Why Strategy is Your Best Friend in Video Poker
You might be thinking, “It’s just poker with a machine, how much strategy can there be?” Plenty, my friend, plenty! The beauty of video poker, especially when compared to traditional slots, is that your decisions directly impact the outcome. Every hand you’re dealt presents a choice: which cards to hold and which to discard. Make the right choices consistently, and you can significantly reduce the house edge, sometimes even to less than 0.5% in full-pay machines. This makes video poker one of the most player-friendly games in the casino, both online and offline. It’s not about guessing; it’s about applying mathematical probabilities to maximize your expected return.
Understanding the Basics: Your Foundation for Success
Before we get into advanced plays, let’s ensure we’re all on the same page with the fundamentals.
Know Your Game: Pay Tables are Paramount
This is perhaps the single most crucial piece of advice for any video poker player. Not all video poker machines are created equal, even if they share the same name (e.g., “Jacks or Better”). The difference lies in the pay table – the list of payouts for each winning hand. A “full-pay” machine offers the highest possible return for a particular game variation. For example, a full-pay Jacks or Better machine will typically offer 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush (often called 9/6 Jacks or Better). Always check the pay table before you start playing. A seemingly small difference in payout for a Full House or a Flush can dramatically alter the game’s overall return to player (RTP).
Always Play Max Coins
This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s a golden rule. The top payout for a Royal Flush is almost always disproportionately higher when you play the maximum number of coins (usually five). If you play fewer than max coins, the Royal Flush payout is simply a multiple of the single-coin payout, but with max coins, it’s a bonus-sized jackpot. If your bankroll doesn’t allow for max coin play at a certain denomination, consider moving to a lower denomination machine rather than playing fewer than max coins.
Core Strategies for Popular Video Poker Variations
While the overarching principle is to maximize your expected return, the specific strategy changes based on the game you’re playing.
Jacks or Better Strategy
This is the most common and often the best starting point for new video poker players due to its relatively straightforward strategy and good returns on full-pay machines. The goal is to get at least a pair of Jacks or better to win.
Here’s a simplified hierarchy of hands to hold (from best to worst, if you can’t form a higher-ranked hand):
* **Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind:** Always hold these.
* **Four to a Royal Flush:** Hold these four cards, even if it means breaking a smaller winning hand like a pair or two pair. The potential payout is huge.
* **Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind:** Hold these.
* **Four to a Straight Flush:** Hold these.
* **Two Pair:** Hold both pairs.
* **High Pair (Jacks, Queens, Kings, Aces):** Hold the pair.
* **Three to a Royal Flush:** Hold these three cards.
* **Four to a Flush:** Hold these.
* **Low Pair (Tens or below):** Hold the pair.
* **Four to an Open-Ended Straight:** Hold these (e.g., 5-6-7-8, can be completed at either end).
* **Two High Cards (J, Q, K, A) of the same suit:** Hold these.
* **Three to a Straight Flush:** Hold these.
* **Two High Cards (J, Q, K, A) of different suits:** Hold these.
* **One High Card (J, Q, K, A):** Hold the single high card.
* **Discard everything:** If you have none of the above, discard all five cards and hope for a new draw.
This is a simplified strategy. For optimal play, you’d use a detailed strategy chart that ranks all possible starting hands.
Deuces Wild Strategy
Deuces Wild is a bit different because all twos (deuces) are wild cards, meaning they can substitute for any other card to form a winning hand. This dramatically increases your chances of getting high-paying hands, but the pay table is adjusted accordingly (you often need three of a kind or better to win, and a natural Royal Flush is less common).
Key strategic considerations for Deuces Wild:
* **Holding Deuces:** Never discard a deuce. They are incredibly valuable.
* **Four Deuces:** Always hold these, it’s a top payout.
* **Three Deuces:** Hold them and discard the other two cards to try for a Four of a Kind or better.
* **Two Deuces:** Hold them and look for a high pair, three of a kind, or a straight/flush draw.
* **One Deuce:** Hold it and try to build the best possible hand around it.
* **No Deuces:** This is where it gets tricky. You’ll often be looking for high pairs, four to a Royal Flush, or four to a Straight Flush.
Again, a full strategy chart is essential for optimal play in Deuces Wild, as the wild cards introduce many more permutations.
Double Bonus Poker Strategy
Double Bonus Poker offers higher payouts for certain Four of a Kind hands, making it an attractive option for those chasing big wins. However, this often comes at the cost of lower payouts for other hands (like a Full House or Flush), meaning the strategy shifts. You’ll be more aggressive in chasing those specific Four of a Kind combinations.
Key strategic shifts for Double Bonus:
* **Be more aggressive with Four of a Kind draws:** If you have three cards to a high-paying Four of a Kind (e.g., three Aces), you might break a smaller winning hand to go for it.
* **Lower value of Flushes and Straights:** Since these pay less, you’ll be less inclined to chase them if a higher-potential hand is available.
Practice Makes Perfect: Tools for Improvement
Reading about strategy is one thing, but applying it under pressure is another.
Use Strategy Trainers
Many online casinos and independent websites offer video poker strategy trainers. These tools deal you hands and then tell you the mathematically correct play, allowing you to learn and practice without risking real money. This is invaluable for internalizing the complex decision trees.
Start with Free Play
Before you put your hard-earned rupees on the line, play video poker in free-play mode. This allows you to get a feel for the game, understand the pay tables, and practice your strategy without any financial pressure.
Bankroll Management
Even with perfect strategy, variance is a part of gambling. You’ll have winning streaks and losing streaks. Set a budget for your video poker sessions and stick to it. Never chase losses. Good bankroll management ensures you can play long enough for the strategy to pay off over time.
Conclusion: Play Smart, Play Long, Enjoy More
