Unlike its counterpart, slot machines, Video Poker machines reward players who utilize skill. A smart video poker player will have a good chance of being a long-term winner. The game of Video Poker does not have a steep learning curve and can be learned in mere minutes. Let's take a look at the game.
First, never play video poker unless you bet the maximum credits. It feels terrible when you hit a royal flush with only one coin in, because there's a bonus payout in Video Poker for maximum coins played.
The game starts out with you betting one to five credits-always bet the max. Once your coins are in, the system will deal you five starting cards. You then have to decide what cards you want to keep and hold them. If you elect to discard any, you are given new cards in the place of the discarded ones and the game is now over. If you have a hand that's on the pay schedule, you get paid. Most standard video poker machines start paying at Jacks or Better.
There are many types of video Poker variations out there, such as Bonus, Double Bonus, More for Four, Deuces, Jokers Wild and more. It really pays to spend some time reviewing all the data on a machine before playing. Pay close attention to the lower and middle payouts (single pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flushes and full houses).
The video poker machine uses one deck of 52 cards. When you go to play a game, the cards to be dealt are decided by a RNG (random number generator). The machine has absolutely no memory whatsoever. Therefore, the video poker machine does not know that you have not had a flush in one hundred hands or that you were dealt a full house last hand. Don't fall into the age-old trap of thinking that a particular hand, like four of a kind, is "due". There's no memory so you could receive a four of kind ten times in a row or not for ten thousands hands.
Pay schedule is everything. The best machine to play is the Jacks or Better 9/6 machine. These video poker machines pay 9 credits for a full house (one coin) and 6 credits for a flush (one coin)-that's why they are called 9/6 machines. This machine is known as a "full-pay" machine. Full-Pay does not mean you win all your money back, rather it means that you are getting the best possible payout for your money. A skilled video poker player can expect to achieve a 99.5% return on these machines, which means the house advantage is a paltry .5%.
Looking at the pay schedule needs to be your first move. In the case of Jacks or Better machines, the casino area will most likely be full of 8/5 machines. These are short-pay machines-because they don't pay full payout. By playing these machines, you give away an extra 2-3% to the house. A little research goes a long way. Play the good machines, use proper strategy and prepare to have fun.
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