In order to strip away the mystery of an online
video poker machine and understand its value to you,
there are three things you need to do which should
be included in your video poker strategy:
• Learn how to read the pay tables and recognize
which ones have the highest payback.
• Learn the best video poker strategy for the
machines you choose to play.
• Learn the volatility of a particular machine -
what effect it will have on your bankroll.
When based solely on the mechanics, playing online
video poker can be extremely simple. However,
playing it well entails a bit more effort and that's
where your video poker strategy comes into play.
Online video poker is one game where the house
advantage is definitely affected by how much
knowledge the player has. The two main skills
involved (proper machine selection and knowing the
proper strategy for the video poker machine you're
playing) get complicated because online video poker
comes in a never-ending variety of games.
In order to begin mastering the art of video poker,
use the following suggestions. First, let’s look at
them in the broadest terms: there are non-wild card
games such as Jacks or Better and Double Bonus. Then
there are wild card games such as Deuces Wild or
Joker Wild. Within these two general types, there
are many varieties. Payout schedule return rates may
vary from below 90% to above 100% (see table below).
To begin honing your video poker strategy, let’s
begin with the machine that started the whole
phenomenon: the Jacks or Better game. The Jacks or
Better pays off for a pair of jacks or higher, which
is particularly good for beginners because of its
easily understandable strategy. Better yet, when
played with expert strategy, Jacks or Better has a
99.5% payback percentage! This means it has only a
0.5% house advantage. In the long run, you expect to
lose only 50 cents of every $100 you play. This is
one of the best bets in the casino.
Consider Jacks or Better as the “Hershey” bar of the
video poker candy store: classic, reliable,
straightforward, and simply satisfying. You may want
to move to more new and exotic confections, but
Jacks or Better must always be the most accessible
and understandable part of your strategy.
In developing your online strategy there are many
factors to consider that are far too numerous to
detail here. However, we will leave you with an
important factor, and possibly the most important
thing to look at when developing your strategy - the
pay table. The pay table strips away the game's
mystery; it’s basically a window into knowing
whether the game is worth your money. An example of
a pay table can be seen below, and unlike slot
machines, the pay table isn't just there for us to "oohhh
and aaah" over all the pretty payoffs - it can
reveal how much a game pays back if played
perfectly.
The strategies listed below are just 'tip of the
iceberg' when it comes to developing your online
video poker strategy.
|
Hand |
Frequency |
%
Probability |
Payout |
Return
* |
|
Royal Flush * |
1 in
40,390.55 |
0.002% |
800* |
1.98% |
|
Straight Flush |
1 in
9,148.37 |
0.011% |
50 |
0.55% |
|
Four of a kind |
1 in
423.27 |
0.236% |
25 |
5.91% |
|
Full house |
1 in
86.86 |
1.151% |
9 |
10.36% |
|
Flush |
1 in
90.79 |
1.101% |
6 |
6.61% |
|
Straight |
1 in
89.05 |
1.123% |
4 |
4.49% |
|
Three of a kind |
1 in
13.43 |
7.445% |
3 |
22.33% |
|
Two pair |
1 in
7.74 |
12.928% |
2 |
25.86% |
|
Jacks or better |
1 in
4.66 |
21.459% |
1 |
21.46% |
|
Nothing |
1 in
1.83 |
54.543% |
0 |
0.00% |
* - Royal Flush payout is based on max coins (4,000
coins for 5 coins played).
** - Total return: 99.55.
