Strategy Tips to Win at Video Poker

The first thing you need to know is that not all video poker machines are the same. In this game, you are paid according to a paytable of ranked hands.

This means that two video poker games might have different payouts for the same hands. So, choosing the right paytable is crucial because it directly affects the house edge and your overall chances of winning.

Think of the paytable as the chart that shows how much you win for each hand you get.

The games post these payouts in an easy-to-read table, and generally, the payouts for royal flushes, full houses, and flushes change from one paytable to the next.

The best paytable you can find out there is called full-pay Jacks or Better or 9/6 Jacks or Better.

It means that if you get a Full House, you win 9 times your bet; if you get a Flush, you win 6 times your bet, and you win double if you have two pairs.

Most video poker games are based on a 5-card draw, the game many of us first learned to play at home.

As I showed you in the previous tip, different hands win different amounts of money, so it’s key to learn the value of each hand to choose which cards to keep and which to discard.

Below, you’ll find an example of the hands of one of the most popular video poker variants: Jacks or Better.

Video poker strategy charts include a series of suggested plays. The higher up the chart, the greater precedence a hand takes.

For instance, if it has “2 Pairs” listed above “Any 4 Cards of a Straight Flush”, then you would keep the two pairs instead of the four cards to a straight flush.

At the same time, if the chart has “4 Cards of an Open Straight Flush” listed above “2 Pairs”, then you would forego the payout for the two pairs and hope for the fifth card in the straight flush on the redraw.

In any instance, whatever hand you have that’s highest on the chart is the play you should make when burning cards.

Download your video poker strategy chart here.

• Learn basic poker hands, such as whether a full house is better than a flush (it is).
• Read video poker strategy charts from the top down, so if you have two potential hands on the draw, you will play whichever hand is higher.
• “4 to a flush” or “4 to a straight” means you have four of the five cards needed to complete a flush or a straight.
• “Suited” means two or more cards have the same suit: hearts, diamonds, spades, or clubs.
• An outside straight means the cards you have are consecutive (example: 4-5-6-7), so you can build the straight from either end of the sequence (3 or 8).
• An inside straight means the cards you have aren’t consecutive (example: 4-5-7-8), so you only have half the chance of completing the straight.

Always keep any pair you get, even if it’s a low pair. Throwing away a pair to try for a better result is risky, and you might end up with nothing.

Based on math, you have a better chance of getting two pairs or three of a kind by keeping a pair instead of trying for a different, less certain hand.

Place a 5-coin wager, which unlocks the max paytable.

For example, if you bet only 1 coin and hit a Royal Flush, you win just 250 coins. But with a 5-coin bet, that same Royal Flush wins you the maximum payout of 4,000 coins.

Additionally, the max jackpot increases significantly from a 4-coin to a 5-coin bet, so if the 5-coin bet is too expensive for your bankroll, choose a smaller denomination.

Video poker has a low house edge, but the casino still has the advantage. With that in mind, the more times you bet in an hour, the better it is for the casino.

Using auto-play features or playing multi-hand video poker exposes you to the house edge more often, which is a disadvantage.

Try to avoid these features when playing.

It’s very possible you might find yourself a bit anxious while gambling real money. That’s normal, especially when you hit a losing strike.

One of my best tips for learning video poker strategy is to play free games. It’s a great way to learn the rules, payables, and hand values.

It also allows you to build a strategy for your specific bankroll and build confidence in the game. You can make mistakes and track your progress without risking any money.

Plus, you can find free games easily. Most real-money online casinos allow players to try video poker free of charge.

The games are available in a demo version and are a great way to get your feet wet.