Video poker is probably the best thing that ever happened to poker players. A lot of players find sitting at a poker table intimidating. Furthermore, playing table poker is nowhere near as convenient as video poker is. It all begun back in the 1970s when the first video poker machines appeared in bricks and mortar casinos. Today, video poker is the most popular casino game with a hands-on approach.
This makes video poker much more similar to an online slots game than normal poker. There is one significant difference between video poker and slots games, though, in that you can still determine the outcomes in video poker. There is an element of strategy in the game that is simply not present in the vast majority of slots games.
If you’re wondering how to play video poker, then this video poker guide is just what you need.
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Play Video Poker – Everything there is to know
So, now that you know what the game is, you might well be wondering how you actually play it. If you are completely new to poker then you do need to make sure that you have some basic knowledge before you dive straight into the world of video poker. It is vital that you know the names for all of the various poker hands that you can be dealt.
You can find information about poker hands very easily online, and it is a good idea to become very familiar with these before you start to play video poker. Although video poker is intended to be as simple as possible, you need a good grounding of basic poker knowledge if you are to be successful. It will also help you understand this video poker guide more clearly.
The game works in a very simple way, though, and there is none of the tension of having to compete against other players. Playing video poker can be an excellent way to get a good grasp on the fundamentals of the game if you are new to it, but would like to graduate to playing against other players in a proper online poker room
How to play video poker: Simple Steps
This is how you play a game of video poker at the vast majority of online casinos.
- Log into your online casino account and select one of the video poker games
- Hit the play button to have hand dealt to you
- Select the cards that you want to hold or discard
- Hit the deal or draw button to replace the cards you want to be discarded
- Check to see if you have won according to the pay table on the screen
- If you win your hand, the game may offer you a chance to double your win on the draw of a card
Video Poker Strategy
As with any form of gambling, it is important to be as knowledgeable as possible about the game before you try and formulate a strategy. As we have stated above, the bare minimum you need to know is the terminology of poker when it comes to identifying the names of various hands. Each hand consists of different combinations of cards, and winning combination has its own name.
As well as knowing the value of each of these hands, you will need to be able to identify them quickly and make bets according to their relative value. An easy way to do this is to use video poker strategy cards, and we will take a closer look at these later on.
But it is also important that you have a good idea in your head before you play about how to approach a typical hand of video poker. We will give you some simple tips with which you can get started in the next section.
Video Poker Basic Strategy Explained
One way of getting the better of the RNG that controls a typical game of video poker is to concentrate on hitting royal flushes. This type of high-paying hand tends to give you good video poker payouts, but holding out for it does also mean that you might sacrifice lower-value winning hands. As you will see from the video poker strategy cards that we show later in this article, a royal flush does give you big prizes. Holding out for royal flushes is risky, though.
Perhaps a better basic tactic for the newcomer to video poker strategy is to favour as many winning hands of any type as possible, regardless of their value. So, for example, you might want to save a high pair every time you are dealt one, even though this would forego the chance of claiming a high-value win like a royal flush. This strategy would see you potentially collect more wins, but they would be of lower value overall.
The thing to consider, though, is that most lower value wins simply allow you to continue playing without bringing you any substantial rewards. The key to taking home better video poker payouts is to use a mathematically derived strategy. This is where video poker strategy cards become important.
Video Poker Strategy Cards
One important aspect of formulating a strategy for video poker is the use of video poker strategy cards or charts. These can look a little complicated and daunting to novice players, but they are in actual fact very simple to understand. They work by allowing you to quickly calculate the chances of success for the cards in your hand. You do need to know the names of the various types of poker hands in order to properly use the strategy cards.
How to use a Video Poker Strategy Chart?
All video poker strategy cards tend to work in the same way, even those that are intended for variations of the game such as Deuces Wild. You can read about video poker variations elsewhere at this site, so, for now, we will concentrate on standard video poker.
A strategy chart offers you the chance to see how potentially valuable your hand is. The highest paying hands go at the top of the video poker strategy chart. Lower paying hands will usually be found further down the chart.
You use the strategy chart to determine the value of the hand that you have been dealt. You can then analyse your hand to see which cards you need to discard in order to improve your chances of forming a winning hand.
| The strategy chart will allow you to calculate the relative probabilities of drawing the right cards to form a winning hand. |
Example of a Video Poker Strategy Chart
Here is an example of a video poker strategy chart. You can see how simple it is. It is absolutely vital that you know names for each poker hand before trying to use this. You can find more sophisticated strategy charts online, and each variant of the game tends to have its own strategy cards. The table below tells you the relative value of each hand for a typical game of standard video poker.
|
Hand |
1 coin bet |
2 coin bet |
3 coin bet |
||
|
Royal flush |
250 |
500 |
750 |
||
|
Straight flush |
50 |
100 |
150 |
||
|
Four of a kind |
25 |
50 |
75 |
||
|
Full house |
9 |
18 |
27 |
||
|
Flush |
6 |
12 |
18 |
||
|
Straight |
4 |
8 |
12 |
||
|
Three of a kind |
3 |
6 |
9 |
||
|
Two pair |
2 |
4 |
6 |
||
|
Jacks or better |
1 |
2 |
3 |
||
|
Hand |
4 coin bet |
5 coin bet |
|||
|
Royal flush |
1000 |
4000 |
|||
|
Straight flush |
200 |
250 |
|||
|
Four of a kind |
100 |
125 |
|||
|
Full house |
36 |
45 |
|||
|
Flush |
24 |
30 |
|||
|
Straight |
16 |
20 |
|||
|
Three of a kind |
8 |
15 |
|||
|
Two pair |
12 |
10 |
|||
|
Jacks or better |
4 |
5 |
|||
Video Poker Payout
When checking the potential payout from a video poker game it is a good idea to check the Return to Player percentage. This can usually be found in the further information section relating to a specific game at your online casino, or by simply researching the game online. The RTP for most games is around 95% or better, but there is a lot of variation according to game type.
It is important to note that these RTP percentages are calculated over the course of potentially millions of games. They are not a guarantee that you will always receive the same percentage of your money back that you have gambled. Always check the RTP of a game before you play, though, as this will give you a good indication as to how difficult it will be to win a substantial video poker payout.
Video poker odds
When it comes to video poker odds, it is possible to make more mathematical calculations that can help you make better decisions about which cards to hold and draw. Odds will always change significantly after you have held or drawn cards, so you need to take this into account too.
The odds on you receiving each winning hand in a game of video poker can be seen in the table below. These video poker odds relate to the chances of you being dealt each of these hands, not how you can subsequently build a winning hand by drawing and discarding cards.
|
Hand |
Odds |
|
Royal flush |
649,740 to 1 |
|
Straight flush |
72,193 to 1 |
|
Four of a kind |
4,165 to 1 |
|
Full house |
694 to 1 |
|
Flush |
509 to 1 |
|
Straight |
255 to 1 |
|
Three of a kind |
47 to 1 |
|
Two pair |
21 to 1 |
|
Pair – Jack, King, Queen or Ace |
7.69 to 1 |
|
Any pair |
2.37 to 1 |
Video Poker Rules – Easier than Poker but Just as Rewarding
As you can see, knowing how to play video poker is not too difficult. This is a very simple and accessible form of the game that almost anyone with a basic knowledge of poker can play. Due to the way that outcomes are generated by an RNG, it is important to have a video poker strategy that is based on mathematics rather than a hunch or some kind of imagined instinct.
For this reason, it is vital that you use video poker strategy cards to shape your video poker basic strategy. These charts make assessing the value of your hand very simple, and allow you to make quick decisions about which cards to hold and which to discard. Getting to know the relative values of each hand will help you make faster decisions during games.
Video poker payouts can be very good for players who are prepared to put the time and thought into formulating a proper strategy. Always remember that mathematics is the basis for video poker, rather than trying to bluff opponents into making poor decisions, as in ‘proper’ poker. Always remember that you are playing against a machine, and take the emotion out of your decision making wherever possible.