Poker is a very popular casino game whatever the case. However, there are so many ways you can play it now. You can play in an online casino, in a brick-and-mortar casino in the traditional ways. Or, you could try out video poker.
Video poker is the more common name for fixed-odds poker games. It is a five-draw poker game, and it can be played online or on a terminal a lot like a slot machine in a physical casino.
Due to this, video poker also often has the name ‘poker slots’, simply because it is like playing poker on a slot machine. But, it is different from playing slots though. Slots do not require skill, poker does.
With video poker you still need to play the hand you have in the most optimal fashion, in accordance with how your hand ranks.
Sounds good to you? Well, stick around a moment, and we will tell you everything you need to know about video poker.
How You Play Video Poker
The most basic thing you need to know is how to play video poker. It does have many variations, but all are primarily focused on poker’s simplest version – the 5 card draw.
Each player is dealt 5 cards as their hand, and you will be given a simple opportunity to keep the cards you want to, and to get rid of the ones you do not want, thus gaining new cards in return. This makes up your final hand.
Pretty standard so far right?
Let’s look at a step-by-step guide to how you play a video poker hand.
- First deposit your credit into the machine/ website/ app you will play on.
- Make your bets.
- Hit ‘deal’ to get your original poker hand of five cards.
- Get rid of any cards you view as useless. You could even get rid of all five if you wanted to.
- If you are replacing cards, then you will get these from the same ‘deck’.
- Play as usual and note that any winnings you gain will be paid out in accordance with the pay table.
The Pay Table
When you play slots generally you should consult the pay table before you make any bets. This is also true for video poker as well, in which the payouts from each hand can vary per game.
There are two main ways in which you can classify video poker games when you consider the payouts. There is full pay and short pay. As a full-pay machine will have an average RTP rate of 99%, some might even state that they have a 100% RTP rate.
That being said, you should remember that any percentage is based on the principle that you are making the best decisions mathematically for each hand that you play.
Pay tables for online video poker will be fairly easy to access as they are usually in the information section of the game.
Winning A Game Of Video Poker
There is no safe and sure way that you can win online poker, but there are plenty of ways that you can increase your chances of winning.
These ways can be achieved by combining things we have already mentioned. I.e. paying attention to the pay table. Of course, taking note of the pay table will always be easier than playing each hand in the most mathematically optimized way.
That being said, players of every skill level can work to improve their chances of earning a high payout on every hand by taking the time they should to consider how likely it is that they will actually be able to improve their hand, or if the hand is something of a flop according to the rankings in poker.
Strategy
Much alike to any other form of poker. Playing video poker is a game based completely on probabilities. In order to adequately enhance the likelihood of you winning you should generate and stick to a proper poker strategy.
Playing poker with your instincts is usually the best way to lose money and end up failing most often.
If you need help in building a strategy, there are plenty of online charts and resources for video poker strategies that will give you a starting point to go off of.
Choosing the right pay table is a strategy in itself though, as different to many other casino games, video poker will give you the chance to see an expected return before you even begin the game.
You should make certain you do plenty of good research and find which table will give you the best payouts.
Of course, you could also use a strategy known as ‘slow-down’ which is very worth your time and is one of the most important strategies you could have. Video poker games are made, like slots, to generate profit for the establishments.
No one is rushing you to make a fast decision on your cards, so take your time, twiddle your thumbs if you want, and take it slow. Think about your decisions and make sure you are happy with your choices.
