Video Poker a Beginners Guide

 

 

 

Almost all online casinos offer the possibility of playing Video Poker. However, it is not always easy to find the casino site that will suit you best. That is why we have written this guide especially for video poker beginners. It will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses in order to help you improve your game. In many cases the choices you make when playing Poker will be relatively self-evident, however sometimes you will need to be able to establish the best strategy with which to play.

 

Rules and Variations of Video Poker.

One of the main reasons why Video Poker is so popular is because it is easy to learn and you can start playing almost straight away. If you know how to play Poker, you will be able to play Video Poker and you do not even have to be a very proficient Poker player, all you need to know is what are the winning hands in Poker. And, even if you forget the rankings of different hands, it is not really a problem as the combinations are often shown on the machine.

 

Basic rules of Video Poker.

Video Poker is the inverse of live Poker in that it is not played against other players. Your aim as a player is not to have the winning hand, but to have a hand that is strong enough to allow a payout. A table will be shown on the screen to tell you how much your hand is worth. On a machine “Jack or Better”, the minimum hand you will need for a payout is a pair of Jacks, for which you will break even. The payout rate rises in line with the strength of the hand.

 

To play, put in the number of coins with which you want to play and press on the distribute/deal button, or simply press the button that allows you to play the maximum number of coins. You will then receive five cards that will show on the screen. You then have to press on the button that is located under each card and indicate whether you wish to keep it or reject it. Once you have made your selection, press again on the distribute/deal button for new cards to be dealt. If your new hand is stronger than a pair of tens you will receive a credit in relation to the strength of your card, as indicated by the payments table.

 

Types of Video Poker.

The most common, type if Video Poker is “Jacks or Better”, but there are some other popular ones as well. Two of the most popular are the “Deuces Wild” and “joker Poker”. In these types of Video Poker, a 2 or a Joker in your hand will allow you to replace any card in your hand (the computer will decide which card will be best). Because with these types of Video Poker, it is easier to obtain a good hand, this is reflected in the payment table where you will receive a lower payout than you otherwise would playing “Jack or Better”. In these types of Video Poker, a 2 or a Joker in your hand will allow you to replace any card in your hand (the computer will decide which card will be best). Because with these types of Video Poker, it is easier to obtain a good hand, this is reflected in the payment table where you will receive a lower payout than you would for the same hand in “Jacks or better”.

 

You may also be interested in playing a Video Poker machine with progressive jackpot. These machines will have particularly high jackpots if you manage to achieve a royal flush. Each machine that is attached to a progressive jackpot (therefore, some machines are linked by a network) puts money into the jackpot and this means players have the potential to win big. Obviously, it is difficult to achieve a royal flush, and most players will play an entire lifetime without ever managing one. But if you manage a royal flush it can reap life-changing rewards. You have to play the maximum number of coins to be in with a chance of winning the progressive jackpot on a Video Poker machine.

 

Find Your Video Poker Strategy.
For example if you are dealt four cards and end up with a pair and the same colour, do you throw the pair and go for colour, or do you throw the colour? To find out the answer you have to compare the probability of not completing the colour with the augmented payment if you go to 150; you must not forget that if you keep the pair you could equally manage three of a kind. Or even four of a kind, but the probability of this is very slim. It is not always easy to make these calculations, but in most cases you should keep the pair.

 

You will develop an instinct for which cards should be played as you practice and become better skilled. As a rule keeping three cards for a colour or five of a kind is not very profitable. When you play Jack or Better it is generally correct to keep strong cards rather than to keep fewer cards with the intention of drawing more. Certain casinos will try to guide you as to which cards you keep or throw; you should keep your wits about you here and decide yourself whether you trust the advice given. In general these suggestions are reliable.

 

Bet the maximum number of coins.

If you consult the payment tables for your game of Video Poker, you will see that the payment for a royal flush with the maximum number of coins is higher than it should be. If the payout is 250 for one coin, 500 for two coins, 750 for three coins, then it follows that it should be 1000 for four coins but it is usually 4000. Therefore, your odds are a lot better if you wager the maximum coins. For example, instead of wagering $1.00, you should wager four $0.25.

 

Research sites for the best welcome bonuses and jackpots.

Make sure you research sites offering good welcome bonuses as well as bonus rounds and progressive jackpots. Bonus rounds and progressive jackpots are a good way of increasing your earnings. A bonus round signifies that you can increase your wagers and double your money. The bonus round is often the best bet offered by casino sites for Video Poker, it gives you a 1:2 chance of winning.

 

A progressive jackpot is a sum of money that is added too every time someone plays a hand; it is won when a player manages to obtain a certain hand. At any rate, they are really worth winning and you should bet the maximum number of coins. Occasionally, online casinos offer bonuses if you deposit money at their site. They usually offer you bonuses if you manage to wager a specific monetary amount. Bonuses are a good for improving your odds.

 

Allow yourself time to play.

Take plenty of time to evaluate your decisions to ensure you are making the right ones. In general there are no time limits and you lose nothing by taking your time. On the other hand you risk losing more money and faster if you play a hurried game.

 

How do Progressive Jackpots Work for Video Poker

Video Poker combines the excitement of slot machines with certain Poker strategies. Like slot machines and Poker, Video Poker can be played live, or online. In fact Video Poker has been the best game for to transfer from live to online since in both cases everything happens by screen. Common features of Video Poker machines are the progressive jackpots.

 

What is a Video Poker progressive jackpot?
Traditional Video Poker machines offer payouts in relation to the strength of the hand, as one goes up so does the other. A pair of Jacks pays-out equally to the amount paid-in, whereas four of a kind will pay 25:1. Machines with progressive jackpots function much the same way, excepting in extremely rare circumstances, for example, when somebody manages a royal flush wherein the player wins the progressive jackpot.

 

What exactly is a progressive jackpot?

The progressive jackpot is an exceptional amount of money that is offered when somebody manages an exceptional hand. On a non-progressive machine a royal flush will award the player a nice amount of money, 800:1. A royal flush on a machine with a progressive jackpot can reap rewards of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The reason it is so high is that there can be many machines paying into the same jackpot. A portion of every coin paid into machines on progressive jackpot networks will combine with each other to make huge jackpots. Particularly with online Video Poker, the jackpots can reach sums that are astronomical and more than life changing.

 

How can you win the progressive jackpot?

The only way you can win the progressive jackpot is by managing a royal flush when the opportunity presents itself. To manage a royal flush is very difficult and very unlikely to happen. If it happens to you, you could have enough money to play Video Poker for the rest of your life. It is very important when playing a progressive Video Poker machine to wager the maximum number of coins allowed for each hand. If you play less, you will only receive the amount of money of a normal Video Poker machine if you manage a royal flush, this would be a disaster, in so far as you care that much about money, especially with the machines holding phenomenal sums in the progressive jackpot pot.

Thanks for reading this article, I have just convinced myself to go and play Video Poker, you might see me on the cover of Millionaires Monthly!! Fingers crossed!!

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