Learn the Rules of Video Poker
The video poker uses a standard 52 –card deck. Upon making your wager and pressing the “deal button”, the machine randomly gives you five cards. Choose the cards to use (by tapping their pictures on the screen) and which to discard. Press the “Draw” button to get a replacement for the discarded cards. Winning is based on ending up with either flush, straight, two pairs or even a royal flush. The amount you win per hand depends on the poker value of your hand and the posted pay table for the machine you are playing.
It is hence important to know which of your dealt five cards you will keep and which to discard as this will give you the best chances of winning a jackpot.
Choose the Right Pay Table
The machine allows you to know the expected return on your money on the pay table before you start the play. The return on a particular video poker machine is based on the machine’s pay table. Do your research to identify the best video poker machines with the highest returns and avoid those with terrible pay tables. For example, if you choose a machine with a paytable offering 99.54% return over a video poker with a pay table that provides a 97.29% return, you increase your probability of beating the video poker machine. The 99.54% machine only keeps 0.47% house edge while the 97.29% machine keeps 2.71%. The 99.54% is the better option as it offers you close to full pay.
Slow Down
The poker machines are designed in a way that, the more you play, the more you lose. Hence, adopt a slow down strategy when playing Jacks or Better. Do not rush or play for volume. This will help minimize your hourly losses and give you the opportunity to play for longer, increasing your chances to hit a royal flush.
Have a strategy
Have an optimum video poker strategy to increase your chances of winning other than rely on guesswork. You can practice beforehand on your computer before attempting to risk real money on the video poker machine.
Always Play the Max
It is advisable to play maximum coins because Jacks or Better video poker machines offer top payout for a royal flush. This also gives you the chance to get a bonus win when you hit a royal flush (the jackpot). Assuming you can bet between one to five coins per hand, you only stand a chance to get the bonus on a royal flush when you bet five coins per hand. Lower coinage will not give you the royal flush.
Play the Progressive Jackpot Video Poker Machines
Progressive jackpots will give an added chance of reaping big on a relatively small bet. Be vigilant to ensure that you only play progressive jackpot on machines that offer comparatively good pay tables since many progressive Jacks or better video poker machine use terrible pay table.
