Here's The Low Down On How To Win At Video Poker

By Dean Evert

With the way our society is structured these days, with technology becoming our new best buddy; a lot of people prefer playing games singlehandedly against a machine that used to be played around a table with many players involved and lots of personal interaction. Video poker is one of those games; many folks prefer the one on one interaction with a video machine rather than the playing table; and learning how to win at video poker has become a priority with many players.

As with any other kind of game or card game, there are rules and regulations to be followed to play the game properly, and video poker is no exception. To learn how to win at video poker, you must start with the basics and build your knowledge of the game and the quirks that lurk therein. The game of video poker is based on a deck of 52 playing cards with some forms of the game using the jokers in the play. Once the play starts, the machine deals 5 random cards to you; you decide which ones you want to keep and which you want to discard; and then the machine randomly deals replacement cards for the ones you discarded, if any. You are now paid according to the poker value of the cards you are left holding in your hand.

One of the most important parts of any poker playing strategy, especially when you are trying to learn how to win at video poker; is to learn to get over the hump of just playing one coin at a time. That will get you nowhere but broke: do like the best video poker players and consistent winners do---always bet the max allowed. A good strategy is needed if you are going to win at this game, and not only will playing the max get you there, but also learning what to do with every kind of hand you are dealt. There is a lot of reading material available out there that will tell you just how to proceed in betting depending on what you are initially dealt, and this is invaluable to the beginning player. Finally, in building a play strategy, learn how the payouts work and find a liberal pay table to play so you can make the most of what you know.

Betting the max in coins allowed makes perfect sense when you apply the old adage: the more you wager, the more you win. The win for any given hand of cards is directly proportional to the amount bet; except for one example----when the payouts are tallied on various boards around town, you will notice that learning how to win at video poker depends on how to read the boards and bet accordingly; because in the case of Royal Flushes----you may be shortchanged on your payout of getting a Royal Flush if you don't bet the max. Most boards will list the payout of such as: you will win 1000 if you bet 4 coins, but you will win 4000 if you bet 5 coins (the max). What a difference a coin makes. This little burp in the board declarations is called "An Economy of Scale".

Remember this also, that for every penny spent on the video poker machines, points are rewarded and these points can be redeemed for comps of all kinds, and free play. But, the deal is, if you don't use a player card, the casino or house has no way of knowing how much or how long you are playing and therefore no way to assign points or comps----you must use a player card to leave a play trail. And don't be fooled by the wise old fools out there that pontificate to you when you are learning how to win at video poker; because they will try to pass on incorrect info about the player cards----and that is, that if you use one, the machine will not pay out as well----WRONG. The use of a player card is strictly for tallying amount played and has no bearing on the odds or performance of the machine whatsoever.

When you are perfecting your performance as a winning video poker player and you have learned your lessons well on how to win at video poker, there is a site online that you should check out that will help you interpret the payout tables found on the various machines, and what those tables mean. The site is vpfree2.com and it has loads of info above and beyond the payout tables that you may find very useful. As you become more familiar with the world of video poker, you will begin to see the relationships of the payout tables to the play and how you can make the most of the more liberal tables; for example, the payouts vary very little except when it comes to dealing with a flush or a full house----the middle hands seem to have more variance than the others.

For a lot of fun, hours of entertainment and the possibility of winning big bucks, you can't beat poker as the world's most beloved card game; but if you want to play singlehandedly against a video machine without the psychological pressures of a live poker table, then learning how to win at video poker should be your top priority for a great time. Once you learn how to play and the strategies involved, you will be hooked and endless hours of fun await. - 31406

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