay you accordingly.
Video Poker Tips
Here are a few tips to bring your playing closer to
an expert level and improve your chances of winning.
Varieties of video poker machines can be found with
very different payouts on winning hands. Your overall
payback depends on the payout schedule of the particular
machine you are playing. Video poker cards are randomly
dealt. Accordingly, a low pay schedule will not be offset
by a machine making more winners, nor will a high pay
schedule be offset by fewer winners on the machine.
Shopping for the best paying machines is a very important
part of expert play. The expert player knows that to
attain top return, you must play the best paying machines.
Machines that depart from the full pay schedules generally
do so at the expense of the player. They reduce the
payout on frequent winners and sometimes increase it
on the less frequently paid hands. Any reduction in
payback is undesirable, it can have a serious impact
on your chances of being a winner. As a rule of thumb,
a one unit payout reduction on straights, flushes or
full houses will reduce the payback about 1% each. Reductions
in four of a kind payouts can cost the player even more.
There is no need to settle for less. The trend is accelerating
toward increasing the number of full pay machines in
play. As a result, the casinos have noticed an increase
in the number of video poker players. If the machines
payback is not posted then look at the chart on the
machine and pick out one that pays the most for a full
house and a flush. The greater the return then the higher
that machine pays-out. The following is an example on
a jacks or better machine:
| Machine Return |
Appox. Machine Payback |
| 9 for a full house / 6 for a flush |
99.5% |
| 8 for a full house / 5 for a flush |
97.4% |
| 7 for a full house / 5 for a flush |
96.3% |
| 6 for a full house / 5 for a flush |
95.2% |
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Playing with a 52 card
deck, if you ignore the order of the cards within the
hands, there are exactly 2,598,960 unique 5 card hands
that can be dealt as your initial hand. Las Vegas style
Jacks or Better offers odds of winning at 46% of hands
dealt:
| Hand |
You win once in every X number of hands |
| Royal Flush |
40,165 |
| Straight Flush |
9,610 |
| Four of a Kind |
423 |
| Full House |
87 |
| Flush |
92 |
| Straight |
90 |
| Three of a Kind |
13 |
| Two Pairs |
8 |
| High Pair |
4.6 |
| Non-winners |
54% of hands |
The payouts for every hand
combination are attached to the machine. The maximum
number of coins is also shown (normally five coins)
It is a good idea to always play the maximum number
of coins in order to be eligible for the bonus payout
for a royal flush. Also make sure the machine has accepted
all of your coins before playing in the event that you
do get a big win you want to be absolutely sure the
five coins were played.
Playing progressive
machines is a good idea, they can pay large amounts
for a royal flush and make the payout more in line with
the difficulty of obtaining a royal flush (about once
in every 40,000 hands). Play progressive machines that
are showing about 80% of the payoff amount (example
$2,000 on a machine that has a payoff of $2,500), and
be sure to play the required number of coins to be eligible
for the payoff.
The Don't and Do's of
online video poker games
Don't forget that
in video poker you are playing a machine. The machine
is programmed to only payoff when a player holds one
of the posted hands. Don't bother holding a 'kicker'
card (a high value card to be used along with a pair)
this works when playing against other players but the
machine doesn't care and you have lost the opportunity
to draw a better card.
Don't draw to an
inside straight (where you have four cards and need
one in the middle to fill a straight). On the other
hand if you have an open-ended straight (you have four
consecutive cards and only need one at either end to
fill a straight) then take a shot at making the straight.
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Always keep any
pair vs. holding a high card. Many players would discard
a pair of two's and keep one or more high cards, this
is not the best strategy, trying for three of a kind
you have better odds when considering the payout and
chances of drawing what's needed.
Always keep a high
pair vs. a four-card open straight, a four-card flush
or a three-card royal. Try for three of a kind with
the knowledge that at worst you have recovered your
bet.
Always keep a low
pair over a four-card open end straight. The low pair
has more value as a potential 3 of a kind than going
for the straight and should be kept.
A three-card royal
should be kept over a low pair, a four-card flush and
a four card open end straight. The bonus for the royal
flush makes it a better play. Don't be afraid to draw
five cards if you have garbage (one that doesn't have
a least one high card).
Basic
Playing Strategy Summary
| Cards in your hand |
Draw |
| 4 of a kind or better |
0-1 cards (keep all your cards or
trade in 5th if wild cards available) |
| 4 cards to a royal |
1 card |
| Full house or flush |
0 cards (keep all your cards) |
| 3 of a kind |
2 cards |
| 4 card straight flush |
1 card |
| Straight |
0 cards (keep all your cards) |
| 2 pair |
1 card |
| High pair |
3 cards |
| 3 cards to the royal |
2 cards |
| 4 card flush |
1 card |
| Low pair |
3 cards |
| 4 card straight |
1 card |
| 3 card straight flush |
2 cards |
| 2 high cards |
3 cards |
| 1 high card |
4 cards |
| Garbage |
5 cards |
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