Video Poker Blog

Video Poker is one of the most popular slot versions of playing poker. In video poker you are playing against the machine, not other players, like in traditional poker. Your goal in this game is to get the highest ranking five card hand possible.

How to play

First you place a bet and receive five cards. Then you decide which cards to hold and which to discard. You may draw up to five new cards to improve your hand. Finally you obtain replacement cards in exchange for the cards you have discarded. All cards are dealt randomly from one card deck.

Perfect Play

Video Poker is a game where skill is important. With enough practice, you can learn how to play video poker like a professional. Video Poker can be one of the few potentially profitable casino games. Some video poker games are positive expectation games. It means that if you play properly, some Video Poker machines actually offer over 100% payback for perfect play over the long run.

You have the best chance of winning (losing less money) at video poker over the long run if select the holding with the highest Expected Value. Expected Value (mathematical expectation) is the statistically projected average of all possible outcomes for a particular play or game. In other words, EV is the amount one would expect to win or lose if this decision were to be repeated millions of times.

There are 32 ways to hold cards for any dealt five-card hand. For each of these holdings you have to calculate the expected value (EV) of the result and draw to the combination which has the highest EV.

The math used to calculate the Expected Value is not very complicated at all. To compute the EV for the particular draw, you have to multiply the probability of each possible outcome by its value and sum up the results.

The following example explains the above definition.

The dealt hand is 8c 9d 4h 9s 8s in the Jacks or Better (8/5) video poker machine. In this simple example the holding with the highest EV is 89_98. There are 47 cards remaining in the deck. 4 cards would make Full House and 43 others would make Two Pairs. We have a payoff value of 8 for a full house and 2 for a Two Pairs.

EV= 48/47+432/47=2.51064

Calculating EV is straightforward. But it is a tedious task for a human. Luckily, there are several computer programs designed to evaluate the optimal strategy for each hand as it is encountered. They can catch your mistakes and warn you about them, showing you the difference in EV between your play and the best play. You can use your computer to master your video poker skills at no cost.



By: Boris Sandberg

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Casino Video Poker Fact, of all the hands dealt only 21% are winning hands. The rest, which is 79%, are losers. The difference between a winner and a loser is what he does with 79% of the hands dealt so that it becomes a winner. To increase the chance of making money at video poker is to understand, embrace and promise loyalty to these video poker tips. Find a machine that pays 9 for a full house win and six for a flush win.

If you want to play on a progressive machine that pays 8 for a full house win and 5 for a flush win, be sure that the nickel machine pays a jackpot of $250 or better, the quarter machine pays $2,500 or better or $10,000 on a dollar video poker machine. To collect on the royal flush bonus for a progressive machine, be sure to bet the maximum number of coins.

Play on the machine with the lowest denomination if you are a new player. Wait until you get better before playing on the higher domination video poker. Use slot card to get credit for playing, if the casino offers one. First ask the point equivalent for each dollar played. Then learn what those earned points are worth.

Take time to read every hand you get. Remember you are not playing against another person, it will not intimidate you for playing too slowly. Players do not recognize that the jack is the most important card in the deck, not the Ace. A Jack gives you a lot more lucrative hands than an ace.

The variety of video poker you can play is almost endless, but all have their own payables that need specific strategies. The best way to start learning is to limit your choices to two. Improve your game by playing on a computer or a portable video poker game. If you train this way, you get to test your skills with zero risk, and here are playing tips to follow.

a) Do not ever hold a kicker with your pair. This reduces your payoff by 5%

b) Do not draw four cards, if you can get a royal flush drawing three.

c) Always stay on a winning five-card hand except when drawing a royal flush with one card.

d) Never break a flush to draw a straight flush even with one draw.

e) Always break your flush to draw a royal flush.

f) Do not break your straight to draw for a straight flush.

g) Do not draw five, if you are holding Jacks or better.

g) Never leave a ten on a four card draw.

Check out the Great Online Casino Slot and Video Poker Games at Slotland



By: James Murray

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Online video poker was one of the first casino games to be played online - and actually, the first to be played on any computer. Video poker was available on some of the very first personal computers sold all the way back in the late 1970s. Today, the popularity of online

Video poker has long been a fixture among video poker is exceeded only by online casino games such as slots and blackjack.

The Origin of Video Poker

Besides being the oldest of the online casino games, poker is perhaps the most ancient of all card games. The Persian game of nas is quite similar, and was played in present-day Iran by the Medes and Persians as long ago as 3,000 years. Historians who study casino games believe that the game of nas came into the United States by way of New Orleans, where it was introduced by Persian sailors during the 1820s.

As New Orleans was the major port of entry to the central and western U.S. for decades, it was inevitable that the game that would one day morph into modern online video poker would spread northward along the Mississippi and to the major river ports of Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Saint Louis, Kansas City, Davenport and all the way to Minneapolis. From there, poker traveled westward with settlers and eastward along the rails.

Video Poker Today

casino games and other brick-and-mortar establishments that allow gambling. Thanks to Internet technology, card players were actually able to play online video poker against real opponents in real time via Internet Relay Chat, or IRC.

You actually have some choices when playing the cyber version of this venerable card game. You can play against other people in virtual card rooms, play against the house, or download versions of online video poker that you can play alone for entertainment purposes. Aside from the fact that all aspects of play - deals, discards, placing bets, etc. - are done in a virtual electronic setting however, there is really no difference between online video poker and the “real thing.”

No Card Sharks Here!

Those who run websites that offer online casino games such as video poker understand full well that reputation is everything. In addition, the largest online video poker sites are now publicly-traded companies that must be accountable to shareholders as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, online video poker is one of the cleanest forms of wagering on the Internet - a game you can play with trust and confidence.



By: Wayne Hemrick

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raptorbay asked:


I like to play video poker at the bar while the bartender pours me free drinks. I know of alot of great places like this in Reno. What are some good places for this in Las Vegas?

One of my favorite variations of traditional video poker is deuces wild. In this great alteration of the original, the deuces are like “jokers” and can become any card you want. Speaking of jokers, Jokers Wild is another version of video poker. It’s my second favorite. The payouts are pretty much the same, but there are some differences.

Since there are four deuces in the deck, the minimum payout is on three of a kind hands. Jacks or better don’t apply here. The strategy for playing deuces wild are different than traditional video poker as you can see. One major difference is that there are two royal flushes. The first one is the traditional one and it pays the best. The second one uses one or more deuces to complete it and that pays not too much. Why? Well, since there are four deuces, getting a royal flush with one of them is a snap. You’ll get 100 or more easy before getting a “real” royal flush.

The payback on deuces wild machines tend to be very good. 98%+ with optimal play is a reality. As always, check the payback percent of any deuces wild machine before playing. The payback percent varies from machine to machine even in the same casino. It’s not uncommon for a 100% payback machine to be positioned right next to a 94% payback machine. And it varies in the online casino world as well.

Deuces wild machines function the same way as all video poker machines. You can play one or more coins per hand. And as always, you want to max out your coins. If you don’t, you’ll lose a fortune when you hit the big hand. Once the cards are dealt, hold what you want by hitting the hold button and then hit the deal button for your new cards. After this, the hand is complete and you’re paid if warranted. Pretty simple stuff and you already know this if you’ve played any video poker before.

Deuces wild, just like any “wild” video poker game, has more payout points than traditional video poker. The three extra payout points are: royal flush with a deuce, five of a kind, and four deuces. Payout on the five of a kind is usually about 75 coins for a 5-coin bet. It varies, so check your machine.

The four deuces is the big hand, just under a real royal flush. The payout varies by machine, but you’re usually looking at 200 coins per coin bet on this hand, which is just under the 250 coins paid for a real royal. Some machines offer progressive payouts too. I’ve even seen machines paying 500 coins per coin bet too.

In the end, I recommend trying out all types of video poker to find your love. Deuces wild is a great place to start.



By: Will Win

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Online Video poker is not much different from that of playing Online Poker. One should know how to play Poker before playing Online Video poker. One should know about the rules of Online Video poker for playing it. There are several Online Video poker sites but one should only choose good Online Video poker sites, as they are safe!

For playing Online Video poker one has to fill in a registration form on the Internet itself. One also has to create an Online Video poker account and deposit the betting money in order to play the game. One needs to have luck as well as experience to win the Online Video poker games.

In Online Video poker the computer is the Dealer. In Online Video poker the players have to bet and pay the game. After the deal in Online Video poker the betting rounds begin. In Online Video poker the payer has to bluff the most for winning the Online Video poker game.

The score in Online Video poker is determined by the number of times you can bluff. The player who bluffs the most and gets away easily wins the Online Video poker. If the Computer or the Dealer catches you bluffing then you loose the game. If the player wins the Online Video poker game then the money won is deposited to the player’s Online Video poker account.



By: Deepak Bansal

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Jiggy J asked:


I like all of the popular video poker games, deuces wild, double double bonus video poker, all american poker, and joker poker to name a few. Where should I play?

Joseph K asked:


double down video poker

Online Video Poker is a type of card game that one can play at his home sitting on is computer. One needs to have luck as well as experience to win in Online Video Poker. One should know about the rules of Online Video Poker for playing it. There are several Online sites where one can play Online Video Poker, but one should only choose good sites, as they are safe!

For playing Online Video Poker one needs to register himself and open an Online Video Poker account and deposit the betting money in order to play the game. In Online Video Poker the players have to bet before the dealing with cards. After the deal in Online Video Poker the betting rounds begin. In Online Video Poker the player has to bluff the most for winning the Online Video Poker game.

In Online Video Poker the computer is the Virtual Dealer. The player who bluffs the most and gets away easily wins the Online Video Poker game. For winning Online Video Poker one has to be a complete pro! If the player wins the Online Poker then the money won is deposited to the player’s Online Poker account.

No doubt one needs to have experience to win Online Video Poker but Online Video Poker is not at all complex to play! But that doesn’t make it a game for children. Online Poker is only meant for adults.



By: Deepak Bansal

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Barry S asked:


I am a big video poker fanatic and I love to play double double bonus video poker when I go to the casino. I love the bonus payouts when hitting the kicker with four aces. Where can I play double double bonus poker on the internet?