A
full understanding of how to play video
poker well is beyond our scope. It would
take a whole website to give fair treatment
to merely the most popular variations. But
you can use the information here as a
starter kit for appreciating the concepts
and underpinnings of the game.
There are three things you need to do in
order to strip away the mystery of a video
poker machine and understand its value to
you:
You must be able to read the pay tables and
know which ones have the highest payback.
You must know the best strategies for the
machines you choose to play.
You must know the volatility of a particular
machine - what effect it will have on your
bankroll.
Video poker is a lot more interesting than
slot machines; it is worth learning the
basics, and - while some strategy is complex
- it is not quite differential calculus. If
you are only interested in getting an edge
over the slot zombies while playing an
interesting casino game, or would like to
learn more - stick around and you would
understand what makes video poker tick and
how a basic aptitude can make you a smarter
video poker player.
Based purely on the mechanics, playing video
poker is simplicity itself. However, playing
it well entails a bit more effort. Video
poker is one game where the house advantage
is definitely affected by how much knowledge
the player has. The two main skills involved
- proper machine selection and knowing the
proper strategy for the machine you are
playing - get complicated because video
poker comes in a never-ending variety of
games. How do you navigate this sea of
machines? First, let's look at them in the
broader terms: there are non-wild card games
such as Jacks or Better and Double Bonus.
Then there are wild card games such as
Deuces Wild or Joker Wild. Within these two
general types, there are many varieties.
Some of these will be to your favor, some
will not.
While video poker can seem mysterious with
its many versions and options, for the
knowledgeable its appeal lies in its lack of
mystery. Every machine can be deciphered, so
you'll know exactly where you stand. The
best place to start your video poker
conquest is with the machine that started
the whole phenomenon: Jacks or Better game.
When video poker first appeared in the 70's,
it had a problem. The first machines paid
off only on two pair or greater, which
quickly drained players of their money and
enthusiasm for the game. Then the Jack or
Better machine was introduced, which paid
off for a pair of jack or higher. Video
poker has not looked back since. The classic
Jacks or Better machine is still very
popular and considered the standard game,
particularly good for beginners because of
its easily understandable strategy. Better
yet, the best version of Jacks or Better has
a 99.5% payback percentage when played with
expert strategy. That means it has only 0.5%
house edge. This is one of the best bets in
the casinos. A few video poker games
actually give you an advantage over the
house when played expertly - their
strategies are a bit more complicated.
The most important thing that we look at on
our machine is the pay table. The pay table
strips away the game's mystery; it's our
window into knowing whether the game is
worth our money. Unlike slot machines, the
pay table is not just there for us to drool
over the pretty payoffs. It can reveal how
much a game pays back if played perfectly.
Granted, this information is not printed
explicitly on the pay table. The first thing
you will notice is that all the payoffs are
scaled according to how many coins are
played; that is, you get twice the payoff
for playing two coins, three times for
playing three coins, etc. So the odds do not
change: throughout the play table, a flush
will pay six coins per coin player, for
example. This is true for all the hands
except the royal flush. Notice that the
royal flush payout takes a big leap on the
fifth coin played, and if the poker machine
is a progressive one, the royal flush with
maximum coins played will win the jackpot.
This sort of bonus on the highest hand is
typical for all video poker games. Also, it
is worth noting, that the cost of your bet
is included in the amount that is paid off
to you. So if you get a pair of Jacks, you
only get back your bet. You do not make a
profit unless you hit a hand of two pair or
higher. Also realize that the payoffs are in
terms of "coins", not dollars. These coins
are the denomination of the machine you are
playing on.
