How to Play Video Poker |
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Video Poker BasicsI am going to cover a wide range things about how to play
Video Poker and Video Video Poker HandsVideo poker machines all have a pay table which lists the payouts for certain poker hands. The listed pay tables always override what I have listed here, and sometimes will have a different higher or lower paying hand, but these are the basic video poker hands from highest to lowest.
Most video poker machines require at least a pair of Jacks or 3 of a kind to pay out. How to Play Jacks or Better Video PokerJacks or Better video poker is one of the two most popular variations of the game. It is easy to learn how to play but difficult to learn how to play Jacks or Better video poker at the best level to make the house edge as small as possible. In its simplest form, you are dealt five cards and try to form the best five-card poker hand. You receive winnings on any hand that ends up with at least a pair of Jacks. You can exchange any number of your first 5 cards one time for new cards. How to Play Deuces Wild Video PokerThe other of the two most popular video poker games, Deuces Wild is played much like Jacks or Better (Listed above) with the 2's acting as wild cards. The bottom payout is 3 of a kind instead of a pair of Jacks. The most important cards are of course the twos and correct strategy often calls for throwing everything away except the 2's in your initial hand. Free Video Poker GamesThere are tons of people who enjoy playing free games of all kinds, but even some of the best video poker players in the world play free video poker games. To play at the required level to reduce the casinos edge to a minimum, a video poker player has to make the right decision based on odds and payouts on every single hand. The only way to reach this level is to practice, and there is no reason this practice has to be for real money. I strongly suggest choosing a favorite video poker variation, learning the correct strategy and then practicing on a free video poker machine to hone your skills. Video Poker BankrollsEvery video poker player has to have a bankroll of money to keep playing. And because even the best video poker games tend to have an advantage toward the casino, without any other considerations, no video poker bankroll will ever be enough. The good news is that between online casinos offering bonuses and land based casinos offering slots clubs and comps, if you are a good enough player you may be able to at least break even. One very important thing to remember about a video poker bankroll though is that expected return and perfect play still don't guarantee short term results. For example, correct strategy on a 9/6 Jacks or Better game will return over 99.5% to the player, but this is based on thousands and thousands of hands. Over a few hundred hands a player may be way up or way down. Your bankroll must take this into consideration. Online Video Poker vs. Casino Video PokerThough it may seem that playing online video poker is different than playing at your local casino, when it comes down to the game play, the machines play exactly the same and offer the same payout percentages for the same pay tables. One major difference is the availability of free drinks at the local casino, which can change your bottom line when you calculate your entire win or loss for a session. I like the online video poker games because I can play from the comfort of my home and have a wide variety of machines and pay tables at my disposal. Plus there aren't any loud and obnoxious drunks bothering me at home and there isn't any cigarette smoke. Some people like the atmosphere in a real casino though, so to each his or her own. Video Poker MachinesWhether you are playing video poker in a casino or online, there are many variations of video poker machines. The important thing to recognize on any machine you choose to play is the pay table and the expected rate of return based on that pay table. The machines themselves will not list the rate of return, but based on the pay tables this information is readily available. You should also always concentrate on playing a game you are at least familiar with basic strategy for. If you don't know the best strategy for Deuces Wild, you will end up losing money by missing the best plays, in effect giving the casino a much larger advantage. |
Free Video Poker |
Poker basics on this page, but each
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