Learning How to Play Video Poker

Many people are intimidated about sitting at a table with a bunch of strangers at a table game, yet they are also looking for something more stimulating then slots games, while they are looking for something that requires more skills to play, Video Poker is the ideal game that offers the best of both worlds, and opportunity to play without having to sit with strangers at the same time a game the offers skill and excitement.

Many Video Poker games offer a lower house edge that many slots machines in land-based casinos. Video Poker has steadily gained a regular following since they were first introduced late 1970's when the first games were just jacks or better, the advances made today means that there are over 100 different variations of Video Poker.

Learning the basics is important

The basics of Video Poker is based on draw poker and contains almost the same rules with one basic exception you do not play against other players only the machine. Once you begin to play you will be dealt 5 cards, from those 5 cards you need to decide if you with hold any of them, if for instance you get 2 fives and the rest singles of various cards. You need to decide if you with to keep the two fives in a hope that you might get another five to complete a set of three for winning hand, or another pair to make two pairs. Sometime it might not be worth keeping the pair of 5's as they are not a winning hand on their own. If the pair is jacks or better than it's definitely worth holding that pair as they are a stand alone winner in their own right, you can then discard the other three in a hope of increasing the odds to three or four of a kind or another pair to get a better hand.

If you are dealt, 1 2 3 and two other cards that do not form a continuation of the beginning of a straight, you could decide to discard the two other cards in a hope that you will receive a 4 and 5 to complete the straight. Check the card suits when you have a mix of five cards with no pairs, you may be able to make a flush from say 4 clubs and discard the single odd card, and you could get another club to complete the flush.

Reading the paytable is to your advantage

Video Poker has the advantage over slots machines in that you are able to determine the return on the game. The basic rules are much the same as standard poker, with the exception that some Video Poker games have wilds which makes it more interesting as a wild card can substitute for any of the other 52 cards on the board. Your paytable will give you the payouts for the various combinations of hands, so familiarize yourself with this. The RNG (which is the random number generator) in a poker game can produce 2,598.960 hands with a 2 deck of cards, of this you have a even chance of producing winners so the casino will adjust the paytable to get the casino edge.

Strategies of Video Poker

There are a large varieties of different Video Poker games the first and easiest is jacks or better, this is the simple basic Video Poker game, the games then have additions such a wilds added to it, and some games will have 25, 50, 100 hands to pay with , this sounds daunting, but it's not that difficult when you understand how to play them, take a 50 hand game, you will be dealt 5 cards usual, above the five card are 50 other hands, when you choose which cards to keep, the computer picks the same cards that you have chosen for all 50 hands, click spin and watch as you first five cards complete with new cards except for the held cards, then watch as the machine completes each of the 50 hands one at a time, when you get a winning combination the computer will highlight that hand for you so you know which hands have won.

It's a good idea to play without betting in the beginning to get the feel of the game before wagering your money. Each different Video Poker game has various differences so it's good to familiarize yourself with each one that want to play. The fun in the learning of the different strategies, and see how the games play. The more you understand the better chance you have of getting more wins.