Video pokers were introduced in early 1970s. The machines used in this are called poker slots. Slot machines and video pokers have many things in common. They are relatively easy to use. There won’t be any interaction with other pokers and dealers. Slot reels and card combinations are handled by random number generator.
The video poker demands one thing that the slot machines don’t need. That is an element of skill. There is place for player’s decision in video poker which affects the outcome. To some extent frequency of combinations can be calculated. This will help the player to device a playing strategy.
The player should identify the best odds on his favorite games. He should shop smartly. In video poker theoretical odds of winning is actually shown and there will be information on game’s financial return also. One can learn to recognize the best odds it video poker. So the player need not take chances with video and spinning reel. The player should be clear on dos and don’ts which are fundamental in video poker. If he follows them he can increase his earnings and can play with fun.
How to play video poker? There will be plenty of video poker games in casinos. The payer has to pick one among them. Rate of returns will be different for different video pokers. One may give higher percentage of the player’s money and other may return lower percentage. In 9/6 jacks game casino keeps only .46% of the player’s money and it returns 99.54%. In “Jacks or Better” game flush and full house will pay more even though other categories pay almost similar. Player should always look at the pay for flush and full house before choosing the game. Player can learn all these information from websites who list out best video poker games. When player finds a attractive payable he not jump for that. He better sticks with one table. Only when he things the table does not have high returns, he can move around until he finds the table with good returns.
Regular poker and video pokers are almost similar both aims for a hand that will give good return. In video poker the player should tap on the card which he wishes to keep. Then he draws the card to replace. The winning amount is determined by the machine where the player is playing on. The win is decided by having a traditional poker hand. In video poker a player will be given five cards. Winning poker hand should be achieved by using these five cards. He can keep few cards in hand and exchange others until he gets a poker hand.
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Player will be given an option to insert five coins. This is common in video poker machines. There will be a chart on each play table that shows after winning how many coins the player will receive. When the player played on Jack or Better with 5 coins gets a chance to win 45 coins for a full house. For the max bet there is a chance that player may get bonus for the Royal flush. Better to switch for lower denomination machines if the player can’t afford five coins. Here player will be playing few cents at a time and it is a quarter games.
There are few basic things which the player should understand before he starts playing video poker. He should clearly understand the components of the machine. There are different things on and around the video poker machine which the player needs to have a look on. One of them is paytable. This gives information on each hand of the poker game and how much they worth. Player should choose a table which has a best paytable. Bets paytable is the one which has highest payout for the win. Paytable will have information on the return of the coins after winning each hand. The place where the player receives cards is known as display area. There is an area called Credit total. This is present under the card area. This shows how many credits are remaining based on the denomination of the machine. Around the screen area of the machine, cash insert, club card slots and voucher are positioned. Once the player finishes, the balance will be returned in the form of a voucher. This slot is positioned at the top left. The club card should be inserted before the game starts, so that player can win reward points. He should make sure that his card has been accepted. Deal/Draw button will be present on the right side of the keyboard. The player should hit the button after each hand to get the next hand. After the selection of the cards which the player wants to hold he should hit the button again to draw the replacement cards. If that is the winning hand, then winning credits will be added to the players balance. Hold buttons are used for the selection of the cards that the player wishes to keep in final hand. This button is present directly below the screen. To get the balance voucher after finishing the game, the player should press the cash-out button.
The player can sign up for a club card. This club card can be used every time he plays. This will play a major role in extending the gambling. As more and more rewards points gets racked up, casinos will want the player to come back again. Many casinos attract the players by giving coupons for meals or provide cash back. Club cards can be collected from visiting a club booth or by just signing up online. Every time player visits casino they should make sure that he bring back the card home. Racking up the reward points will depend on the casino. Some casinos give reward points for the hours of play. Some give points on the basis of amount of betting money. Accumulated points will yield some money. For example some casino may give R1 for 100 points earned. If more points have accumulated then player can pay for meals using points. Casinos even assign status levels to their players. One who visits and plays more will have higher status. Comparatively he can earn more points. Players with higher status sometimes even get compensation for things like hotels.
It is better to understand than rules of video poker before starting it. Some players even play by guessing. But to pay long term one should have an understanding on the strategies of the game. Chance of winning will be more if the player understands the rules and components of the video poker game.
Strategies will be different for different video poker games. It is difficult to memorize all the strategies. So best way is to pick a game which the player like the most and learn the strategies of that particular video poker. Once the player thinks that particular game is enough he can move to other games. If the player wants to learn many games at once he will definitely get confused with the strategies.
Player can use strategy list. This will contain different ways which he can follow to win the game. This will list all best hands and worst hands. Player can learn about cards from this strategy list. He will get some idea on which cards to keep and which cards to exchange.
To play poker better, one should have an understanding of poker probabilities. Few things which the player should keep in mind are:
Along with probabilities, the player must also know about the average loss that could occur during video poker. The player better has realistic expectations. Multiplying the house end by bet size and number of rounds per hour can give the average loss that can occur. For example in the 9/6 Jacks or Better with the five coin max bet R1.25 one can multiply by .5% by 400. This will result in average loss of 2.50 per hour. This is the average we get in long term if it is short term they average loss calculated is higher than this. It would be R6.50 an hour.
A player can be a big winner if he practices well and plays with smart shopping. Among all the games in casino, video poker is the only game which allows this strategy. No need to gamble for the money if one knows how to win video poker.
Better to learn the game using free games at home and them start the real ones. Once the player becomes expert he can enjoy the game with lot of money and dining and entertainment that will be given for casino’s best players.
