| The Strategic
Approach to Video Poker Strategy 101 |
When it comes to playing sound video poker (and
playing perfect strategy at that), the foremost
important element is the discard. While in some cases,
you may only discard a single card, the majority of the
time you will be discarding more cards then those you
hold. I suppose then, you could say that the hold is
just as important as the discard. And in truth, they are
indeed one and the same in regards to affecting the
final hand.
There are actually thirty-two different ways in which
you can play a video poker hand. Certainly, once you
become familiar with the ranking poker hands, the
potential ways to optimally play your hand are going to
be narrowed down quite a bit. But the fact still remains
that every hand is going to be different, and there will
be many occasions when the pressure of going for the
high ranking hand or settling for something lower will
be there. Actually, using the perfect mathematical
strategy will call for you to act in ways that will
sometimes go against what appears to be the logical
thing to do.
The typical way to follow a "strategy chart" per say
is to regurgitate what it tells you to do. It's pretty
much the same thing as using a Blackjack strategy card.
You find your hand on the chart and you play it exactly
how you're told. In other words, you discard and hold
onto the cards that are going to give you the greatest
chance of winning over the long haul.
Like we've said before in our blackjack strategy
tips, there is a danger in strictly relying on a
strategy chart. When you learn why it is you are
discarding or holding every card of every hand, you will
have more confidence in your decisions, which says a
lot! With great confidence in your playing ability, you
won't be inclined to second guess your next wager or be
prone to believe the strategy is ineffective after
incurring a losing streak.
That said, remember to have a well-padded bankroll
(comparable to the stakes your are playing, of course).
$20 bucks will certainly give you some fun and
entertainment playing video poker. You might even get
lucky early on and walk away with more than you started
off with. But if you want to stay in the game for the
long haul and get that Casinos Edge down as low as
possible, you will have to get through some low times.
Hopefully, you will end on a high! And if you're playing
with perfect strategy, which in some cases can give you
the advantage over the casino, there's a great chance
this will be the case.
Oh, and just one more thing - Make sure you are
playing at a full-pay video poker game. For Jacks or
Better, this is a 9/6 table (9 coins for a Full House
and 6 for a Flush) For Deuces Wild, this amounts to a
15/9/5 table. While you will find 9/6 Jacks or Better at
online casinos, it's rare to find a 15/9/5 Deuces Wild
(you'll have better chances at the brick 'n mortar
casino). On the internet, you will often see 15/9/4 and
16/13/4 Deuces Wild pay tables, which have a lower
expected return than 15/9/5. Still, at 96.76% expected
return (for 16/13/4 games), those aren't bad odds at all
in the casino.
|
Additional Video Poker Tips |
|
|
|
|
|
