Video Poker

How To Play Video Poker

Video poker is not just considered to be a pure and simple pastime, for gamblers it is an easy money with a gaming skills and a bit of luck. Back in 1800's, video poker machines were operated by putting a coin with a five drums which held poker cards could be spun by pulling a handle.

As the game evolved from drums to a real machine that was introduced in 1976. It has also undergone numerous variations which includes games with progressive jackpots, wildcards, payoff schedules that have been modified, etc. Video poker game was introduced over the internet after Microraming introduced casino software for the internet in 1994 which came as a pleasant addition to online gambling history.

Video Poker Game Rules

Unlike in a standard poker game, video poker is the easiest online casino game where you are not playing against other people, but just the randomly drawn cards which the machine generates.

Since you are not playing against other players, there is no game of bluffing, only trying to obtain the best hand you can make with the cards you are dealt. Even without using of bluffing, it pays to understand the rules and way of play with video poker.

To start with , the basic poker hands are the same. The video poker machine will allow you to play between 1-5 coins, which dictates the possible win amounts on that machine. Typically you will need to play the maximum 5 coins in order to stand a chance of winning the jackpot.

To start off the game, you are dealt with 5 cards from a bunch of 52. You have the options to change few or all of your cards. You only have to keep pressing the "HOLD" button for the card that you desire to keep. Now after you have made your choice, you can discard the cards by pressing the "DEAL" button and new cards will be replaced by the discarded ones.

The number of points awarded for each hand depends on the type of video poker machine you are playing. Adding to your excitement,some of the new online video poker machines, there are added features which can help you to speed up your play, or double your winnings. Some machines have a gamble feature where you select a card higher than the visible card. If you succeed, your win is doubled.

Video Poker Hand Rankings

In video poker, Ace can be the lowest as well as the highest card depending on the type of card you are getting. The ascending order of the card looks like Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace.

Royal Flush

It will give you 2,000 points and here ace is the highest rank. Here your hand should contain cards of the same suit for example 10 of heart, Jack of heart, Queen of heart, King of heart and Ace of heart.

Royal Flush

The Coverall or "blackout" pattern requires all 24 numbers on the grid to be daubed. Players have a higher jackpot to look forward to in this game, subject to the pre-conditions set by bingo operators.

Straight Flush

It gives you 250 points and your card should be in 5 straight and of the same suit. For example: 10 spades, Jack of spades, Queen of spades, King of spades and Ace of spades

Four Of A Kind

Here the total point value is 125 and should contain 4 cards of same rank. For example: 5 of diamonds, 5 of hearts, of spades, 5 of clubs

Full house

Here 3 cards should be of same type with a pair and you will get 40 points. For example: King of hearts, King of diamonds, 9 of spades, 9 of diamonds, 9 of clubs

Flush

All cards should be of the same suit. You will get 25 points. For example: Ace of hearts, 2 of hearts, 3 of hearts, 4 of hearts, 5 of hearts

Straight

It provides 20 points and here the cards should be consecutive. For example: Ace of hearts, 2 of clubs, 3 of diamonds, 4 of spades, 5 of spades

Straight

It provides 20 points and here the cards should be consecutive. For example: Ace of hearts, 2 of clubs, 3 of diamonds, 4 of spades, 5 of spades

Three Of A Kind

Here, three cards should be of same rank and for this you will get 15 points. For example: Queen of hearts, Queen of diamonds, Queens of clubs

Pair

For two pair with different ranks, you will get 10 points and for single pair with same rank you will get 5 points. For example: Aces of hearts, Ace of diamonds

Types Of Video Poker

Added to the flavor of online casino, lots of video poker variations are out over the net to make your gambling more exciting and challenging.

• Jacks or Better- This is the classic video poker game that offers you returns if you have a pair of Jacks or better than that. On a 9/6 machine, you get 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush.
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• Deuces Wild- This video poker game uses 52-card deck wherein all the four deuces (2's) are marked as wild cards. This four deuce wild cards adds to the bonus and hence the minimum requirement to win a hand is three-of-a-kinds.
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• Joker Wild- This game is played with 53 cards, rather than the standard 52 cards. The joker is wild and can take the place as any other card in a hand, giving slightly less options than Deuces Wild, but more than Jacks or Better.
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• Joker Poker-This game is played with 53-card deck with the Joker acting as Wild that gives returns on a pair of Kings or better. Payouts are quite similar to Jacks or Better with resemblance to Deuces Wild since it offers return on a five-of-a-kind and a Joker Royal Flush. Another variation to this game is Double Joker that consists of two Jokers, both of them acting as wilds.
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• Kings Of Decks or Five Deck Frenzy- In this game, five decks of the standard 52-card decks are used. If you get five kings of clubs, you will win the progressive jackpot.

Video Poker Tips & Strategy

Have you ever won in a Video Poker? So how it feels? It feels great right? Do you want to know what's the best way to play video poker? Of course with a strategy and a little tips from the experts.

A Video Poker is decision-making and fun game where the house edge is a variable affected by the skill level of the player. For it has different strategies, types and hand rankings. One main skill is proper machine selection; the other is knowing the proper strategy for the machine your playing.

As you may already know, video poker has many options with each and every card draw. You can hold any cards, two cards or whatsoever but still the decision is yours. And by that decision its either you lose or you can luckily win.

Still, some decisions will offer better odds at getting a winning hand than others, and knowing that can certainly increase your chances significantly. That is called a video poker strategy. But in fact, a Strategy is not a strategy at all. A strategy is mostly part luck lots of decision-making.

There are a few things you can do to beat your odds at video poker, the first thing you need to do is by choosing the right machine.

Choosing the right machines is more important than you think. Each machine has different in payouts, taking various coin denominations, and chance of winning. Each one has its own way.

And what machine you think you should choose? Of course the one that has the highest payoff rate.

After choosing a machine, you must identify what type of game you want to play. Then here comes the strategy and remember that the strategy always depends on the game you've chose.

As you already know, some of the card combinations are easier than others; still, the payoff also reflects the risk involved.

Here are some video poker strategy & tips to help you get the most gambling value for your money while playing video poker games.

• Make sure you understand the paytable for each game you play.
• Understand Video Poker Pay Tables
• Learn the Strategy for Each Video Poker Game
• Take your time. Your playing a machine, theres no time limit so just relax, take your time to make sure you make the correct decision.
• Don't hold a kicker (a high unpaired card that you'd keep along with a low pair)
• Don't draw to complete straight unless you have a one-card draw to a straight that is open at both ends.
• Don't hold three cards of the same suit hoping to make a flush. The odds are mighty against you.
• Take your time. Your playing a machine, theres no time limit so just relax, take your time to make sure you make the correct decision.
• Limit yourself to playing just a couple of variations of video poker. Get to know these games inside out.