| Video Poker 101
How To Play Winning a slot jackpot is based solely on luck.
You put your money in the machine, hit the spin button and hope
that Lady Luck will invite you to dance. There are no decisions
to make that will change the outcome of the spin. On the other hand,
many table games require skill as the decisions you make can determine
whether you win or lose. Most table games when played properly have
a lower house edge than the slot machines. Knowledgeable Blackjack
players know that learning basic strategy will reduce the house
edge to less than one percent. One reason why more people don’t
play table games is the intimidation factor that comes about from
sitting down at the table with other players. They would like to
play games of skill but are concerned about making the wrong play
and looking foolish so they feel more comfortable with the solitary
play of the slot machines.
Video Poker is a game that requires skill and it bridges the gap
between slot machines and table games for many players. In most
casinos video poker machines, when played correctly, offer a lower
house edge than the slot machines. Over the last few years video
poker has been gaining in popularity and the casinos are adding
more machines to the gaming floor. When video poker machines first
appeared on the casino floors in the late 1970’s the only game offered
was Jacks or better draw poker. Today there are over 100 variations
of the game.
How to Play
Video Poker is based on the game of draw poker and has virtually
the same rules except that you are not playing against any other
players. The machine deals five cards on the screen. The player
then has the option of drawing up to five new cards. (In some instances
you may not want to draw any new cards) You keep the cards you want
to keep by pushing the “hold” button that corresponds to the card
on the screen. When you have made your choice you hit the “deal”
button and the cards you discarded will be replaced by new cards.
Your win or loss is determined by the outcome after of your final
hand after you hit the draw button. How much you win is based on
the pay table that is posted on the front of the machine.
The Return
One advantage that video poker has over regular slot machines is
that you can determine the return of the game by reading the pay
table on the front of the machine. Most video poker games use the
combinations of hands that can be made from a standard 52 card deck.
I say most because there are some Joker Poker Games that use one
ore two Jokers added to the 52 card deck. One popular variation
of the game is Deuces Wild which uses a 52 card deck but the deuces
are wild cards. With a set number of combinations that can be made
from the cards used in the game the payout can be calculated by
how much the machine pays for each winning combination.
There are 2,598,960 hands that can be produced with a 52-card deck.
The RNG (random number generator) in a video poker machines is set
to simulate the probabilities of drawing any one of the combinations
of hands. Because this is a set probability the casino gets its
edge by adjusting the pay table of the machines.
Although you will not be able to make the calculations in you head.
There are software programs (more on those later), strategy cards,
books and internet sites where you can obtain the information you
need to determine the payouts for each pay table. By knowing how
to read a pay table you can make sure you are playing the machine
with the best return. Some casinos will put two identical machines
that have different pay tables next to each other. You want to make
sure you are choosing the one with the highest return. See pay table
link in the sidebar.
Video Poker Strategy
It is not enough to just know the payback of a video poker machine.
In order to achieve the maximum return you must play the game using
a set mathematical strategy. It is very important that you learn
the strategy for each game and play them correctly. Making a few
mistakes in strategy when playing can increase the house edge against
you. Each video poker game has its own strategy. For example you
can not use the strategy for Jacks or Better when playing Deuces
Wild.
The game that you should learn first is Jacks or Better. Most of
the other games are variations of this one. Although space does
not allow me to give you the complete strategy in this issue, you
can read and download a free strategy chart for Jacks or Better,
Deuces Wild and Double Bonus Poker by clicking on the software link
on the sidebar.
Learn at Home
You can also learn to play video poker at home on you computer by
investing in tutorial software. There are two excellent programs
on the market; Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker and Jean Scott’s Frugal
Video Poker. These programs let learn as you play by alerting you
when you make a mistake. They come with over 20 different versions
of video poker games. Both programs let you enter in a pay table
and the program will calculate the return for that game. Frugal
Video Poker even lets you print strategy cards that you can take
to the casino with you. The money you spend on a software program
will be recouped on the money you save by playing video poker correctly
and they are fun to play as well. You can find additional information
about these programs on my by clicking on the software link on the
sidebar.
Give it aTry
Many players who switch from the slot machines to video poker never
go back again. They enjoy the challenge and the excitement of playing
a game that requires a little skill. But don’t let the skill part
scare you off. Video Poker is not hard to learn and it is a lot
of fun. Why not give it a try?
Until next time, remember:
"Luck comes and goes...Knowledge Stays Forever!"
|
