Everything You Need To Know About Video Poker

Everything You Need To Know About Video Poker

Video Poker is one of the most
popular casino games in existence, although it is safe to say that many people
don’t know too much about it. Ask the average person to explain the basic rules
and mechanisms of roulette and blackjack and they would be able to. Video
Poker, on the other hand, is typically consigned to those who play the game and
frequent visitors to casinos, either physical or online.

So, with that in mind, here is a
complete guide to video poker – its origins, its rules, and how you best stand
to win.

Video Poker is a casino game
based on a typical poker game of five-card draw. Played either on a slot-style
machine or computerized console – as seen with the online versions – video
poker is a relatively simple casino game: players begin by placing a bet of 1-5
credits and hitting the ‘deal button’.

The machine will then produce
five cards. Players then have the chance to discard one or more (or all) cards
and replace them with new cards from the virtual deck. The machine then redraws
the new cards and pays out based on the value of your hand.

Like with the original version of
poker, Video Poker is played with a standard 52-card deck, although joker wild
games will include one or more jokers in the pack.

Video Poker was first launched in the 1970s
and rose to prominence on casino floors across the United States and Europe
during the 1980s. People continue to be drawn to the game due to its simplicity
and skill element. While traditional slot machines are based purely on luck,
Video Poker allows players some control over their hands.

Video Poker has also enjoyed an
increase in popularity in more recent times thanks to the people who are
looking how to play online
casino, allowing more people access to casino games.

First and foremost, before
playing Video Poker for a single dollar, make sure you are clued up on poker
sequences and the order of
their value. There is little point in playing before you grasp the value of
poker hands.

In a typical Video Poker pay
table – which determines your winnings after each hand – a pair of Jacks is
often the minimum hand and offers even money. After that, Video Poker follows
that of traditional poker: two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full
house, straight flush, royal flush. Royal flush, therefore, offers the highest
payout.

Once you have those consigned to
memory, these are a few valuable tips to keep in mind to maximise your chances
of Video Poker success:

As explained earlier, video poker
can be played with between 1-5 coins (or credits), however, video poker experts
widely agree that playing with the full five coins is always advantageous. That
is because Jacks or Better machines (the most common variety of video poker)
offer top payouts if you hit a royal flush.

Of course, it is optional and for
beginners more comfortable playing with less credits it makes sense but be
aware that the jackpot will not be available for hands played without maximum
coins.

One of the great advantages of
video poker is that the game allows you to know the expected return before you
even play. Therefore, it is important to research which tables offer the best
payouts.

To do this, find pay
tables that offer the highest possible returns. For example, a video poker
machine that offers a 99.54 percent return will be much more profitable than a
machine that offers a 97.29 percent return. In this instance, you could lose
money six times faster on the second table.

One of the biggest benefits to
video poker compared to traditional forms of poker is that you are under no
time constraints or pressure. It is just you against the machine – no players
and no dealers trying to hurry you up.

Therefore, the key to video poker
is to play slowly and deliberately. This will give you the opportunity to play
for longer and increase your chances of hitting a sizeable hand or even the
jackpot.

Landing a big hand is always the
hope when playing video poker. Indeed, it is the hope of any casino game. In
the case of video poker, a straight, flush, or above is what we are ultimately
hoping for.

However, it is important to play
the odds and that means not keeping three cards in the ambitious hope of
landing a straight or flush, when it means sacrificing a winning hand.
Essentially, never give up a winning hand in video poker for the blind hope of
an even bigger winning hand.