Video poker is different to normal Poker, which is played against other people at a poker table; video poker is played independently on a machine that employs video technology to generate a Poker hand. Based on Five Card Stud rules, video poker challenges you to build the best possible five card poker hand. After you have been dealt five cards, you have the option of removing any unwanted cards in return for a fresh card or cards.
Your Payouts are based on a scale, paying for hands as low as a pair of tens or Jacks progressing up to a Royal Flush. Video poker machines come in many denominations, 25 cent, $1, etc.
Below are some basic rules that you must know about video poker strategy:
- You must be able to read the payout tables and understand which machines have the highest payout.
- You must know and understand the best video poker strategy for the machine you want to play.
- You must understand the expected volatility of your choice in machine and what effect it will have on your bankroll.
- Play Carefully - You don't have a dealer or any other players waiting for you to make a decision, so take your time.
- Video poker machines have no memory. A random number generator ensures it. Play each hand like you don't remember what happened in the previous hand.
- Don't play hunches - you are lowering your odds of winning for the pleasure of playing your hunch.
Online video poker is a casino game where the house advantage is affected by how much knowledge you have. The two major skills involved - proper video poker machine selection and knowing the proper strategy for each machine - get complicated because online video poker comes in a huge assortment of different games. Each different variation requires a strategy suited to it to be truly effective.
There are non wild card games, like Double Bonus and Jacks or Better. There are wild card games, like Joker Wild and Deuces Wild. Within these two different types there are many different variations. Payout schedule return rates can vary from below 90% to over 100%. When a payout schedule can return over 100%, the game is beatable. This means that if you play the machine perfectly, you will always walk away a winner in the long run.
The best place to start playing video poker is on the original and most popular machine, jacks or better. Jacks or Better pays you for a pair of jacks or anything higher, which is an easy concept for beginners to grasp. The best version of Jacks or Better has a 99.5% payback percentage when played with the proper strategy. This means it only has a 0.5% house advantage. So in the long run, you can expect to lose only fifty cents of every $100 you play.
This is by far one of the best bets in any online casino. You may eventually want to move to new and more exotic variations, but Jacks or Better will always be the most readily available and understandable part of your video poker strategy.
An important factor to remember when playing video poker is the pay table. The pay table takes away the machines mystery; it lets you know whether or not the game is worth your money. An example of a pay table can be seen below, it can reveal how much a game pays back if played perfectly.
Jacks or Better Strategy
The following strategy is designed for the jacks or better video poker machine. Using this strategy on a maximum credit video poker machine will give an expected return of 99.46%. Mistakes in this strategy will cost 0.08%, or one bet for every 1178 hands.
To use this strategy properly, look up all possible ways to play each hand on the list below and use that which is highest on the list. A "high card" is a jack or higher.
| 1. Four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush |
9. Low pair |
| 2. Four to a royal flush |
10. Four to an outside straight |
| 3. Three of a kind, straight, flush, full house |
11. Two suited high cards |
| 4. Four to a straight flush |
12. Three to a straight flush |
| 5. Two pair |
13. Two unsuited high cards |
| 6. High pair |
14. Suited 10/J, 10/Q, or 10/K |
| 7. Three to a royal flush |
15. One high card |
| 8. Four to a flush |
16. Discard everything |
Deuces Wild Strategy
The following strategy is for the Deuces Wild video poker machine. Using this strategy and betting maximum credits will give an expected return of 100.71%. Mistakes in this strategy will cost you 0.05%, or one bet for every 1869 hands.
To use this strategy properly, look up all feasible ways to play your initial hand on the following list and decide which move is highest.
0 Deuces
| 1. 4, 5 to a royal flush |
| 2. Any pat paying hand |
| 3. 4 to a straight flush |
| 4. 3 to a royal flush |
| 5. Pair |
| 6. 4 to a flush |
| 7. 4 to an outside straight |
| 8. 3 to a straight flush |
| 9. 4 to an inside straight, except missing deuce |
| 10. 2 to a royal flush, J, Q high |
1 deuce
| 1. Any pat four of a kind or higher |
| 2. 4 to a royal flush |
| 3. Full house |
| 4. 4 to a straight flush with 3 consecutive singletons, 5-7 or higher |
| 5. 3 of a kind, straight, or flush |
| 6. All other 4 to a straight flush |
| 7. 3 to a royal flush |
| 8. 3 to a straight flush with 2 consecutive singletons, 6-7 or higher |
| 9. deuce only |
2 deuces
| 1. Any pat four of a kind or higher |
| 2. 4 to a royal flush |
| 3. 4 to a straight flush with 2 consecutive singletons, 6-7 or higher |
| 4. 2 deuces only |
3 deuces
| 1. Pat royal flush |
| 2. 3 deuces only |
4 deuces
1. 4 deuces |
