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Before you walk into a casino to play video poker, you need to learn about the game.  At least, you do if you are serious about winning.  Unlike slots, which are based completely on luck, there is actually skill involved in video poker.  In order to win, you need to have a good strategy and avoid making mistakes.

Even if you have been playing video poker for awhile, you could benefit from learning the strategies that are available if you have not already done so.  No strategy can guarantee that you will win, of course, but there are strategies that will improve your chances.

When you go to the casino, you’ll want to have more than luck on your side.  Having a strategy will make it more likely that you will leave the casino with at least as much money as you brought with you, hopefully more.

The most important strategy is to select the right machine.  They are not all the same.  Some pay out a higher percentage of the money they take in than others do.  You can determine this by looking at the pay schedule attached to the machine.  There are websites where you can find tables that show you what the payback percentages are for popular machines.

Video poker machines are designed to deal the cards randomly by using a random number generator to select the cards.  In most areas, the machines are regulated to make sure that they are operating properly.

Besides playing the machine that offers the highest payback rate, you need to know which cards to keep and which ones to hold.  Most of the time there is only one logical choice of which hand to try getting.  However, you need to know what to do in the case where there are two different hands you could get.  You’ll want to try for the one that you have the best odds of getting.  You can purchase books that offer charts that show you which hands you should try for.

Again, remember to look for the machines that offer the highest paybacks and study your strategy before hitting the casinos.  Make sure you are well-rested and have enough money in your bankroll to keep playing for awhile.

Many visitors to casinos only show up on holidays and vacations.  These players are usually inexperienced at playing the games since they don’t play them often.  If you are planning a holiday visit to play video poker at your favorite casino, it will help to learn more about the game first.  Here are some rules to help beginning video poker players learn the game quickly so that they can improve their odds of winning during their vacation.

A – Admit Your Lack of Knowledge

If you don’t play often, don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know everything about the game.  Once you acknowledge that you need to learn more, you can find all kinds of information to help you.  There is plenty of information online.  You can also purchase books, videos and even software programs to help you learn.  If you are shopping for gambling books in Vegas, the store employees may even be able to answer some of your questions for you.

B – Budget Your Bankroll

Your bankroll amount should be obtained by determining how much you can afford to lose, divided by the number of days you will be gambling.  Stick with the bankroll amount to avoid losing more than you can afford.

C – Carry Cash

Don’t use credit cards to pay for your gambling.  It will be too easy to be tempted to exceed your budget.  Bring the amount of cash you plan on spending with you to the casino.  If there is a slot club at the casino, join it.

D – Decide on the Denomination

Keep in mind that most machines pay out better on the 5-credit bets, so you will be betting five credits at a time.  So if you are playing a quarter machine, that is $1.25 per play.  You need a bankroll large enough for at least 80 bets in order to be able to ride out the streaks.  So, if you are playing the quarter machines, you should have a $100 bankroll.  If you can’t afford that, try the nickel or penny machines.

E – Ease into it

Try sticking to one version of video poker until you understand it well.  Jacks or Better is usually the easiest game to start with.  You might also want to start with the smaller denomination machines.

F – Full-pay Machines

You want to play full-pay machines.  Look for payouts of at least 4000 on the royal flush, 250 straight flush, 125 four-of-a-kind, 45 full house, 30 flush, 20 straight, 15 three-of-a-kind, 10 for two pairs and 5 for a jacks or better pair.  These payouts are based on playing five credits.

G – Go for it!

Play the full five coins at a time every time.  This allows you to earn the highest amount possible if you happen to get the royal flush.  You’ll kick yourself if you hit the royal on a 1 to 4-credit play and don’t qualify for the bonus.

H – Here’s What You Can Expect

If you play every day for approximately four hours, you will probably average about 1000 hands per day.  If you play reasonably well, you should end up with about 70% of your bankroll left at the end of the day.  Your odds of hitting the best hands each day are 1 in 40 for a royal flush and 1 in 10 for a straight flush.  Hitting either of these will usually earn you a free trip to Las Vegas.

You should be able to get complimentary drinks or maybe even a buffet if you are playing the dollar slots.  You might also receive a bonus gift through the slot club to offset your losses.  These gifts are offered to help you enjoy yourself and encourage you to return frequenty.

Video poker was first introduced in the early 1970’s and has been evolving ever since. It started out as a poker-based game using a monitor that resembled a television screen. Now there are many different styles of video poker and the machines have developed into more modern-looking styles, designed to attract your attention with lights and color.

Video poker can now be found in casinos all over the world. There is not a casino anywhere that doesn’t have some video poker machines. In addition, video poker is becoming popular online as well. It is one of the latest additions to Internet-based gambling sites.

So what is the difference between traditional poker and video poker? That’s what this article is about. Here is an overview of how to play video poker.

To start the game, you place a bet of at least one credit and press the deal button. Once the cards are dealt, you select the cards you want to keep by pressing the hold button under those cards. Then you hit the draw button. New cards will be dealt to replace the ones you didn’t keep. If you have one of the hands that is listed on the pay schedule, you will receive the payout for that hand.

On most machines, you need at least a pair of jacks to receive a payout. For some games, the minimum winning hand might be higher, such as two pairs or a full house.

There are also progressive video poker machines. These machines offer a jackpot for the royal flush. There are usually more players that are attracted to these machines.

Like traditional poker, video poker comes in many different varieties. There are games with jokers or deuces wild, and there are various jackpot games and bonus games. These varieties add to the fun and excitement of playing video poker.

When you play a version of video poker that does not have any wild cards, the royal flush does not come up very often at all. You also will probably not hit the four of a kind more than about once per hour.

You might want to look into joining a “players club” for video poker. These clubs allow you to earn points or bonuses based on the amount you play. Sometimes you will earn complimentary items, referred to as “comps” to help encourage you to continue playing. These comps can sometimes be redeemed for cash as well. Most players clubs don’t cost anything to join. The casino offers them to help encourage you to play often. Online games sometimes offer players clubs as well.

Video poker has grown in popularity throughout the world and is here to stay. With so many people clamoring to play it, new varieties are being introduced all the time, both at traditional casinos and online. You are sure to be able to find a variety that will be enjoyable, and maybe even profitable, for you to play.