Most video poker games have a fixed pay table, meaning the pays for each winning hand never change. For example, a high pair always pays 1-for-1, a 4-of-a-kind always pays 25-for-1 or some other fixed number, and a royal flush always pays 800-for-1 with 5 credits played.
Getting the most out of video poker requires learning to recognize the best possible draw on every hand.
Your video poker strategy decisions make a real difference in your wins and losses. And one of the most important decisions you'll make involves something we can call "The High Card Conundrum."
The very popular Jacks or Better video poker game has been around for a long time. The reason is the high return and relatively low variance of the game. The original “full-pay” game returns 99.54 percent with proper play. That means the someone playing the proper playing strategy will lose, on average, only 46 cents for every $100 played through this game.
The double up feature has been around for decades. In fact, it was much more prevalent years ago than it is currently. The following true story could be the reason why.
Video poker tournaments are either limited to a certain number of hands or a specific amount of time. Sometimes the tournament has both a time limit and a limit to the number of hands. In a tournament with a time limit, playing fast is important. The royals-only strategy introduced previously is ideal for fast play while still giving the player a decent chance to end up in the money.
If you are like most video poker players, you do not expect a lot when you are dealt nothing but a low pair for your initial hand. It seems like these hands never turn into winners. But, is that really the case? If a low pair is such a bad initial hand. If they are, why do they end up so high on playing strategy charts?
Earlier in 2017 I attended the Blackjack Ball, an invitation-only gathering of 96 Blackjack Pros from around the world. Now you might be thinking what does this have to do with video poker; stay with me and I’ll explain.
