Have you ever lost a video poker hand because you just didn’t recognize the potential in it?  Okay, I have, and it’s usually a sign I’ve been playing too long and need to take a break.   But it’s also a reminder that when playing video poker we have to be able to recognize the hand we hold in that split second between the deal and hitting the button to draw more cards. 

So, it doesn’t hurt to beat into your head the winnings hands in any video poker game.  Keep in mind that these can vary depending on the game.  So, a Jacks or Better game would have a lowest winning hand of a pair of jacks.  While other games may have a lowest winning hand of a pair of kings or even of two pairs.  But fortunately, once you determine the lowest possible winning hand for any game, the rest of the hands seldom change. 

So the hands that always win are:

A full house which is a pair and a three of a kind, such as three twos and a pair of tens.  Keep in mind the cards can be in any order, so you need to watch for them or for a hand that could lead to a full house.

A straight is a hand with consecutive run of card values such as three, four, five, six seven. Of course they’ll be dealt in a random order.  But there is an extra consideration with straights.  You can be dealt four potential cards to a straight in two different ways.

An outside straight is a run of cards that can be made into a straight with another card on either end.  So three, four, five, six could become a straight with either a two or a seven.  This improves the odds vastly over an inside straight.

An inside straight is a potential straight with a missing card in the middle. So a three, four, six, seven needs a five to become a straight.  In video poker, you don’t want to play for an inside straight because the odds are too low.

A flush is a hand where all the cards are the same suit, so all hearts, spades, diamonds or clubs.  They don’t have to be a run in numerical order. Just of the same suit. 

A straight flush is a hand where the cards are in numerical order and all of the same suit.  So, much trickier to hit than a straight or a flush alone.

The there is the royal flush. The Royal is a run of the same suit but starting with a ten and ending in the ace.  It’s the highest winning hand in video poker and is hit about once every 40,000 hands.   So, you may play many games of video poker before you ever see a royal flush. 

North Carolina has been on a decade long offensive to eliminate video gambling machines, including video poker, throughout the state.  But the problem has been a 2006 video poker ban that left open an option for computer games that has players visiting “sweep-stakes” cafes and other businesses to play online.  

In the past, judges have rules in favor of the exception that allowed these games but police and sheriffs fought to close the gaming locations. But now  the Senate judiciary committee has recommended closing the popular gaming cafes. 

But the final ban doesn’t appear to be popular since both players and café workers have rallied to oppose the action.  Some have pointed out that the cafes are a better source of entertainment than the sate run lottery. Others are of course pointing out the hypocrisy of the view that gambling is somehow evil, except  in the case of state run lotteries. 

Players are backing the sweep-stakes cafes because they say that they stand a better chance of winning when playing at the cafes and that playing video poker and other games takes more time than simply scratching a lottery card. 

I have to say that I agree with them.  I’ve played the scratch off games in Florida’s state lottery, It takes maybe a minute to scratch the cards and then you’re done.  There’s no strategy to the play or to improving your chance of winning.  Though in Florida, it’s been proven that checking to find out which games still have prizes left can improve your chances.  Apparently the state keeps lottery games in circulation even after all the prizes or main prizes have been won for that particular game.

I’ve been posting some sites that offer video poker tournaments for those who want to join in the fun.  But before you play, you might want to think a little about your video poker tournament strategy.  Playing in a tournament is different than playing a regular game. When you play a regular session of video poker, you’re playing with your money and so you might play daring or conservatively when it comes to hands that can be played more than one way.

One hand where this comes to mind is the royal flush.  Here’s one thing to remember — when you play a video poker tournament, you aren’t playing against your wallet, you’re playing with a set amount of credits against the other players.  Often lots of other players.  And you need to win more money than they win.  Now, in a tournament, someone is going to hit a royal flush. And that person might as well be you. 

So, a tournament isn’t the place to play a conservative game.  If you have a hand that could lead to a royal flush, you should play for the royal.  This means that even if you have a pair, but three or four cards to a royal flush, you should go for the royal.  You want to hit that big payout because in a tournament, you can’t finish even or just ahead of the money, you have to finish at the top to win. 

Of course, if you’re already a risky player, this means tournaments might be more fun than regular play for you.  But other hand, if you’re a conservative player who looks for long term winnings, you might want to stick to regular games instead of tournaments.  Make the call that’s best for you.

Despite the name, Superslots online casino isn’t just about slots.  The site offers a variety of casino games to play, including, of course, video poker.  Hey, I wouldn’t be writing about them if they didn’t.  But better than just offering some video poker games to play, Superslots also offers video poker tournaments for the dedicated video poker player.  So, if you’re a tournament style player, this will be a casino you want to check out. 

The game offered for tournaments include Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better and the buy in is just $5.  The prize pool is the pot after everyone buys into the tournament.  Keep in mind that in a tournament, you play on the money provided to you by the casino and rack up as many points as you can. At the end of the tournament, the players with the most points win prizes determined by the prize pool.  So, you don’t win the amount of money that you gather during your playing, but rather the established prizes. 

If tournaments aren’t  for you, Superslots also offers a variety of a video poker games for you to play on regular stakes.  The casino also offers a 100% deposit bonus up to $2000 on your first deposits. But remember to check out the terms of play at Superslots as well as any online casino you play on before you take advantage of the deposit bonuses.  Often the play through for those only counts if you play through on slots games.  But if you’re the type of person who likes to mix a little slots play in with your regular play, the bonuses might work for you.

Online Vegas s a boon for Video Poker players because they are one of the few casinos out there that hosts online video poker tournaments.  In fact, they offer four tournaments a week.  So many that you might need  a calendar to keep track of which tournament s you’ve registered for.  Well Online Vegas doesn’t want you to miss any opportunities to play, so they had a calendar feature on their site. When you sign up for a tournament, you can use the feature to add the event to your personal calendar.  The site lets you choose from a Google calendar, Yahoo, Outlook, and others.  So you can add it to whichever calendar you prefer and keep up with your tournaments.    

The video poker tournament games are affordable with entry being just $1.99 for 100 credits to play on.  Prize pools run $2,500 and the game of choice is generally Deuces Wild. If you aren’t a Deuces Wild expert or want to practice before a tournament, you can always practice on the sites free game mode.  Or play any of a selection of real money video poker games on the site if you aren’t interested in a tournament. 

The regular games offer you more freedom to play on your own schedule but of course, you’ll have to pay as you go.  But then any money you win is yours to keep.  So check out Online Vegas Casino for some great Video Poker play.  The site runes on Vegas Technology and certified by Certified Fair Gambling and licensed from the gambling jurisdiction of Curacao.

Or check out casino reviews for a selection of online casinos from Online Casino Project.

Playing video poker depends both on skill and luck, but a good strategy and a bit of skill can give Lady Luck a little boost.  But while players learn to depend on strategy cards and printed material, I find it helpful to track down and consider some over all tips for the game because I never know when I’ll need to play a new type of game either because a real world casino doesn’t have any other machines available or just because I’m tempted by something new at the casino.

Playing a new game? You should always start by playing the lowest number of coins possible while you learn the game.  Then up your money as your skill increases.  If you’re playing at a real world casino, you can always look for nickel or quarter machines, but if you play an online game, consider playing in the practice play mode.  Most casinos offer these and if your favorite online casino doesn’t, you might want to consider registering at a new casino.

Whether you’re playing at a real world casino or an online casino, remember you are playing against a machine.  So take your time when considering your options. Remember, machines don’t get bored. So unlike a table of hungry Texas Hold ‘em players, a Video Poker machine will wait until you decide the next move.

Don’t be afraid to toss all the cards and draw five new ones.  With some hands, this is always the best decision and with some games you’ll discover, as I have, that you spend a lot of time tossing everything away and drawing fresh.  It’s not a weakness. It’s a strategy. 

So get out there and explore the new video poker games, but hmm, perhaps during a free or practice play session first.

Villento Vegas offers a lot of interesting Video Poker games, including a variety of bonus, double and joker games.  They even offer All American Poker though ironically, they  didn’t accept players from the USA until now.  But Villento Vegas has announced a new gambling platform just for USA players and are now expanding their business into the US market. 

Players from the United States who join the site can take advantage of the bonuses and promotions that others have enjoyed including the $1000 welcome bonus for new players.  Though admittedly part of the bonus is geared to slots players.  But we’ve become used to that as Video Poker players.

But here’s the bonus breakdown.  On your first deposit, you get a 100% match bonus of up to $150. This is followed by a 30% match bonus on your second deposit for up to $255 in bonus money. On your third deposit you’ll enjoy a 50% match bonus up to $105 in bonus money. 

The rest of the bonus is geared to Slots players as part of the Terrific Tuesday Special.  Players who deposit and wager a minimum of $100 each week will receive 40 free spins on the selected slot of the week for 52 weeks.  That’s a whole year of free slots spins.   But no free video poker hands.  Drat.

The site is also big on Slots Tournaments and now through Sunday, June 6, invites players to celebrate  Environment Day with an Avalon Slots Tournament  featuring \$3,000 in prizes and give aways.  But I love the mystery symbol contest because you you can win part of the prize money just by spotting the symbol on the site.  Today’s symbol appears to be a green beetle with some fairy lights.  Can you find the mystery symbol?   (Hint, check out the slots and look for a Catapillar.)