How can I become a better video poker player?

While becoming a poker master requires thousands of hours of development in understanding the game and situational analysis, it is possible to improve in certain areas of the game quickly. As in everything, the better and More precisely you play video poker, the smaller the advantage for the gambling operator. Generally speaking, video poker requires two good skills - choosing the right slot machines and an optimal gambling strategy (pot odds, outs calculations, etc.).
Video poker

In this article, we'll look at both skills and advise you on what other knowledge you need to get better results in video poker.

The best casinos to play online:

*draw only from money you can afford to lose.

Choosing the right gaming machines

If you want the best results, bypass those machines with so-called wild cards. If the usual online video pokerΒ requires a lot of work and knowledge, but when wild animals are involved, the gambling is not as good as it should be. wild) cards, strategy and calculations become much more complex. This is simply because you have to take into account and learn how to deal with a wide range of situations. Many like to use the legendary Deuces Wild Game.

Although most gambling with wild cards are similar to the one we mentioned above, but this is the one that most gamblers are familiar with. Here, the strategies are divided into three groups. Within each group of strategies, there are many different combinations and possibilities. You start to need chess grandmaster level knowledge to achieve good results in the long term. For this reason, most experienced players recommend that it is better to choose regular video poker without wild cards. Let's take a look at how to choose the right slot machines.

Video poker games

When it comes to choosing the right machine, the first thing to know is that a video poker machine's return to player (payback rate)Β is 90-97%, while regular slot machines often fall below 90%. As a result, you need much less luck and often persistence, strategy and a good choice of slots and games are all you need to make a positive return at the end of the day.

When choosing slot machines online or in a real casino, consider the following criteria:

  • Return to player - the more payouts and the bigger the prizes, the better. The so-called prize tables (pay tables) shows which game has the higher prize.
  • Availability - You might know a good video poker game, but it's only available at one online a casino, or perhaps a queue at a real gambling house? You probably realise that it doesn't even pay to play a game with low returns or that doesn't have good payout rates. Here's a standard pay table: 10:1 (Full House), 7:1 (Flush), 5:1 (Straight). This means that if the optimal strategy is chosen all times and no mistakes are made, the return in this case should be 100,17%. This means that in each case you will get a return of ~0.2%. However, this calculation does not include the successful stretches (streaks).
  • Volatility (volatility) or differences in benefit proportions - Looking at the return to player, there is still some volatility or proportional differences in the size of payouts. In some games, there will be no combinations with high payout rates. However, some games offer impressive bonuses for Royal Flush, Four-of-a-kind (certain variations) or other combinations. The more spectacular the payouts for such rare combinations, the fewer the good payouts for common combinations. Don't be tempted to increase your bet many times over by getting a Royal Flush. The chances of that happening are too small.
  • How difficult it is to create a winning strategy - We have come to the conclusion that the first skill, selecting slot machines, is inseparable from the second, developing and following a strategy. As we have already mentioned, some games have so many variations and combinations of lines to remember that you will not be able to absorb and assimilate information about any other game. This is best avoided. Choose games with <30 line variations.

    The best casinos to play online:

Optimal gambling strategy

So, once you've selected a game based on its paytable (return), accessibility, payout ratio differences and complexity of strategy, it's time to develop a plan to consistently generate positive returns!

Video poker strategy

If you choose the right game, finding a winning strategy is possible and even not too difficult. It takes some getting used to, patience, skill and time. If you devote enough of these resources, you will surely get the results you want over time. Strategies vary from game to game, so you won't be able to conquer the whole world of video poker in one go. From the moment you choose a game, study its features carefully in terms of payout percentage.

Max bet

Most strategists and experienced players always recommend betting max coin betbut this is more of a rough guide than a formula for guaranteed success. This means that if you are thinking very hard about what to do and one of the options is a big payout, it is probably worth taking a risk with a high or maximum bet. That way, as long as you stay within your financial means, you create a better chance of qualifying for progressively increasing winnings (progressive jackpots).

GTO

Poker GTOGame Theory Optimisation (GTO) is a way of playing all gambling and probability games where the optimal action is chosen and the winning strategy is implemented. Whether playing poker at the table or poker onlineIn both video poker and online poker, you need to follow the GTO rules to get the best results. Perhaps the simplest advice that can be given is that when playing video poker, don't hold three cards just to try to get Straight or Flush combinations. This reduces the chances of winning in the long term. The only exception to this is when you want to keep your three cards Straight Flush.

It's also worth mentioning a game like Ultimate X and how interesting things can get when you play it. Such versions of video poker somewhat distort the benefits of GTO, as the game's Double Double Bonus, which allows you to play up to 10 handsΒ at the same time - significantly adjusts the player's chances of success.

Bonus Tip: if you play Jacks or Better, never protect your kicker cards, as they do not increase the prize...

Not just money

If you play at a larger casino (e.g. the big Las Vegas casinos) or any of the gambling house chains, money is not the only thing you can win with video poker. The big casino chains are not only gambling operators, but also hotels, restaurants and event spaces. Exceptional players (frequent players and/or big spenders) get VIP customer status or points to spend on various prizes. Your goal may not necessarily be to maximize your earnings in Euros or Dollars, but a stay in a deluxe room or a sumptuous dinner might be more to your liking... Well, we'll look at how to play specific games and in-depth reviews of the winning strategies for each game at a future date.

The most popular types of video poker games

There is more than one type of video poker game. All of them are somewhat similar to each other, but at the same time very different. Now we will take a look at some of the unique video poker games that are popular with players both in Lithuania and the rest of the world.

Video poker: Deuces Wild

It is probably the second most popular poker game, with a structure and rules somewhat similar to Jacks or Better. But the main difference lies in the name of the game itself. Deuces Wild or "Crazy Deuces" is played in such a way that all deuces in the deck act as wild type of card. This means that they can be the end of any combination and will help you get the desired hand.

Video poker: Deuces Wild

Home Deuces Wild Feature - the lowest hand you can expect to win is three of a kind (Three of a Kind). The best hand is the Royal Flush, which pays ~800x the prize, but there is a difference between what you get normally and with Wild card. In the latter case, the payout is undoubtedly lower.

Although Deuces Wild Games are not easy to find, but if you always choose the optimal strategy, your advantage can be as high as 0.76%, which is really good, but not enough to live on. If you play optimally and make €700 per hour, you can expect to earn ~€5.32 per hour. Even if you sit down and don't make mistakes all day, most jobs pay much better for your time... So - it's a fun game, but it couldn't be a major source of income.

True, most Deuces Wild video poker machines can be found in Las Vegas, but not online...

Video poker: Jacks or Better

Most video poker players list and rank the game as their No.1 choice. This is certainly not without reason, as not only is the game easy to find on almost all online portals, but also because it is easy to choose a winning strategy and find the most favourable conditions for players.

Video poker: Jacks or Better

The essence of the game is that the player (you) receives 5 cards. They decide which ones to keep and which ones to get rid of. Winning is calculated by the cards you have at the end of the game. As the name suggests, a pair of Jacks (JJ) is the lowest hand you can expect to win with. This would make the English translation of the game Valets or better. The best combination of cards is Royal Flushwhere you can expect to win up to ~800x your maximum bet.

As the majority of Jacks or Better games have a PTR (return to player) of around 99.5%, so these conditions are certainly of interest to gamblers. It is easy to learn the strategy, the game is popular and the house edge is small. Could there be anything better?

Video poker: Double Double Bonus Poker

Video poker: Double Double Bonus PokerRemember, in the course of this article we mentioned a game called Ultimate X? This particular game is a double-double bonus Poker. Although the strategy required to play this game is very chaotic and requires a great deal of knowledge, in the end it is still possible to have a very small advantage over the operator (up to 0.1%). The unique feature of this video poker game is that some of the card combinations offer an additional bonus. Especially in this type of poker kicker a card that, in other video poker games, is usually seen as more of a hindrance than a benefit.

Probably the best combination for Double Double Bonus Poker is (A, A, A, A, A and 2, 3 or 4). Four Aces and a Deuce, Three or Four will give you as much as 400x your prize.

Video poker: All American

Video poker: All AmericanAs the most popular online A type of poker is Jacks or Better, it is not surprising that there are more than one and more than two variations of gambling. The All American is just that. Basically, the differences from Jacks or Better There are very few differences in the ratio at which winnings are paid out. NetEnt's popular video poker game has higher payouts than Straight, Flush or Straight Flushes, but with slightly less for full house and two pairs. So the differences are subtle but important. Each player can choose the option they prefer.

Video poker: Jokers Wild/Joker Poker

Video poker: Jokers Wild/Joker PokerA type of video poker that is very popular among Lithuanian players. This game has a 53-card deck consisting of 52 regular cards and one joker. As the 53rd card, it can replace any card in the deck to make a hand, and is therefore called wild Court. The RTP rating is approximately 97-98%, so slightly different from the ones we mentioned above Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild, but this is also a good ratio compared to regular slot machines.

Video poker: Pick'em Poker

Video poker: Pick'em PokerPick'em Poker or Pick a Pair Poker is one of the more unique and exciting poker games. There is no shortage of variety in the world of video poker, but this game stands out, even in such a colourful context.

The return to player is good (up to 99.95%) and the other game conditions quickly get you involved and interested. Players start the game with two cards (A and B). They are your hand'o basis. You then get two more cards (C and D). You must choose either C or D and add it to A and B to make the best possible hand. Finally, you get two more cards from the deck and you have five cards in your hand, which determines the hand you will have.