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Video Poker is what you get if you cross Stud Poker with a slot
machine and throw in a few wild cards. It's fast, almost like
playing Stud, and you've got a huge range of options. You can
choose Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, All American, Joker Poker
or a number of other variations. Each game has its own personality
and rewards a particular kind of play. Also, the machines let
you play anything from 1 through 5 coins, with the payoffs improving
at the high end of the scale. So if you know your Poker hands
and take the time to learn your game, Video Poker can be fast,
fun, and rewarding.
Old Poker salts should keep in mind that each game has its own
strategy. All American, for example, pays better than the others
on straights and flushes, so that will effect your approach to
card selection. When I first started playing Video Poker, I thought
it would be a lonely hearts version of the real thing. Not so.
The games do indeed have their own individual winning strategies,
and taking the time to learn your game means better payoffs.
Objective
As with all forms of Poker. the player aims to get the best hand
possible. The payoffs are marked right on the face of the Video
Poker machine so it's a fast lesson in what the hand ranks are.
All Video Poker variations rank hands the same, though a given
variation may add an extra rank or two.
Betting
As you would expect from a slots version of Poker, betting is
pretty straightforward in Video Poker. On any given machine you
can typically choose $0.25, $0.50, $1, or $5 games. And the bets
are 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x (Max Bet) whichever game you're playing.
So if you're playing a $1 game, you can place bets of $1, $2,
$3, $4, or $5.
Payoff
The first thing to note is that the game face shows you the payoff
for each betting level. Invariably playing Max Bet pays off better,
overall, than any of the lower multiples. Smart players pick the
betting level they are comfortable with and choose their game
accordingly.
In other words, if you're comfortable with a $5 bet, then pick
a $1 machine and play at Max Bet for $5. If $25 bets are more
your speed, pick a $5 game because Max Bet (5x) puts you at the
$25 level. In either case, you're getting the best payoff odds
you can for that game. This is similar to Slots strategy.
Also of key importance is the fact that the payoff ratios vary
from game to game. Where Jacks or Better may pay 25:1 for Four
Of A Kind, All American typically pays 30:1 and Joker Poker only
pays 20:1. These ratios do not necessarily reflect the true odds,
so again, knowing your game helps you play smarter.
The odds
The odds on a given hand vary from game to game, of course, but
generally speaking the house edge on Video Poker games is pretty
small, even 0% in some cases. Where the Video Poker games get
an edge is with players who do not follow an optimum strategy.
In other words, winging any given game based on a loose understanding
of Poker is going to lose you money.
Each Video Poker variation has its own quirks when it comes to
the odds and optimum player strategy. In the next section we'll
give you a rough guide to the most popular games, but detailed
strategy guides would take pages. If you're serious about Video
Poker, try some of the material in our reference section. Smart
players can do pretty well at Video Poker.
Jacks or better
Jacks Or Better strategy can get a little complicated. For a
full analysis check our references below, or follow this rough
strategy guide:
Keep any hand that already pays. Possible exceptions, by potential
value, are:
- Hold four card Royal Flushes to make Straights or Flushes.
- Four card straight flushes, inside or outside.
- High card Pairs rank here.
- Three card Royal Flushes.
- Four card Flushes.
- Low Pairs rank here, trying to build Three Of A Kind.
- Four card Flushes.
- Four card Straights. Hold inside Straights only if you've
got three or more high cards (J, Q, K, A).
If you've got nothing worth money, here's a general strategy,
in order of preference:
- Keep any two suited high cards. Discard unsuited high cards.
- Four mixed-suit high cards:
-keep any three suited, toss the unsuited.
-otherwise, keep them all.
- Three unsuited high cards:
-keep all three of K-Q-J.
-with A-K-J or A-Q-J, discard the A.
- Keep any two unsuited high cards.
- Keep any single high card.
- Tens or better
Same strategy as Jacks Or Better where 10 is now a high card.
Deuces wild
General strategy includes, best options first:
- Hold any 5 Of A Kind or Royal Flush.
- Else, if you've got four 2's: keep 'em!.
- Else, if you've got three 2's:
-hold any made 5 Of A Kind or Royal Flush
-otherwise, keep the 2's and discard the rest.
- Else, if you've got two 2's:
-hold any made Straight, Five Of A Kind or Royal Flush.
-hold any 4 of a Kind.
-hold any 4 of a Royal Flush.
-otherwise, keep the 2's and discard the rest.
- Else, if you've got a single 2, keep any made hand EXCEPT:
-hold four card Royal Flushes over made Straights, Flushes and
- Straight Flushes.
-keep four card Straight Flushes of all types.
-hold three card Royal Flushes .
-pairs: with two pair, keep one, but not both.
-hold four card Flushes.
-hold four card Straights.
-hold three card Straight Flushes, including gaps.
-hold four card inside Straights.
-hang on to two card Q or J high Straight Flushes .
-discard two card Royal Flushes.
-if you've come this low in the list, discard everything and
try again.
Jokers wild
Remember that only K and A are high cards: this is a Kings or
Better game.
General strategy:
- Keep a Joker if you get it. You'll only see in once in ten
hands, on average.
- Don't keep an inside Straight.
- Straight Flushes are a good payer and they occur considerably
more frequently than in a game like Jacks or Better
All American
Straights and Flushes pay well here so it tips the usual strategy
in their favor:
- Prefer inside Straights over one or two high cards.
- Prefer 4 card outside Straights and 4 card flushes over pairs,
even high ones.
- Hold any three cards to a Flush.
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