Video Poker
Video Poker has brought the one thing so often cried out for by experienced slot players and card sharks alike: a slot machine with an element of skill, poker skill. That’s right, video poker isn’t your typical “pull the lever and win” slot machine, it takes skill and it takes strategy. But hey, that’s why you’re here.
The Basics
Much like your typical slot machine, you put in a number of coins to determine how much you will bet on each “hand” of video poker. You then get 5 cards on the screen. You have to choose which cards to keep, and which cards to exchange for new ones a la 5 Card Draw. The goal is to end up with the best hand.
Types of Games
There are 3 major types of video poker that you should be familiar with. All 3 are staples in most casinos, and you should be sure you know what type of machine you’re playing.
Jacks or Better
This is the most common and simplest type of video poker. The only rule really is that your hand must be at least a pair of Jacks or better to win any money.
Joker Poker
Joker Poker is very similar to Jacks or Better, except for the addition of a Joker to the deck. Unlike Pai Gow Poker, where the Joker only counts as wild in straights and flushes, the Joker in Joker Poker counts as completely wild, so you can use it to replace any card. Because of the addition of this wild card, your odds are greatly improved; which is why the minimum paying hand is bumped up to a pair of kings, rather than a pair of Jacks.
Deuces Wild
Deuces Wild takes Joker Poker to the next level. No cards are added to the deck this time, but instead every 2 in the deck is wild. Not only does this give you 4 wilds in the deck to use, but it also turns what is normally the worst card in the deck into the best. Because of this dramatic shift in odds for the player, the minimum paying hand is bumped all the way up to Three of a Kind. But don’t worry, the number wilds makes it much easier to hit the big hands, so it’s still a good bet.
Basic Strategy
A lot of sites will give you a complicated list of the things to do in every video poker situation, and that’s all well and good if you’re the kind of player that likes to spend five minutes on each hand looking up what the exact statistically correct play is.
On the other hand, I like to play with a couple of simple, easy to remember rules that give you almost as good of strategy as those long lists. Once you take these rules to heart, you’ll be an unstoppable winning machine.
- Don’t throw away a paying hand unless you have 4 cards to a royal flush.
This is one of the simplest rules to follow, and the most often broken. I know a lot of big gamblers out there like to live dangerously, but breaking up your pair of kings to try for a flush is NEVER the right choice. Unless that flush happens to include an ace, queen, and jack as well. And remember, keeping a pair with your opening hand isn’t the end of the world. You could easily improve to three of a kind, a full house, or even four of a kind. Just because you don’t make a risky play doesn’t mean you can’t win big.
- Always shoot for the highest ranking hand.
If you have to choose between going for a straight and a flush. Go for the flush. I mean, obviously if you have 4 cards to the straight and 3 to the flush, then you go for the straight, but when the odds are close or the same, just shoot for the better hand.
- A low pair is better than 3 to a draw
By a low pair, I mean a pair below the minimum paying hand (Jacks). These hands are better than three cards to a straight or three cards to a flush, because you can easiy get two pair or three of a kind. The one exception to this rule is when you have 3 cards to a royal flush. In that case it’s okay to toss away a pair.
That’s it, those are the ropes. Now go out to your favorite casino or play online video poker, and win.
