Video Poker Strategy

Those who play video poker with any regularity generally have one or two favorite games they play. It may be some of my favorites such as Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, or Double Bonus Poker – games which have a high payback and low variance. Others prefer a bit higher risk, if it gives them a shot at more “jackpot” sized payoffs – such as Double-Double Bonus Poker.

Let's have a little straight talk about straights - specifically, one-card draws that attempt to complete straights in video poker.

Most video poker games have a fixed pay table, meaning the pays for each winning hand never change. For example, a high pair always pays 1-for-1, a 4-of-a-kind always pays 25-for-1 or some other fixed number, and a royal flush always pays 800-for-1 with 5 credits played.

Getting the most out of video poker requires learning to recognize the best possible draw on every hand.

The very popular Jacks or Better video poker game has been around for a long time. The reason is the high return and relatively low variance of the game. The original “full-pay” game returns 99.54 percent with proper play.

The double up feature has been around for decades. In fact, it was much more prevalent years ago than it is currently. The following true story could be the reason why.

Video poker tournaments are either limited to a certain number of hands or a specific amount of time. Sometimes the tournament has both a time limit and a limit to the number of hands. In a tournament with a time limit, playing fast is important.

If you are like most video poker players, you do not expect a lot when you are dealt nothing but a low pair for your initial hand. It seems like these hands never turn into winners. But, is that really the case? If a low pair is such a bad initial hand.

Earlier in 2017 I attended the Blackjack Ball, an invitation-only gathering of 96 Blackjack Pros from around the world.  Now you might be thinking what does this have to do with video poker; stay with me and I’ll explain.

Video poker tournaments have been around almost from video poker’s beginnings. They are still popular events today. Many tournaments are free, or they require only a nominal fee to participate. While the prize amounts vary greatly, a first-place prize for a video poker tournament can be several thousand dollars.

Some video poker players make think of this as a paradox and some might think of it as downright blasphemy, but here’s an important concept to get the most out of video poker games: Making the draw that will win most often is not always the best play

Video poker games have become a large portion of today’s casino landscape. There are dozens of different games. Each of these has multiple pay tables. How can you best take advantage of what the casino is offering? Here are several tips that will help you get the most from your live casino & online casino video poker play.