Video Poker Tips

For the experienced player, the house edge on Video Poker is fairly small, and in some cases the odds are even.  Each variant of Video Poker will have its own strategy, though each may follow a basic strategy of playing. Below you will find general Video Poker tips & basic Video Poker strategies. If you're serious about Video Poker, you should make an effort to learn as much as possible about the strategies so that you can substantially increase your odds of winning.

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Video Poker is nothing like table poker games - I've played both for many, many years and they're nothing like each other!  You can make plays in Video Poker that would never work in a five card draw game with a real deck of cards!

Always play max coins - As simple as this sounds, it still needs to be stated.

Always play for the highest PAYING hand - There are times when you're going to be presented with the straight flush draw vs. a bonus hand draw when playing bonus video poker games.  Make sure you play for the hand with the highest payout and best draw possibilities.

Play Carefully - Take your time to make the best decisions. It's you against the machine and there's no need to rush things.

Know the Payout Schedule - This is one of the keys to success in Video Poker. You need to understand the payout schedule for each game so that you can adjust your stategy and maximize your winnings.  With the endless introduction of new variations of Video Poker, this is critical, but it's also one of the most fun challenges of playing Video Poker!

Don't play tired - When playing long periods of fast Video Poker, it's easy to fall into a trance-like state of mind and become tired, which will affect the decisions you're making.  When this happens, stop and take a break to keep your brain fresh for each decision.

Don't play lazy - This is particularly critical for Video Poker on the internet.  A number of the online casinos offer "Auto Hold" which is wonderful for most hands.  But Auto Hold doesn't always hold the best cards, so stay on your toes if you're using it and don't be lulled into just hitting the draw button.

Never keep the "kicker" with any pair in a bonus Video Poker game - Holding the kicker to any pair dramatically reduces your chances of pulling the 4 of a kind.

Always keep winning ("pat") hands dealt to you unless you can draw one card to a Royal or a super bonus hand.  - Here's where the internet differs from land casinos... On the IGT machines I love so much, when they deal me a full house with Aces over anything, I'll always break the full house to go for the 4 Aces with kicker, with a good degree of success.  On the internet, though, it rarely works.

Don't break a flush - even if you can draw one to a straight flush (although I'll do it once in a while if the machine is running "hot").  Always break it if it's dealt you a flush with 4 to the Royal.

Don't play for the flush - If you're dealt garbage, it's generally not a good idea to hold three cards to a flush.  I watch people do this in land casinos endlessly, until I want to slap them silly!  The payout for the flush is just not worth the risk; it's better to hold one high card, or throw the whole hand out.

Hold the "Money Cards" - If you're dealt a garbage hand, but it has at least one card that if matched will win your money back, hold that card.

Never hold just a 10 - If you've been dealt garbage and a 10 is the highest card, throw the entire hand out.

Never hold a 10 with a Face Card - As a general rule, never hold just two cards to the Royal when one of them is the 10.

Watch for patterns - The video poker mathematical purists really hate that I say this, but I dare say I've been actually playing video poker longer than 99% of them.  Video Poker machines commonly go through "streaks" where they'll hit a lot of flushes, and no straights; or full houses, but not flushes; or any particular type of hand.  These streaks also change in a split second, but if you become aware of them and play to them when they're rolling, it will help you maximize your winnings.

Practice makes perfect - The more you play the better you'll be. Learning which cards to keep and which cards to discard is very important for basic strategy and winning, and as you become more experienced at it, you'll learn where to take the right chances.

Software Specific Video Poker Tips

RTG casino software - The video poker games at RTG casinos play the most like the video poker games offered in land casinos, particularly the IGT games I love.  For this reason, RTG is my favorite online casino software, but you have to carefully pick & choose which RTG casinos to play at because many RTG casino owners/operators are not of the best caliber when it comes to integrity.  You can feel safe choosing any of the RTG casinos listed here at Video Poker Junkie, because I'll go to bat for you if you have any problems with the RTG casinos listed here.

Viper Software from Microgaming - Microgaming's software has a feature called "Auto-Play" or "Auto-Hold" which automatically holds what it considers the best cards for that draw.  While this is a great feature for faster play, be very careful using it.  It doesn't appear to be programmed for optimal play for several games and I've watched many winning hands go by because I let the software choose the "hold" cards.

Starluck, Planetluck, IGlobalMedia Software - The bonus Video Poker games at these casinos are truly a kick and addictive, and since you can play up to $500 a hand on these particular games you can really rack up some winnings fast!!  However, be very careful here of allowing the "Auto-Hold" to keep your cards for you.  I do much better choosing my own cards.

About Video Poker
copyright©CCarley, 2004

When I started Video Poker Junkie in December of 2000, the Video Poker on the internet was sorely behind in development; so behind, in fact, that many thought I was a little "nutso" for starting a site dedicated to Video Poker.  But, I've been playing Video Poker in land casinos since 1985 and I knew better!    I am truly a Video Poker Junkie and am so addicted to it (that's not a good thing, is it?!?), that I play it everywhere, from my hand-held toy game to online casinos to land casinos; from free to $100 a hand; from my bed to my car to the plane.  I learned how to play sitting beside other video poker junkies and we'd share our video poker tips and strategy with each other.

Video Poker, to me, is the ultimate video game because it can never be "mastered".  Unlike other video games where you can learn how to get to the "win" then do it over and over, each hand in Video Poker presents a new challenge to the ultimate goal, the Royal Flush, and there is no magical path to it.  Once you've hit your first Royal Flush, though, you'll want to do it again and again!  Playing Video Poker for money just adds an extra thrill to it.

Introduced in the 1970's, Video Poker has grown to be one of the most popular forms of gambling. Fast and challenging, and involving a combination of skill and luck, Video Poker attracts players by providing hours of stimulating entertainment.  The majority of Video Poker games are based on five-card draw Poker.  In five-card draw, players are dealt five cards and can throw away any or all of the cards to try to improve their hand. New cards are dealt to replace the discarded ones, and the resulting hand determines whether you win or lose.

Over the years I've watched as a number of variations have been, and continue to be, introduced.   The first Video Poker game introduced was Jacks or Better, followed shortly by Deuces Wild, then Joker Poker.  In the late 1980's, the "Bonus" series started and developed over the next few years - Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker (still my all time favorite), and Triple Double Bonus Poker (not yet available on the net).  These games pay more for the "bonus" hands of 4 Aces, 2's, 3's, and 4's.  During the later development of the "Bonus" games came the introduction of the Double Jackpot and Double Double Jackpot games which pay more for the bonus hands of 4 Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks.  The Video Poker tips and strategies for each of these games is different which is one of the most fun and challenging things about Video Poker!

The last few years have seen the development of countless variations of the game, including many variations on the Deuces Wild and Jokers Wild games.  In fact, there are so many variations constantly coming out now, that even I can't keep up with them!   To try a few newer and very fun variations not yet available to online casinos, visit Led Gaming where you can play these new games for free.

Along with the variations of the game itself have now come the Multi Hand games, where you can play several hands at once, with just one deal and draw of the cards.   The Multi Hand Video Poker games have just come to the internet in the last year and are becoming an increasingly competitive arena for the online casinos, which is good for us!   On the internet you can currently play up to 100 hands at a time with any RTG casino or Microgaming casino; Gambling Federation casinos offer up to 50 hand video poker, and Playtech casinos currently offer 10 hand Jacks or Better.  I expect the Video Poker games available at online casinos to continue to advance at a nice clip over the next few years.