Professional Gambling Guide – Gambling Strategies

Video poker made its entry in the 1970s. It has proven to be a popular form of gaming. Video poker offers players the opportunity to gamble with anonymity, skill and a relatively low “house” advantage.

The objective of video poker is to achieve a winning combination of cards. The player firstly chooses how much to bet on the game. The machine then presents the player with 5 cards. The player chooses which cards, if any, to keep and discards the remaining cards. The machine then replaces the discarded cards with new ones.

The payout schedule displays the machines winning combinations and the values for each combination. These values vary according to the credit bet.

If the player’s last hand of cards form a winning combination, the player is awarded an amount corresponding with this combination and the number of coins bet.

Some machines give players the opportunity to win even more credit, by allowing them to bet their winnings and original bet using a secondary betting system.

There are various forms of video poker, such as ‘Jacks or better’, ‘Aces Faces’, ‘Deuces Wild’ and ‘Joker Wild’. Each is said to have varying rules and strategies.

Basic video poker winning combinations

Below is a list of common video poker winning combinations. Some video poker games incorporate other combinations also.

Royal Flush

A Ten, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all in the same suite.

Straight Flush

5 cards in sequence and in the same suite.

4 of a Kind

4 cards of the same rank and in any suite + 1 unmatched card.

Full House

3 cards of the same rank and in any suite + 2 cards of the same rank and in any suite.

Flush

5 cards of any rank and in the same suite.

Straight

5 cards in sequence and in any suite.

3 of a Kind

3 cards of the same rank and in any suite + 2 unmatched cards.

2 Pairs

2 cards of the same rank and in any suite + 2 other cards of the same rank and in any suite + 1 unmatched card.

1 Pair

2 cards of the same rank and in any suite + 3 unmatched cards.

‘JACKS OR BETTER’ VIDEO POKER TIPS

This form of video poker generally requires a minimal winning combination of 2 ‘Jacks’. Always check the machine’s payout schedule to confirm this.

Ensure you understand the payout schedule prior to deciding whether to bet and how much to bet on each game. Try to compare different machines and see if any offer a higher payout rate for certain winning combinations, such as for ‘full house’ or ‘flush’.

Generally, it seems more beneficial to bet the maximum amount of credit on each game. The jackpot for a ‘Royal Flush’ combination, for example, is only awarded if the player has bet the maximum number of coins. The problem, however, is that this has the potential to quickly exhaust your wallet. With this in mind, find a machine that best suits your budget. A quarter machine may suit your budget more so than a dollar machine, for example.

If your initial hand of cards does not contain a winning combination but contains a ‘Jack’, ‘Queen’, ‘King’ or ‘Ace’, it may be worthwhile holding onto this card and discarding the other four.

If your initial hand does not contain a winning combination but shows the potential to give you one should you hold certain cards and discard others, consider the probability of obtaining certain combinations versus other combinations.

If your initial hand does not contain a winning combination and seems to hold no promise of one should you hold any cards, consider discarding all 5 cards. The next lot of 5 cards have the potential to give you a winning combination.

If your initial hand contains a winning combination, it is generally less risky to hold on to the cards that form this winning combination than to not do this in the hope of obtaining a higher winning combination. This is probably a question of guaranteed returns versus possibly higher returns that are NOT guaranteed.

If your initial hand contains a ’4 of a kind’ combination, hold onto all cards as changing the unmatching card will not improve your winning combination.

If your initial hand contains 4 cards needed to achieve a ‘Royal Flush’ or ‘Straight Flush’ but you need one more card to achieve this winning combination, SERIOUSLY CONSIDER holding onto these four cards and discarding the non-matching card. ‘Royal Flush’ and ‘Straight Flush’ combinations are most rewarding.

If your initial hand contains 4 cards needed to achieve a ‘Straight’ or ‘Flush’ but you need one more card to achieve this winning combination, consider holding onto these four cards and discarding the non-matching card. ‘Straight’ and ‘Flush’ combinations are relatively rewarding.

Recognize when a jackpot (large value) has been won. Some machines will ask you to call an attendant who will organize payment to you. Never handle or walk away from a machine that has just produced a jackpot winning. Call the attendant or have someone call him/her for you while you wait at the machine.

Find out if the venue you intend to play at offers other incentives, such as points, meals, accommodation, etc., that goes with your game play. This however doesn’t mean that you should play purely for these secondary benefits.

Practice your strategy for free using a video poker simulator. Many online casinos offer free game play.

Try to recognize when your luck may have changed. There are many examples of people winning significantly then “getting greedy”, so to speak, and losing everything.

Make sure you empty the machine of your credit prior to leaving it. Each year, people accidentally abandon machines that still have their credit inside.

Assign a budget for the day’s play. If the budget is lost, you will know when to leave the casino.

Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose and remember to always have fun.

Fact, of all the hands dealt only 21% are winning hands. The rest, which is 79%, are losers. The difference between a winner and a loser is what he does with 79% of the hands dealt so that it becomes a winner.
To increase the chance of making money at video poker is to understand, embrace and promise loyalty to these video poker tips.

Find a machine that pays 9 for a full house win and six for a flush win.

If you want to play on a progressive machine that pays 8 for a full house win and 5 for a flush win, be sure that the nickel machine pays a jackpot of $250 or better, the quarter machine pays $2,500 or better or $10,000 on a dollar video poker machine
To collect on the royal flush bonus for a progressive machine, be sure to bet the maximum number of coins

Play on the machine with the lowest denomination if you are a new player. Wait until you get better before playing on the higher domination video poker.

Use slot card to get credit for playing, if the casino offers one. First ask the point equivalent for each dollar played. Then learn what those earned points are worth.

Take time to read every hand you get. Remember you’re not playing against another person, it will not intimidate you for playing too slowly.

Players don’t recognize that the jack is the most important card in the deck, not the Ace. A Jack gives you a lot more lucrative hands than an ace.

The variety of video poker you can play is almost endless, but all have their own payables that need specific strategies. The best way to start learning is to limit your choices to two.

Improve your game by playing on a computer or a portable video poker game. If you train this way, you get to test your skills with zero risk.

Here are playing tips:

1. Don’t ever hold a kicker with your pair. This reduces your payoff by 5%

2. Don’t draw four cards, if you can get a royal flush drawing three.

3. Always stay on a winning five-card hand except when drawing a royal flush with one card.

4. Never break a flush to draw a straight flush even with one draw.

5. Always break your flush to draw a royal flush.

6. Don’t break your straight to draw for a straight flush.

7. Don’t draw five, if you’re holding Jacks or better.

8. Never leave a ten on a four card draw.

Video poker is a popular variation of the slot machine, but it is not a slot machine. The odds on a video poker game are greatly dependent on your skill as a player.

First, choose only those machines that pay full scale winnings. Each category of payoff is important, but a rule of thumb is 250 coins for a royal flush or 4000 coins for a royal flush under a 5 coin play. If the other payoffs are in line with the royal flush payoff, and you are a very skilled player, theoretically you could have odds VERY slightly in your favor, but you must know what you are doing.

For instance, when you are playing Video Jacks or Better – keep any full house or better. Hold a flush or straight except when drawing to a four card royal flush. With a four card flush, three card royal flush, four card straight, three card straight flush, three of a kind, two pair, single pair empty your hand to these holds and draw to fill. Draw three to two high cards and draw four to one high card. Always play the maximum coins to take advantage of the bonus for a royal flush. Good Luck!