Video Poker

If you know how to play live poker don’t automatically think you can play video poker (VP). The hands and rankings are the same, but that’s were the similarities end. In VP, you are playing the cards that you are dealt. You hold some cards and discard others to try and make a winning hand or better winning hand. There are a lot of different VP games out there as there are different payout's for the same hand.

For now, we are focusing on the Jacks or Better game. There are good bad ones out there. When we talk about it being ‘good’ we are referring to the pay schedule of the machine. It is important to review the payout's on the machine you wish to play before you insert your coins/ticket/bill.

See below for a typical or "full pay" schedule on Jacks or Better.

The above payout or pay schedule is referred to as a “full pay” version or a “9/6" game because the Full house pays 9 (on the first coin bet) and 6 coins for a flush. The payout amount for the Full house and flush is what you should be looking at when determining if the VP game is a good one or not. Many times you will find the same Jacks or Better VP game side by side but with different payout's for the Full house, flush, and other winning hands.

Finding a 9/6 Jacks or Better game is not the easiest thing to do nowadays. It will take some effort on your part to locate this elusive payout/machine. You will find many wanna-be’s out there so be cautious and make sure you look over the pay schedule before sitting down.

Also, make sure that the payout for the Royal Flush is 4,000 when you bet 5 coins versus only 1,250 when you bet 5 coins. This means that you should always bet max coins because there is a “bonus” for betting max coins. If you’re not able to bet the max coins, then you should consider moving lower in denomination so your bankroll is able to support playing max coins.

Weeding through the plethora of VP games to find one that has a decent pay schedule is only the first part. The second part is being able to play the game well. This is where it is very important that you understand what the correct play is in all situations. By applying the correct play, you will reduce the house edge on the game and become a winner.

There are times when you are dealt a good starting hand and what to do is quite obvious. For example, you would hold the following when it is dealt to you:

Three of a kind
Two pairs
Straight flush
Four of a kind
Full house

When you are not dealt a good starting hand or when you are dealt a hand that can be played in multiple ways, making the correct play can be a little tricky. We'll try to simplify the correct play for you here. Keep the following dealt hand:

Four cards to a royal flush, even if you are dealt a flush or straight

Flush over a straight flush draw

A pair of jacks or better unless it's four to a straight flush

A pair of jacks or better over three to a royal flush

Four to a flush over a pair less than jacks

A low pair over four to an outside straight (for example 5, 6, 7, 8. You can make a straight with only a 4 or 9).

Four to an outside straight over two suited high cards.

Two suited high cards over three to a straight flush

Three cards to a straight flush over two unsuited high cards

Two suited high cards (even if you have more than two high cards)

Three to a straight flush over two unsuited high cards

Only two unsuited high cards (even if you have more than two high cards).

One high cards

There's an easy way to find out what is the correct play and actually practice it before you set foot in the casino. You can use strategy cards that help improve your play. But I prefer using software because it's actually more fun and I find it easier to learn when you are actually playing VP. In "Training Mode" the software will prompt you when you make an incorrect play and you can either try again or ask the software to tell you what the correct play is. Additionally, included in the software program are other video poker games and you can adjust the pay schedule to mimic games similar to what the casinos offer.

One of the better known (or maybe one of the best) Video Poker players is Bob Dancer. He sells his strategy cards for $6.95/each and his Bob Dancer Presents Win Poker ver. 6.0 for $29.95. He sells other products on his website www.bobdancer.com. I know there are other companies out there that sell strategy cards and software programs so you may want to shop around or talk to others that have purchased cards/software or get assistance from online forums that focus on gambling.

Video Poker is a game of skill and it does require practice if you want to beat the game. If you are just looking to have fun and don't want to spend hours practicing the "correct play" then stop reading now and move on to another game.