Video Poker Strategies
If you enjoy poker but want to lie back for a while, Video Poker is the game for you. Video Poker combines elements of both poker and online slots and is loved by many casino players. Video Poker is really simple to learn, which means that with enough practice, you can work the odds in your favor. There are a number of different types of Video Poker games but in all the games, the objective is to complete the game with the strongest hand. The hands are based on standard poker hands, with a few twists for each Video Poker variant. The higher the ranking of your hand, the greater your payout will be.
Video Poker Strategies - Getting Started
In general terms you play Video Poker against a Dealer. You are initially dealt five cards and you then have to choose which cards you wish to keep or hold and which cards you don't like and wish to remove, or discard. You can remove any number of cards, you can keep all 5 if you like them or change them all from your hand. The cards you remove are replaced with new ones from the deck.
After you've made the decision to change cards and are left with your final hand, if your hand is a winning poker hand, the win is highlighted on the payout table. The payout table is based on the number of coins you have chosen to bet before the first deal.
If your hand is a winning hand, you then have the option to either Double or Collect your winnings.
To Double your winnings you have to play the Double feature, which in most cases is simply a game of higher or lower. The goal of the Double feature is to draw a higher value card than the Dealer's. If you are successful your win amount is doubled, you then have the choice to repeat the Doubling feature again, or to collect your winnings. If your card is lower than the Dealer's, then you have lost all winnings from the previous game and you are returned to the game to continue to play.
Video Poker Strategies - Video Poker Tips
Most Video Poker games offer you an AutoHold feature, which will automatically hold the best cards from your initially dealt cards, based on the Optimal Play Strategy, designed to give you the best possible return on your hand.
To play optimal strategy Video Poker strategies it is essential that you are able to to differentiate between which hands can earn you the most in Video Poker. While each game variation has their own payout table, we will take the example of Jacks or Better, as this is the most popular Video Poker game.
Ranking from highest to lowest, these are the hands you need to look out for:
Royal Flush - The highest hand in poker, consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten all of the same suit.
Straight Flush - Combination of 5 cards in sequence and all of the same suit.
Four of a Kind - Combination of 4 cards of the same denomination, one in each suit.
Full House - Combination of 3 cards of one denomination and 2 cards of another denomination.
Flush - Five cards of the same suit.
Straight - Five cards in sequence of any suit.
Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same denomination, plus 2 unmatched cards.
Two Pair - Two different denomination Pairs and any fifth card.
One Pair - Two cards of the same denomination, and three unmatched cards.
High Card - In the absence of any of the above hands, the highest card held by a player gives the hand its value. In the examples below, the hands are ranked as Ace-high.
Useful Video Poker strategies include Don't get too greedy, there aren't too many worse feelings in gaming then when you get a great win playing video poker and then instead of collecting, you see the Double feature, let the flashing currency signs take over, and you end up losing it all. It is important to decide upon Video Poker strategies before you start playing, when it comes to Doubling, and more importantly it's very important that you stick to it. Either you always double, you never double or you only double if the win is less than a certain amount. Decide on your Video Poker strategies and stick to it.
