Video Poker Strategies

If you like a game of skill, low house edge, large wins and playing unperturbedly alone, then video online poker is just the perfect choice for you. It is highly one of the most popular of all gambling forms. It is also said to be the simplest game to learn. Its rules are very clear indeed: you play 1 to 5 coins, the machine gives you five cards, you choose which to hold and which to discard, the machine replaces your discards and pays you off according to the value of your hand. The only confusing thing might be that the number of game variations is constantly increasing. Yet the basic rules only slightly differ from one game type to another, or among casinos. Therefore the most advisable thing to do is to develop a general set of strategies applicable in all possible situations. Specialists say that an entire book of the size of the Bible could be written about video poker strategies.
Due to the numerous different games, different pay tables, and levels of complexity in the strategy it would be a never ending task to try to completely cover the topic. Therefore the wisest thing is to have those tips in your pocket which best suit your gambling style and the variation you prefer. You should also stick to that strategy no matter what happens. Now let's see what to take in consideration when setting up your hitting tactics!

1. Be a member of a slot club. Even if the slot club offers rebates in the 0.2% range, it is good to join it, because this range can always make a significant difference in the overall payback percentage of the machine.

2. It is very important to fully under-stand the pay tables for the most common video poker games and only play at full pay games.

3. You should also have a sufficient bankroll to withstand a lot of ups and downs. Probably a considerable time will be sent by losing at the machine. So you are counting on the eventual jackpot to bring your expectation positive.

4. It's not a good tactic to keep a kicker or try to bluff. These are tactics for traditional poker that don't work in video poker.

5. Remember that if you can find a progressive video poker game with a big enough jackpot, you can find a positive expectation situation too.

6. Always play the maximum coins! Machines are more likely to offer a bonus on the highest hand for five coins played. If you don't want to play five coins then drop down to a lower coinage.

7. It is good to know that cards are chosen at random so the games are fair. There is no switch inside the machine that can make the machine loose or tight. So don't trust Pull Tables, which are not real video poker games. There is also the strategy of the six primary starting hands which is said to be a basic and winning one. This is usually working at: Two pair or Better, Pay Pair, Non-Pay Pair, Lowest Two Pair cards, One pay or no pays. Two Pair or Better: If you are fortunate enough to discover a Poker hand of Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush or Royal Flush, you would target the topmost entry "Two Pair or higher" to make your playing decision.

Pay Pair: is the next most favorable holding since it is the payout-qualifying listing. Pay Pairs are two Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces. Of course, if your hand also contains another pair you would instead use the previous tip, the 'Two Pair or Better'. Obviously, Pay Pairs may improve to an even more profitable payout after the redraw.

Non-Pay Pair: Non-Paying pairs are all pairs 2's through 10's that, while already paired, do not yet qualify for a payout since they rank below a pair of Jacks. A player should also draw to an improved hand such as two-pair or three-of-a-kind because the hand will then qualify for a payout.

Lowest Two Pay Cards: Pay cards are any Jack, Queen, King or Ace. Pay Card hands occur when you hold two or more Pay cards that are not already paired. This also means that you don't have any other pair or better combination in the hand.

One Pay or No Pays: There is often dealt a hand that contains only one Pay Card. Sometimes, your hand will not contain any Pays. In the situation when you have only one Pay Card, it's still a favorable option unless one of the winning draws is available. But whenever you have no Pays at all, you're advised to discard all cards and redraw to an entirely fresh new hand.

The so called winning draws are the following: Four Royal Flush Cards - is the combination of any of the four cards necessary to make a Royal Flush. A Royal Flush is the best hand you can make in the game, receiving the highest payout available, and occurs whenever you make the sequence A-K-Q-J-T that is also a flush; Four Straight Flush Cards – Here the flush cards involved don't have to be a part of the absolute highest straight. A standard Straight Flush is still a premium hand, but is considered a step-below the Royal Flush on the payout scale; Any Four Flush Cards – is a much more common flush draw with the regular four card flush draw, which only requires that any four cards in your hand are flush with each other. The four flush cards don't have to be straight; Three Royal Flush or Straight Flush Cards – fall under the same criteria as the four-card versions except that they only involve three of the necessary cards for potentially making a straight flush; Open-Ended Straight Draws – It occurs when you have four cards in sequence that can make a straight at either end; Ten-Paint Suited – is a two-card suited combination of TJ, TQ or TK. It only means a value when a player has just one Pay Card in his hand and none of the other stronger portions.

Just play video poker in best online casinos and have fun!