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Video Poker- The Basics
The Object of the Game
Video Poker is an extremely popular game and holds similarities to both
Caribbean and Pai Gow Poker. Your goal as the player is to try to obtain a
hand stated in the Winnings Diagram. The exciting aspect of the game is that
you can win big when you least expect it.
How to Play
First, choose the amount you wish to deposit into the machine by clicking on
the appropriate chip. Then, choose the value of the coin(s) you wish to
wager in each round: $0.25, $1, or $5. Next, choose the number of these
coins that you wish to wager in the next round by clicking on the BET ONE
button up to five times. If you choose to wager the maximum amount of coins
(5), it is also possible to push the BET MAX button. If you press the BET
MAX button, your cards will be dealt automatically. If you use the BET ONE
button to select the number of wagered coins, you must press the DEAL button
to receive your cards.
Thereafter, click on the cards you wish to keep, or on the HOLD button
beneath the cards. When you press DEAL, you will receive new cards in the
positions of the cards that were not held.
Whenever you like, you may cash out to receive your credit in the machine.
Money that has been deposited into a machine is in no way locked in.
Winnings Diagram
|
Coins Bet |
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| Royal Flush |
250 |
500 |
750 |
1,000 |
5,000 |
| Straight
Flush |
50 |
100 |
150 |
200 |
250 |
| Four of
a Kind |
20 |
40 |
60 |
80 |
100 |
| Full
House |
7 |
14 |
21 |
28 |
35 |
| Flush |
5 |
10 |
15 |
20 |
25 |
| Straight |
4 |
8 |
12 |
16 |
20 |
| Three of
a Kind |
3 |
6 |
9 |
12 |
15 |
| Two
Pairs |
2 |
4 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
| Jacks or
Better |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
* Note that the value of
the winnings vary from Casino to Casino. The figures
quoted above are intended as an example and are not exhaustive *
| Paid |
Credit |
Bet |
These are your winnings
from the current game. |
This is your credit
balance
within the machine. |
This is the amount wagered
on the next round. |
Pilarski's Video Poker Tips
In video poker, only 21% of the hands dealt are winning hands of Jacks or
better and 79% are downright dogs. Herein lies the difference between the
winning and losing player: what you do with those 79% of the hands that need
to be groomed into winning greyhounds. The best way to give yourself the
greatest chance of victory at video is to read, absorb, embrace and pledge
allegiance to these playing tips.
- Seek out Jacks or better machines that pay 9 coins for a full house
and six coins for a flush.
- If you decide to play a progressive video poker machine that pays 8
coins for a full house and 5 for a flush, play on a progressive where the
jackpot is over $250 on a nickel machine, $2,500 on a quarter, and $10,000
for the dollar.
- Always bet the maximum amount of coins on a progressive machine to get
the bonus for royal flushes.
- If you are a novice player, play on the lowest denomination machine
until your level of expertise rises.
- If your casino offers it, use a casino slot card to get credit for your
play. You might as well get a return as a comp benefit for your play on
their video poker machines. Be sure to ask how many points you will receive
per dollar played, and then find out what those points are worth in comps.
This will help you shop for better value on your play.
- Take your time to study every hand. Because you are playing against a
machine, no one will intimidate you if your play is too slow.
- All hail the Jack! Some players don't realize the ace is not the most
important card in the deck, but the Jack is. Holding the Jack over the ace
gives you more opportunities of making more lucrative hands than an ace
would.
- There are more than a hundred different video poker machines to choose
from. Games like Joker Poker, Louisiana Jacks, Gator Poker, etc. offer you a
supermarket selection, but all have different pay-tables needing distinct
playing strategies. I recommend learning and limiting your play to two, such
as Deuces Wild and Jacks-or-Better.
- Acquire video poker skills using either a computer or a hand-held video
poker game. The major benefit of this type of training is the ability to
test your skills with no financial risk or ruin. You can gather data for later
review, enabling you to check trends that would be costly on a video poker
machine. This information would take you years to accumulate under normal
casino conditions. And again, the key here is that any knowledge obtained
without a casino outlay lets you net out better down the road.
And now, some playing strategies.
First, Never keep a kicker with any pair. Holding a kicker to any pair
reduces your return by 5%.
2nd, Never draw four cards if you can draw three to a royal flush.
3rd, Always keep five-card winning pat hands with one exception: if you
can, draw one card to a royal.
4th, Don't break a flush even if you can draw one to a straight flush,
but
5th, always break a flush to draw to a royal.
6th, Never break a straight to draw to a straight flush.
7th, Never draw five if you have a jack or better, and
8th, don't keep a ten for a four card draw.
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