Video poker is a slot machine game combined with the rules of five-card draw poker in a very specific manner. Video poker is a better game to play rather than traditional slot machines because it involves skilful play and is not a game of pure chance. By playing with correct strategy, you can reduce the house edge and earn bigger paybacks. Below are six video poker tips to help you maximize your profits. Tip 1. Play the Machines with the Best Payouts The payouts for all video poker machines are the same except for the payout on the flush, full house, or royal flush. This means that you need to play only the highest paying machines and avoid the lower ones. Here is a typical comparison of payouts on a Jacks-or-Better, which is the most popular video poker machine. Machine Payback Machine Payback with Correct Strategy 9 for a full house 6 for a flush 99.5% 8 for a full house 5 for a flush 97.4% 7 for a full house 5 for a flush 96.3% 6 for a full house 5 for a flush 95.2% This means that a player on the 9 / 6 machine, will be winning more for the same hands than the players on other machines. A 9 / 6 will generally hit the royal flush once for each 40,000 hands. The 8 / 5 odds are once for each 45,000 hands etc. Tip 2. You Need to Play Maximum Coins. If you bet five coins, all winning hands are paid out by a factor of five, except for the royal flush. This is a bonus amount designed as an incentive to play five coins. Any player who plays less than maximum coins will contribute to a royal flush that will be won by another player. Keep in mind that you need to win the royal flush to beat the machine, so always play maximum coins. Tip 3. Play Progressives It is already obvious that you need to play maximum coins, but you also need to look at the size of the jackpots when playing progressives. Compare them and then play the one with the biggest jackpot. Sounds obvious, but many players ignore jackpot size - don't make the same mistake. Tip 4. You Need to Play for a Long Time A player on the 9 / 6 machine has odds to 1:40,000 to get a Royal Flush - equivalent to about 100 hours of play. You need to keep feeding the machine until you win it; it's as simple as that. You will therefore need to finance your play from your own bankroll or by collecting money from the intermediate hands that you win. Tip 5. You Need to Play With a Strategy. In video poker, your odds are improved if you play with a strategy - and it's easy to learn. There are strategies free on the net for all the major games Tip 6. Take Your Time Take your time to study every hand. The machine is in no hurry and you don't get a bonus for playing quicker, so take your time. Video poker is fun and playing with the above six video poker tips will make sure the odds are in your favour as much as possible. |
