Five Tips to Help You Play Video Poker Better
Is it possible to play video poker to win? Yes of course! Video Poker is one of the few casino games that you can “tame” with the right strategy. Find below our five tips to help you play video poker better and become a winner!
You may not become a professional video poker player, but, if you are looking for a casino game that stands out from traditional poker and offers a positive payout expectation (or reduced house edge), video poker could become your new hobby! It will guarantee you hours of entertainment in return for a small investment. Here are our video poker tips to get better at playing video poker!
1. Pick the right video poker machine
A full-pay video poker machine will give you the best payouts. This means that you will earn more money when you get winning hands. In Jacks or Better, the most popular variant of video poker (the one where you will need at least a pair of Jacks to win), a simple look at the paytable will let you know if the machine offers full payments or not. Just look at the payout associated with full and flush. The full house will normally be paid 9 to 1 and the flush 6 to 1. This is why these machines are often called “9/6 machines”.
As long as you use an optimal approach strategy, your chances of winning on this type of machine are much better than those of other casino games. The house edge is below 1%. This means that the machine will return on average 99 cents on each dollar bet. If you do not play optimally, the house edge will be much higher: this is why it is necessary to learn an unbeatable strategy before starting a video poker game.
The best video poker strategy for deuces wild
In Deuces Wild (the variant in which 2 can come to replace any other card and where the paytable begins with three of a kind), the odds are also in favor of the player (provided that the latter applies the best video poker strategy). It is estimated that the house edge is around 1%. Try to find a machine that pays a royal flush at 9 to 1 and four of a kind at 5 to 1. By finding it, you will be able to play with a house edge of 0.76%. The second most appealing video poker machine, Deuces Wild, pays the royal flush at 11 to 1 and the full house at 4 against 1. It is one of the most decent machines on the market since the house edge is only 0.04%.
Another Video Poker game that you can play at Betrivers online casino is Jacks or Better Double Up. This single player game has a fast gameplay, a high payout and it looks like a computer game. Try Jacks or Better Double Up at BetRivers Casino in Pennsylvania.
2. Bet the maximum number of coins to be eligible for jackpots!
Check the paytable of your video poker machine and look at the payout grid: you will find that it is much more interesting to bet as many chips as possible to significantly increase your chances. For example, the expectation of gain is much better if you bet 4 times 25 cents than if you bet 1 $ once. In addition to the registration bonuses, some video poker machines offer progressive jackpots and free spins! There are many ways to increase your winnings!
3. Adopt the best video poker strategy!
To win at video poker, you need to master the perfect strategy. It is as simple as that! You will find online many strategy charts that will tell you exactly what to do in this or that situation. Keep them close at hand when you play online! Print them and do not take your eyes off them because there are cases where the video poker strategy to apply can be debatable. However, video poker is still one of the very few casino games where you can truly play on an equal footing against the house, provided you apply an appropriate and unbeatable strategy to the letter. As an example, here is a strategy table that you will also find on other sites. It will tell you which cards to keep.
- Royal flush, straight flush or four of a kind
- 4 cards that can lead to a royal flush
- Full, flush, straight, or three of a kind
- 4 cards that can lead to a straight flush
- Two of a kind
- High pair (jacks or better)
- 3 cards that can lead to a royal flush
- 4 cards that can lead to a flush
- A low pair
- 4 cards that can lead to a straight
- 2 high cards of the same suit
- 3 cards that can lead to a straight flush
- 2 high cards of different suits
- 10-Jack, 10-Queen or 10-King of the same suit
- High Card
- Get rid of all your cards!
4. Play video poker within the limits of your bankroll!
Like most games, video poker is subject to short-term reversals. Make sure your budget is big enough to cope with a long-term losing streak. If you are interested in the progressive jackpots, don’t forget to bet the maximum number of chips authorized by the machine to be eligible. If your bankroll does not allow you to bet the maximum amount for each round, it is better to cut down your stakes and play in a more balanced way by restricting the number of your bets!
5. Take the time to think and analyze!
If you want to learn how to play video poker correctly, do not hesitate to take full advantage of an essential factor: time. You do not need to bet back and forth, on the contrary. Take the time to think about the consequences of your decisions and, above all, allow yourself to have fun! As you can see, it is not that complicated to put into practice some video poker tips to increase your chances of winning, even in a superficial way. As you play, make a habit of familiarizing yourself with the odds to help you decide which cards to keep and which to discard. Even if some online casinos will indicate which cards to keep, you will be the only one who can assess their reliability.
Many people consider video poker to be some sort of slot machine. Big mistake! In video poker, you have to make decisions that have a major impact on the outcome of the game and thus the house edge is significantly reduced. In other video poker variants, the odds may even get to be to the advantage of the player in person. Some casinos offer these so attractive conditions because they know well that most players do not apply this valuable strategic advice. Even if half of the players bothered to play video poker with their best strategy, the casino would still have an excellent profit margin.
Play now with the right video poker strategy!