Video Poker Tips

There are casino games that show some kind of magic of men with stern faces who try to outwit their opponents. Poker is among such games, but bluffing in it is not for everyone. Although, video poker is created for playing it alone, it is not in the least less challenging. A good strategy and some tips can be significantly beneficial for you — whether you play online or in a ‘brick and mortar’ casino.

1. Choose Poker Machines With the Highest Payout

Before you start playing online or offline video poker, it is wise to search for the machines with the highest payout. Pay special attention to the payouts with higher hands, such as flush, full house, and royal straight flush. The best winning chances you will get when you find the 9/6 varieties. This means that the bank will pay out 9 times your bet with a royal flush and 6 times with a flush.

2. Find the Right Machine in a Casino

If you decide to play in a real casino, and not, for instance, at home behind the computer, you should take a look at the location of the best machines. The machines located near the walking paths are more likely to be played on, and are, therefore, fuller.

Try to steer away from the casino’s that are located in busy areas, such as The Strip in Las Vegas. Or at least, be prepared to do some research before you start playing any random machine. The payout in busy casinos is more likely to be lower than in the casino’s located just around the corner. Of course, there are good machines to play on. Otherwise casinos would lose the customers, so go on a hunt for the best-located machines.

3. Hold or Replace?

When playing video poker, it is important to recognize a winning hand and to anticipate it by either holding cards or replacing them. In the scheme below you can see the most common hands and how many cards you should hold or replace. You can apply this scheme to most poker games, but be aware of changes when you play a game with more winning hands, or one that also uses jokers. Do not be afraid to change all 5 cards if you don’t have a hand. Just remember, that in this case it is best to hold the higher cards (Ace, King, Queen, etc.) and replace the rest.

Hands	Number of cards to hold	Number of cards to replace
Royal Straight Flush	5	0
Straight Flush	5	0
Four of a Kind	4	1
Full House	5	0
Flush	5	0
Straight	5	0
Three of a Kind	3	2
Two Pair	4	1
One Pair	2	3
No hand	0 or 1	4 or 5

4. Take Your Time

When you play video poker, you have the advantage that you are only playing against the machine and not against other players or a dealer. You have all the necessary time to think about your next step. Look carefully at the cards that are dealt, use the scheme and check the payouts before you make your deliberate choice.

5. Bet the Max

When you are trying to get the maximum payout, you will have to bet the highest. The lower your bet, the lower your payout will be when you get a winning hand. The highest hand in video poker is the royal straight flush. When you have bet the max, and you were dealt the royal straight flush, you will win the maximum amount of coins. Any lower bet will significantly decrease your payout. It is, therefore, best to play with the maximum amount of coins.

6. Play within your budget

Just as playing any other casino game, video poker is also subject to momentary happiness. Be prepared to have enough coins with you to be able to survive a long period of ‘bad luck’. Think about the fact that when you want to win the maximum, you will have to bet the max as well. If this is eating your budget too fast, lower your limit instead of lowering your bet.

Like any other gambling game, video poker can be highly addictive. If you don’t set boundaries and limits for yourself, you might fall into the ‘what if?’ trap, and you might end up losing more than just a few coins.

7. Be on the Lookout for Bonuses and Jackpots

Go for the games that offer bonus rounds or progressive jackpots. These extras are fantastic ways to increase your payout. A bonus round means that you can push your bet, and it might end up in doubling your money or even more. A progressive jackpot is an amount of money that grows when the game is played. Several games are connected to each other, and they all collect a small percentage of the bets to be put in the jackpot. The jackpot will then be paid to the random winner who was dealt a certain hand, most of the time the royal flush. Progressive jackpots do have a lesser chance of winning because you will have to go for the highest hand. Changes of getting this hand are slim and getting dealt these cards may never happen.

Online casinos often offer a bonus whenever you deposit real money on their website. Bonuses usually assume that you bet a certain amount of money before the bonus is paid. If you want the max out of the game, bonuses are a great way to increase the payout.

8. Choose the Right Game For You

The most played varieties of video poker are Jacks or Better, Jokers Wild and Deuces. Jacks or Better is often played because it is the easiest video poker variation for beginners. The other mentioned variations demand better hands for payout because Jokers Wild and Deuces use jokers in the game.

9. Learn the Game

If you are serious about earning money, you will have to learn the game. You can find detailed rules, instructions and strategies for video poker here. In case you want to extend your skills it won’t be difficult to find lots of websites on the Internet, that explain how video poker in any of its variations is played. Moreover, the Youtube channel can provide you with the video materials, like video lessons for your better understanding of what has already been learned. Books and special-purpose software can also be of a great help. You can practice your skills at home, before going online or heading out to the real playing fields.

10. Nevermind the Myths

Many people think that when a jackpot has not been won for a while, it’s about payout time. This is not true because payment solely depends on the fact whether the player meets the right criteria.

The notion that the more coins you invest, the better your winning chances are, is also a myth. The origin of this myth is probably a misunderstanding. More money you bet in a round – more payout you get when you win, but the chances of winning stay the same.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!

Are you ready to play serious video poker and be on a roll? Don’t forget to choose the right machines no matter offline or online casino you tend to. Do not rush yourself, and carefully consider, which cards to hold and which to replace. Bet the max, but don’t forget any limits you have set for yourself. Try to find games with extras, such as jackpots and bonuses. This also means that you have to choose the right game for you, and you might want to start with an easier video poker variation if you are just a beginner. But even the easiest game has to be learned. Knowing how to play and what to do is still the best way to go, although gambling will always consist of an enormous amount of luck.