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| ARTICLES >> Video Poker Strategy |
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Although video poker is one of the simpler games that can be played in either an offline or casino online it is still possible to make many strategic mistakes. Video poker is not like playihg the slots as some thought is required to win. Choosing the correct cards to hold in order to receive the maximum payout is always at the forefront of a winning video poker player’s mind. The game is attractive to experienced poker players because it is actually possible to reduce the casino’s house advantage by about 2% if you play perfect poker strategy for every single hand that you draw.
However most players do not make perfect strategic decisions every time they draw a hand! Most strategic errors in video poker are made because the player just doesn’t take the time to read the pay out schedule on a machine. It is probably a much better idea to do this then choose a machine by trusting a gut instinct or a hunch. The fact that most people rely on hunches rather than common sense is how most casinos make that 2% edge from naive video poker players.
The most common mistake that beginning video poker players make is to choose what is called a short pay machine. Most video poker machines in casinos, both online and off, have machines that offer less than a 100% payout. However they also have machines that offer the 100% payout. Learn to recognize the best payoff schedules, and avoid the low payback games. Of course many casinos have no full pay games, in which case the only logical answer is to take your gaming money elsewhere.
In live draw poker it's sometimes correct to hold an ace or other high card when drawing to a pair or to three of a kind, but in video poker this is a financial disaster. Two pair pays the same no matter what the card ranks, and holding that kicker just reduces the chances of improving the hand.
Another common mistake is playing with fewer than the maximum coins. This is because many video poker games will not pay out a full jackpot unless you have deposited the maximum number of coins. There is nothing more depressing than winning a jackpot and then shorting your pay off because you bet one or two coins instead of the full five.
For example if you manage to create a Royal Flush the typical pay off for a five coin lay is 800 to one or 4,000 coins. Conversely if you only played with one coin you would only be paid 250 to one or 250 coins. Statisticians estimate that playing with short coins (not playing the maximum) can cause a 1.2% loss over the full span of your plays.
If you can't afford to play five coins then look for a lower denomination machine with the same payoff schedule. (But even so it's usually better to play one coin than to switch to a lower denomination machine with a worse payoff schedule.) Besides, casino internet bingo games are also well playing games. |
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