Video Poker Home

Choosing the right video poker game to play can be hard since there are so many available. All of the games deal with poker, but most of the games have various rules and pay tables. The very first thing you have to choose from, but there are around 12 that are played the most often.

Simple Video Poker Games

If you are looking to play a simple video poker game that is very easy to learn Jacks or Better may be the game for you. The strategy is simple to master in the game and you do not have to worry about any wild cards or bonus payouts. If you are a beginning video poker player Jacks or Better is a good game to start out playing.

Fun Video Poker Games

Some of the more exciting video poker games that you can play are Joker Poker or the very popular Deuces Wild. Your chances to hit a big hand, such as a Wild Royal Flush or Four of a Kind, increase significantly in the card games that do not offer wild cards. You can find Joker Poker and especially Deuces Wild at most Internet and land based casinos. Other games such as Multi-Strike poker, Quick Quads, and Super Times Pay poker, have a twist on normal games and it can make them very exciting to play.

Profitable Video Poker Games

If making money is your main goal when playing video poker than you will have to find a game that has a return of 100%+. There are some games that pay in excess of 100% such as Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, and Double Double Bonus, but always remember to check out the pay table at the machine you will play before you begin to play for real money. Even though Deuces Wild is a game of 100%+ there are some casinos that will decrease the pay tables on the game to bring down the return to less than 100%, which makes the game less profitable to play.

Progressive Video Poker Games

Progressive games offer a bigger jackpot for hitting the biggest hand, which is a royal flush. Every progressive game that is linked takes a small cut for every wager and adds it to the growing progressive jackpot. You can always check what the progressive jackpot amount is and many times it is pretty big. When the progressive jackpot hits it will start over again and begin to grow. Typically progressive video poker games have lower paying pay tables and because of this do not have great odds for the player. However, when the progressive jackpot hits a certain amount the machine actually does become profitable.

Multi-Hand Video Poker Games

In many video poker games you can play multiple hands simultaneously. You have the option to play 2,3,4,10,50, and even 100 hands at one time. You can bet more each hand when playing a multi-hand video poker game, but the profitability of the game is not altered at all.

When you play video poker it goes without saying that you will want to be aware of the strategies involved and the little tricks to be successful. However, to win at video poker you have to avoid some common mistakes, as this will make it more likely that you hot the jackpot.

The first thing you have to do is look at the payout rates. There are some video poker machines that will have them posted on the machine and it is these machines that you should play at. Find the payout schedules as well, as if they are correct you may be walking away from a huge jackpot. Besides knowing the technical basics of video poker you have to avoid some common mistakes when you play.

Obviously there are many video poker machines that do not payback 100%. These are the ones to stay away from since you can find ones that will and will give you a bigger payout. Many times the short-pay video poker machines are directly next ones that payout 100%. Because of this make sure not to pass them by. Finding video poker machines in a casino is easy, but finding the right one to play, i.e. 100% payout, will ensure that you have the best chance to win and win big.

Much like other casino machine games in video poker you should play the maximum amount of coins for each spin. Many people play at a machine because they advertise huge payouts. Those players are then very disappointed when their payout is much less then advertised. The reason for this is that all the big money advertisements are for jackpots hit when playing the max coin amount.

Some seasoned video poker players have discovered that one of the worst mistakes to make is to hold onto a card when there is really nothing to hold onto. This is a very common mistake players make, especially in dealing with video poker games that use Wild Cards. If you have nothing to hold then simply let it go. You never know, as you may hit a royal flush when you push the draw button for the 2nd time.

When you are playing video poker and you have a 2 or a 3 of a kind then let the face card, also called kickers, go. Keeping these cards in your hand can make you miss out on a really big jackpot.

Many video poker players will like to draw 3 card flushes or an inside straight. If you fall into that category and do this, you need to stop! That is called dealing with garbage considering that 3 card flushes will not give you the full 5 cards unless it is the case that the video poker game you are playing is a specialty one.

You need to be concentrating on the game at all times when playing video poker. Do not play fast, as there is no reward when playing video poker very fast. If you play too quickly it makes it more likely that you will overlook a critical card or two and it will cost you.

When you play video poker only 21% of hands are winners while 79% are losers. The main point is making those hands that are losers into winners. The best way to do that is to follow some of these video poker tips.

•    Look for Jacks or Better games that will pay 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush.
•    If you play at a video poker game that has a progressive jackpot paying 8 coins for a full house and pays 5 for a flush, you should play where the jackpot is over $250 for a nickel game, $2,500 for a quarter game, and $10,000 for a $1 game.
•    In order to get the biggest payout on a progressive video poker game always bet the max coin amount.
•    If you are a beginning player it is always a good idea to start out playing low denomination games until you really know the game.
•    Make sure to get a slots card when you play video poker at casinos so you can earn points and get comps.
•    Make sure to take your time to look closely at every hand. It is not like a table game where you are rushed, as you should play at your own pace.
•    The Jack is the most important card, as holding the Jack over the Ace will give you a better chance to hit a big hand.
•    There are tons of different video poker games to play and all have different pay-tables and will use a different strategy. A couple of the more popular games are Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better, so if you know those games you will be sure to find them.
•    Before you play video poker make sure that you know the game of poker first. Play for free at online casinos or used a hand held poker game. This will allow you to test out your skills playing poker and it will not cost you a dime.
•    Never keep a kicker with any pair that you get. If you hold a kicker when you get a pair it will decrease you return by 5%.
•    Never ever draw 4 cards if you have the chance to draw 3 cards to get a royal flush. Basically, if you have a legit chance to get a royal flush take it, as it is the biggest jackpot that you can get.
•    Make sure you always keep 5 card winning hands. The one exception to this rule is if you only need one card to hit the lucrative royal flush.
•    Never break up a flush even it is the case where you can draw one card in order to get a straight flush. Sure, you have the chance to get a sweet payout with a straight flush, but the payout with a flush is still pretty good.
•    Always break a flush hand if you have the chance to draw to a royal flush.
•    Do not break a straight if you have one in order to try to draw to a straight flush.
•    Do not draw 5 cards if you get dealt a Jack or better.
•    Do not keep a 10 in your hand for a 4-card draw.

In order to get credit for your casino you need to get a Player’s Card, which you can do free of charge. Even if you are not going to gamble a lot you should still get a card, as if you have one you can get mailed and e-mailed for discounted hotel rooms. It is a fact that in Atlantic City that almost 2/3rd of hotel rooms are given away for free.

When you have your Player’s Card and play slots all you have to do to get comp points is put your card in the machine before you begin playing. If you are playing table games then just put the card next to your money when you buy chips. When you play slots or video poker the printout on the card reader will show you the amount of earned comp points you have accumulated. The bigger casinos will also have a brochure at the Player’s Club desk that will show you how many points you must accumulate before you can get such things as free rooms or free buffets.

Typically, casino comps are given depending on how much you gamble and not how much money you lose. Even if you win you can still get comps. Casinos are aware that even if you are a winner that they are as well with the house edge, so they look at the amount of money that you are wagering and now if you are winning or losing. One exception is that it is the case that you can get more comps if you lose big. The size of the casino will be the depending factor on how big a loss is. Another exception is that you can be rewarded for your big win with comps. When you win you will get comped, as the casino wants you to come back so they have the chance to get their money back.

Claiming Your Comps

You have to ask for your comps to get them. If you play machine games you need to head to the Player’s Cub desk and they can give you what you have earned depending on how many points you have accumulated. When you play table games you should ask the pit boss for the comps. If you are not sure how much you have to play to get the comps that you want to get all you have to do is ask, as the pit boss will tell you. Why wouldn’t they, as if you play more the casino makes more money.

Ways to Increase Comps

When you are playing at table games the comps you will get will be based on the average size of your wager. The crew on the floor, pit bosses, will input into their computer you bet size. The bet that is the most important is the first one that you make and the bets directly after that. If your first few bets are more then they usually are the pit boss might input a higher number for your average bet.

You can also get comped more if you slow play at the tables. Play at a table that is full and take your sweet time when decision-making. If you play slower you will lose less, but it may be the case that you will be comped just like you would be by playing at a normal pace.

Winning money when playing at the casinos in Las Vegas, or any other casino, is not impossible but you have to know that the odds are not in your favor and in the long run it is not likely that you will win. You should be aware of the odds of the house for Vegas casino games so you know how the odds are stacked against you.

Slots

Slots is the easiest casino game to play and there is no real knowledge that you have to have about the game. Slots will keep around 3% – 25% of money and that will depend on the slot machine you are playing at and the casino you are in. Slots players that are losing on one machine may feel that they are due and they keep playing on it. This is incorrect, as slots machines are controlled by a Random Number Generator (RNG), which will figure the payout course over a few thousand spins. Basically, there is no way that you can know that a machine will hit or not.

Keno

For every $1 bet on Keno the casino will keep 30%. You should know that when you play Keno it is very much like playing a mini-lottery. As it stands now 20 out of a possible 20 numbers has never been won at any casino anywhere and not just in Vegas.

Video Poker

When you play video poker try to find a Jacks or better video poker game that pays 9 coins when you get a Full House and 6 coins when you get a Flush. In a game like this the house odds will fall between 0% and 5%. Video poker has better odds then slots and if you play smart you can come out ahead when you play.

Roulette

Many people think that they have a 50/50 chance when playing Roulette by betting on either the black or red, odd or even, or 1-18 or 19-36. This is simply not true because of the green 0 and 00. The green 0 and 00 give the casino a house edge of 5.25%. If you have the time try to find a European Roulette game, as it will lower the odds of the house since there is only one green 0 on a European wheel.

Blackjack

When you play Blackjack the house edge with be around 0% to 3%. You should try to find single hand Blackjack games, as they will give you better odds. One thing that may casinos are doing thee days are paying out 6:5 on Blackjack rather then 2:1. This is generally the case with single deck games, but you should stay away from games like this, as it can raise the house edge by 1%. To get the best advantage when playing Blackjack you should:

•    Split aces and eights
•    Double down with 10 or 11 if a dealer has an up card of 2-9.
•    Stand when you have 12-16 if a dealer has an up card of 2-6.
•    Hit with 12-16 if a dealer has an up card of 7,8,9,10 and Ace.
•    Stand on 17-21.
•    Never ever take the insurance option,

Craps

Stay away from the high odds bet on the craps table. You should only play the line bets, which are the line bets, pass and don’t pass bets, and come and don’t come bets. If you do this the odds will be about 1.4% in favor of the casino. There are some casinos that will offer a game that is called crap-less craps, but beware as even though it looks to be a good game, in terms of odds, the game actually is one that gives the house more favorable odds.

Maybe the best tip you can have when hitting Vegas or any casino is to know when to “walk away” or cut your losses.