Video Poker Tips

Video Poker tips

Video Poker is a game that was developed in the 1970s that is a single player version of draw poke, where players pit their skills against a computer in order to win the game. There are a number of video poker games available in online casinos and the game’s various versions are very popular both in online casinos and in the land based ones.

The Game of Video Poker

Video Poker is a very simple game to understand and the rules themselves are not very complicated. Players, both beginners and professionals alike enjoy playing this game since it allows them to combine skill with luck to be successful. The most important thing to remember when playing the game is to memorize the payout table so that the player understands which hands have a better value.
The game play follows a simple procedure. First the player must place a bet. The value of this bet depends on the machine that is chosen and is in the form of coins. Typically the player’s bet can be up to 5 coins per hand played. The game then begins with the computer dealing the player a hand of five cards. The player makes a decision at this point of whether to hold all the cards. If he/she is not happy with the hand dealt, then players have the chance of discarding up to 5 cards initially. Once the discard and the held cards are decided, the computer will remove the cards that have been dealt. At this point, the pack is reshuffled and the player’s discards are replaced with fresh cards from the pack.

Once the new hand is formed, the computer checks this hand for any winning combinations. Typically, the least winning combination is a pair of Jacks. The payouts are then made and the player can choose to play once more.

Video Poker Tips

In video poker, the house advantage can be made slightly negative, which means that the player holds an edge over the casino. This is one of the biggest reasons for its popularity and there are certain tips that the player must follow in order to ensure that the house does not hold an advantage over the player.

The first and most important tip to remember when playing video poker or in fact any sort of casino game is to set a daily or a weekly limit on the amount of money that will be gambled. This amount is crucial to ensure that players do not overshoot their budget. Another thing to remember is to stop chasing losses. These two rules will ensure that the player enjoys the game and it does not become a problem.
When playing Jacks or Better, which is one of the most common forms of the game, players who hold a pair of jacks (or better), should not discard all five cards. This will mean that they are losing their chance for even a minimum payout.
If the player has a straight, breaking the straight to try and get a flush is another bad idea. Other simple tips include dropping a kicker if there is a pair and a flush can be broken in order to ensure a royal flush.