Advice for Playing Video Poker

While the game of Video Poker has a lot to do with the luck of the draw, or spin, there are certain Video Poker strategies to use that will increase your chances of winning. This is true of online Video Poker games as well as land based ones. Following are some ways you can win at playing this game.

• Whatever you do, get rid of any bad cards. If you’re dealt cards that you can’t make a winning hand from, discard all of them and draw 5 more.
• Always keep a pair in favour of 1 high card. The odds and payout percentages are more positive for getting 3 of a kind over a high pair. To increase your odds of getting a 3 of a kind, get rid of any extra cards.
• If you’re dealt a high pair with online Video Poker, keep that and hope for 3 of a kind instead of trying to get a 4 card straight, 3 card royal, or a flush. This gives you the best odds of winning. Long term, you make more when trying for 3 of a kind.
• As the odds of drawing 3 of a kind are higher, keep a low pair instead of trying for a 4 card straight.
• When you get a 4 card straight that can be made from either end without a pair, try for the 1 card draw. However, you shouldn’t try to draw a card to complete the hand by filling in the middle of an incomplete straight.
• In online Video Poker, when presented with the choice of either drawing 2 cards to get a 3 card royal, or keeping a 4 card flush, low pair, or 4 card open ended straight, try to get a royal flush.
• Don’t get taken in by huge jackpots offered on hard to hit hands. These are frequently put on machines that have changed their payouts for little, frequent hands. This hurts your money supply.
• Pay no attention the name of a game. It means nothing in terms of how a good a machine is.
• Have a strategy in mind when you play, preferably one developed by experts.
• Get in some practice by playing online Video Poker for free. You learn a lot and lose nothing.

Keep these in mind and you’ll be a winner more often.