Video Poker 101

There is a special niche of people that are clearly not interested in table games.  Luckily, the casino has not forgotten about them and has machines waiting for them.  Players looking for a thinking-man’s game in a machine should look for video poker when they feel like some online casino gambling.  Video poker shares the same set of rules and strategy as five-card draw poker.  Strategy must also be used when choosing a machine.  There are a few differences between machines in regards to rules and payouts, but generally they are the same. If you don’t know much about this game, you’ve come to the right place for some free poker training.

Video poker is an easy game to learn.  The gameplay is almost identical to five-card draw where players draw to make the bet five-card poker hand.  For the most part, video poker machines play “Jacks or better” meaning a pair of jacks is the minimum qualifying hand.  To start, a player must put money into the machine, decide how many credits to bet, and press the “Deal” button.  Players that prefer online casino Amex to brick-and-mortar casinos simply need to make a deposit into the site, and after that they won’t need to worry about handling any money.  The player is dealt five cards and must choose which hands to “hold” (not discard).  The cards that were not held are discarding for new cards.  The new five-card hand is then paid out according to a pay table.  As with Internet slots, more money is paid out for better hands.  Some machines offer huge, progressive jackpots for hitting a Royal Flush.

There are many varieties of video poker.  Have you ever tried to earn a Bingo bonus and found that there are more variations of Bingo than you thought? The same variety is true for video poker.  Jacks or Better is the most popular variant which requires a minimum of a pair of jacks to be paid.  Two other examples of video poker games are Tens or Better and Deuces Wild.  A pair of tens is the minimum hand paid in Tens or Better.  All twos are wild cards that may substitute for any other card in the deck in Deuces Wild.  When choosing a video poker machine, the most important thing to look for is the payout for a full house and a flush.  The two payouts are generally written as a “Full house payout/flush payout” ratio.  The numbers used are the payouts for one credit.  9/6 video poker machines are generally regarded as the best.  Some machines pay as low as 6/5.  If you’re a fan of poker flash sites, perhaps you’ve played five-card draw and therefore have already learned some strategy.  When playing video poker, the same strategy used when playing five-card draw poker should be used.

Table games and slot machines may be fun, but video poker is certainly a relaxing alternative.  Players can expect to play at their own pace rather than at the fast pace of the table games.  As opposed to a when you download roulette, a good strategy must be devised to be a winning video poker player.  Good players will use an optimal five-card draw poker strategy and choose the best machines to play at.  Luckily, there is no need to travel to a casino to play video poker.  Gamblers can play from the comfort of their own home in Mac compatible casinos.  Good luck hitting some royal flushes!