Video
Poker is nothing like table poker games
- I've played both for many, many years and they're nothing like each
other! You can make plays in
Video Poker that would never work in a
five card draw game with a real deck of cards!
Always play max coins
- As simple as this sounds, it still needs to be stated.
Always play for the highest PAYING hand
- There are times when you're going to be presented with the straight
flush draw vs. a bonus hand draw when playing bonus video poker games.
Make sure you play for the hand with the highest payout and best draw
possibilities.
Play Carefully
- Take your time to make the best decisions. It's you against the machine and
there's no need to rush things.
Know the Payout
Schedule - This is
one of the keys to success in Video Poker. You
need to understand the payout schedule for each game so that you can
adjust your strategy and
maximize your winnings. With the endless introduction of new
variations of Video Poker, this is critical, but it's also one of the most
fun challenges of playing Video Poker!
Don't play tired
- When playing long periods of fast Video Poker, it's easy to fall into a
trance-like state of mind and become tired, which will affect the
decisions you're making. When this happens, stop and take a break to
keep your brain fresh for each decision.
Don't play lazy
- This is particularly critical for Video Poker on the internet. A
number of the online casinos offer "Auto Hold" which is wonderful for most
hands. But Auto Hold doesn't always hold the best cards, so stay on
your toes if you're using it and don't be lulled into just hitting the
draw button.
Never
keep the "kicker" with any pair in a bonus Video Poker game
-
Holding the kicker to any pair dramatically reduces your chances of
pulling the 4 of a kind.
Always keep winning ("pat") hands dealt to you unless you can draw one
card to a Royal or a super bonus hand.
- Here's where the internet differs from land casinos... On the IGT
machines I love so much, when they deal me a full house with Aces over
anything, I'll always break the full house to go for the 4 Aces with
kicker, with a good degree of success. On the internet, though, it
rarely works.
Don't break a flush
- even if you can draw one to a straight flush (although I'll do it once
in a while if the machine is running "hot"). Always break it
if it's dealt you a flush with 4 to the Royal.
Don't play for the flush
- If you're dealt garbage, it's generally not a good idea to hold three
cards to a flush. I watch people do this in land casinos endlessly,
until I want to slap them silly! The payout for the flush is just
not worth the risk; it's better to hold one high card, or throw the whole
hand out.
Hold
the "Money Cards"
- If you're dealt a garbage hand, but it has at least one card that if
matched will win your money back, hold that card.
Never hold just a 10
- If you've been dealt garbage and a 10 is the highest card, throw the
entire hand out.
Never hold a 10 with a Face Card
- As a general rule, never hold just two cards to the Royal when one of
them is the 10.
Watch for patterns
- The video poker mathematical purists really hate that I say this, but I
dare say I've been actually playing video poker longer than 99% of them.
Video Poker machines commonly go through "streaks" where they'll hit a lot
of flushes, and no straights; or full houses, but not flushes; or any
particular type of hand. These streaks also change in a split
second, but if you become aware of them and play to them when they're
rolling, it will help you maximize your winnings.
Practice makes perfect
- The more you play the better you'll be. Learning which cards to keep and
which cards to discard is very important for basic strategy and winning,
and as you become more experienced at it, you'll learn where to take the
right chances.
When I
started Video Poker Junkie in December of 2000, the Video Poker on the
internet was sorely behind in development; so behind, in fact, that many
thought I was a little "nutso" for starting a site dedicated to Video
Poker. But, I've been playing Video Poker in land casinos since 1985
and I knew better! 
I
am truly a Video Poker Junkie and am so addicted to it
(that's not a good thing, is
it?!?), that I play
it everywhere, from my hand-held toy game to online casinos to land
casinos; from free to $100 a hand; from my bed to my car to the plane.
I learned how to play sitting beside other video poker junkies and we'd
share our video poker tips and strategy with each other.
Video
Poker, to me, is the ultimate video game because it can never be
"mastered". Unlike other video games where you can learn how to get
to the "win" then do it over and over, each hand in Video Poker presents a
new challenge to the ultimate goal, the Royal Flush, and there is no
magical path to it. Once you've hit your first Royal Flush, though,
you'll want to do it again and again! Playing Video Poker for money
just adds an extra thrill to it.
Introduced in the 1970's, Video Poker has grown to be one of the most
popular forms of gambling. Fast and challenging, and involving a
combination of skill and luck, Video Poker attracts players by providing
hours of stimulating entertainment.
The majority of Video Poker games are based on five-card draw Poker. In
five-card draw, players are dealt five cards and can throw away any or all
of the cards to try to improve their hand. New cards are dealt to replace
the discarded ones, and the resulting hand determines whether you win or
lose.
Over
the years I've watched as a number of variations have been, and continue
to be, introduced. The first Video Poker game introduced was
Jacks or Better, followed shortly by Deuces Wild, then Joker Poker.
In the late 1980's, the "Bonus" series started and developed over the next
few years - Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker
(still my all time favorite), and Triple Double Bonus Poker (not yet
available on the net). These games pay more for the "bonus" hands of
4 Aces, 2's, 3's, and 4's. During the later development of the
"Bonus" games came the introduction of the Double Jackpot and Double
Double Jackpot games which pay more for the bonus hands of 4 Aces, Kings,
Queens, and Jacks. The Video Poker tips and strategies for each of
these games is different which is one of the most fun and challenging
things about Video Poker!
The last
few years have seen the development of countless variations of the game,
including many variations on the Deuces Wild and Jokers Wild games.
In fact, there are so many variations constantly coming out now, that even
I can't keep up with them! To try a few newer and
very fun variations not yet available to online casinos, visit
Led Gaming
where you can play these new games for free.
Along
with the variations of the game itself have now come the Multi Hand games,
where you can play several hands at once, with just one deal and draw of
the cards. The Multi Hand Video Poker games have just come to
the internet in the last year and are becoming an increasingly competitive
arena for the online casinos, which is good for us! On the
internet you can currently play up to 100 hands at a time with any
RTG
casino or
Microgaming
casino. There are other online casino software/casinos that also
offer video poker games, but I consider Microgaming & RTG the best by a
long shot; and of those, I prefer RTG. I hope you enjoy your online
video poker experience!
