Video Poker - The Basics
The Object of the Game
Video Poker is an extremely popular game and holds similarities to
both Caribbean and Pai Gow Poker. Your goal as the player is to try to
obtain a hand stated in the Winnings Diagram. The exciting aspect of
the game is that you can win big when you least expect it.
How to Play
First, choose the amount you wish to deposit into the machine by
clicking on the appropriate chip. Then, choose the value of the coin(s)
you wish to wager in each round: $0.25, $1, or $5. Next, choose the
number of these coins that you wish to wager in the next round by
clicking on the BET ONE button up to five times. If you choose to
wager the maximum amount of coins (5), it is also possible to push the
BET MAX button. If you press the BET MAX button, your cards will be
dealt automatically. If you use the BET ONE button to select the
number of wagered coins, you must press the DEAL button to receive
your cards.
Thereafter, click on the cards you wish to keep, or on the HOLD button
beneath the cards. When you press DEAL, you will receive new cards in
the positions of the cards that were not held.
Whenever you like, you may cash out to receive your credit in the
machine. Money that has been deposited into a machine is in no way
locked in.
Winnings Diagram
|
Coins Bet |
| |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
|
Royal Flush |
250 |
500 |
750 |
1,000 |
5,000 |
|
Straight Flush |
50 |
100 |
150 |
200 |
250 |
|
Four of a Kind |
20 |
40 |
60 |
80 |
100 |
|
Full House |
7 |
14 |
21 |
28 |
35 |
|
Flush |
5 |
10 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
|
Straight |
4 |
8 |
12 |
16 |
20 |
|
Three of a Kind |
3 |
6 |
9 |
12 |
15 |
|
Two Pairs |
2 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
|
Jacks or Better |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
* Note that the value of the winnings vary from
Casino to Casino. The figures
quoted above are intended as an example and are not exhaustive *
| Paid |
Credit |
Bet |
These are your winnings
from the current game. |
This is your credit balance
within the machine. |
This is the amount wagered
on the next round. |
Video Poker Tips
In video poker, only 21% of the hands dealt are winning hands of
Jacks or better and 79% are downright dogs. Herein lies the difference
between the winning and losing player: what you do with those 79% of
the hands that need to be groomed into winning greyhounds. The best
way to give yourself the greatest chance of victory at video is to
read, absorb, embrace and pledge allegiance to these playing tips.
- Seek out Jacks or better machines that pay 9 coins for a full
house and six coins for a flush.
- If you decide to play a progressive video poker machine that
pays 8 coins for a full house and 5 for a flush, play on a
progressive where the jackpot is over $250 on a nickel machine,
$2,500 on a quarter, and $10,000 for the dollar.
- Always bet the maximum amount of coins on a progressive machine
to get the bonus for royal flushes.
- If you are a novice player, play on the lowest denomination
machine until your level of expertise rises.
- If your casino offers it, use a casino slot card to get credit
for your play. You might as well get a return as a comp benefit for
your play on their video poker machines. Be sure to ask how many
points you will receive per dollar played, and then find out what
those points are worth in comps. This will help you shop for better
value on your play.
- Take your time to study every hand. Because you are playing
against a machine, no one will intimidate you if your play is too
slow.
- All hail the Jack! Some players don't realize the ace is not the
most important card in the deck, but the Jack is. Holding the Jack
over the ace gives you more opportunities of making more lucrative
hands than an ace would.
- There are more than a hundred different video poker machines to
choose from. Games like Joker Poker, Louisiana Jacks, Gator Poker,
etc. offer you a supermarket selection, but all have different
pay-tables needing distinct playing strategies. I recommend learning
and limiting your play to two, such as Deuces Wild and
Jacks-or-Better.
- Acquire video poker skills using either a computer or a
hand-held video poker game. The major benefit of this type of
training is the ability to test your skills with no financial risk
or ruin. You can gather data for later review, enabling you to check
trends that would be costly on a video poker machine. This
information would take you years to accumulate under normal casino
conditions. And again, the key here is that any knowledge obtained
without a casino outlay lets you net out better down the road.
And now, some playing strategies.
First, Never keep a kicker with any pair. Holding a kicker to any
pair reduces your return by 5%.
2nd, Never draw four cards if you can draw three to a royal flush.
3rd, Always keep five-card winning pat hands with one exception: if
you can, draw one card to a royal.
4th, Don't break a flush even if you can draw one to a straight
flush, but
5th, always break a flush to draw to a royal.
6th, Never break a straight to draw to a straight flush.
7th, Never draw five if you have a jack or better, and
8th, don't keep a ten for a four card draw.
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