VIDEO POKER STRATEGY

Winning online video poker in a big way is totally possible if you play your cards right. For the most part, good video poker strategy is the same as good draw poker strategy. You want to play the video poker odds that give you the best chance at a quality hand. The key difference between draw and video poker strategy is that your sole pursuit is now the best-paying hand. This can both complicate and simplify matters because in contrast with poker games played against other players, you can't win video poker by bluffing; only the best hands offer the big video poker payouts.

The line between paying and non-paying video poker hands is a very important one when it comes to video poker strategy, and the times when you’ll want to throw away a paying video poker hand are few and far between. There's one key video poker rule you should follow when you've got a made hand. Never throw away a paying video poker hand unless you have four cards to a royal flush. This is a simple enough rule, and you shouldn’t have any trouble following it.

Common sense and common hands are at the center of video poker strategy. Small, even-money hands are a big part of coming out ahead and winning video poker over the long run. There may be times when you have four to a straight or four to a flush when you think about throwing away a pair of jacks, but when it comes to consistently winning video poker you just can’t afford to do this. The video poker odds aren’t good enough, and you’re better off getting your money back with a small video poker payout for the pair. Even if you have just the base pair in your hand, it can easily become two pairs, three of a kind, a full house or even four of a kind on the draw. In addition to being a paying a hand, a high pair is also a solid draw, so hold onto it!

This advice might make you wonder about your video poker strategy for all the pairs below the video poker payout line. As is the case with any non-paying hand, you should draw. It’s just as likely that a higher pair will hit, becoming two pair, three of a kind or four of a kind; with a small pair, you won’t even have the benefit of breaking even if you get a bad draw.

This brings us to the next important video poker strategy rule you should remember: A pair is always worse than four-to-a-draw, but better than three-to-a-draw. What this means is that any time you have four cards to any draw, whether it be a flush, straight or straight flush, it is better than a pair. However, when you only have three cards to a draw, keeping a pair is the best option. This becomes a borderline decision when the three cards are sequential parts of a straight flush, but you will generally want to keep the pair unless it’s three cards to a royal flush.

A royal flush also creates certain shifts in video poker strategy, because some video poker games offer a special jackpot for players that hit it. If this is the case, familiarize yourself with the video poker odds for each jackpot game and adjust your strategy accordingly (keeping the three cards to the royal flush over a lower pair).

Are you ready for more?  Then check out our video poker tips page!