There seems to be a bit of back and forth going on here because I spotted the news article and thought — didn’t they just ban video poker?  Well, yes.  Beverly Perdue just signed a bill that bans video poker in North Carolina.  But then she said that she’d be willing to hear proposals to legalize video poker in the state.  We don’t have to look too hard for the reason. It’s money of course.  And the usual reasons states give for bringing in gambling - education.  Well, they’ve paired it with economic development. But it seems to be a common political ploy. Whenever they equate anything with education, that means they want everyone to get on board.

Which is good news for video poker players.  The North Carolina governor says that her problem with the video sweepstakes and video poker games as they existed in North Carolina was that there was no organized process to them.  She’d be willing to consider them if there was an organized and unified system of regulation in place.  I can’t disagree with her argument there.  Really, the nature of gambling is such that it does need to be regulated and licensed.

Perhaps the governor of North Carolina is foreshadowing something that we’ll see more government officials understanding.  That properly regulated gambling can help the economy and provide entertainment for those who enjoy gambling.  In time, we may see a change in gambling regulation throughout the states because it will be tricky for the federal government to consider gambling illegal if a majority of the states have an approved process.

All Slots Casino is offering  a promotion for players of Video Players and other table games which is worth checking out, mostly because these offers are usually only for slots players.  And we all know that video poker has better odds than slots.  But this new promo is mainly for dedicated video poker players willing to pay and play a lot because the competition is based on earning points. 

The promotion has a prize pool of $5,000 and runs now through July 27^th.  The competition is based on your ability to earn points during the time period.  And those points are based on how much money you deposit, win and lose while playing.   So, for every 50 credits that you deposit and play on the site;s eligible video poker or table games, you’ll earn a point.  You’ll also earn a point for every 50 credits you wager on eligible games and for every 50 credits you win or lose on those games.  So, if you play well, you could potentially be winning money and earning points to win your share of the $5,000 prize pool.  Of course, if you don’t play well, you could lose more money than you’ll win even if you win the content. 

If you want to take part in the promotion, just sign up for an account on All Slots casino and join in the fun.  You’ll find a score board on the site where you can see where you rank in the standings.  A quick check will reveal this is a competition for serious players since our current lead is at more than 2500 points. 

Vegas Technology has launched a new casino in the family - Grandvegas.com. If you go to check it out make sure you don’t get grandevegascasino.com, which I’m sure is a fine casino but is an established RTG casino. The new Grand Vegas will open with a screen advertising their $555 promotion special.
Now, if you’re joining the site to play video poker, ignore the $555 promotion and contact the casino to have the bonus money removed if it gets added to your account. There is of course a reason for this. The $555 promotion is really designed for slots players. So you’ll see this in the terms and conditions if you look that far:
Play at all forms of Blackjack, all forms of Progressive Blackjack, Video Poker, Hold ‘Em, all forms of Craps, Tri-Card Poker, all forms of Roulette, Let Them Ride, all forms of Baccarat, War, Red Dog, Pai-Gow Poker, Mulligan Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker game is restricted until you have met our wagering requirement. If you play on these games before meeting our requirements, then you agree that the casino holds the right to void any winnings made from these games at our discretion. Further, all losses incurred while playing said games will be non-refundable.

If you take the money, you’ll need to play through all your money at least fifteen times before you can play and win at video poker. Since the odds at slots aren’t all that good, you could be putting in more money to get past your play through before you can play video poker, so just skip the bonus and go right to the video poker games.
You’ll need to download the software before you can play. I wasn’t able to find an instant play options. But the software installed easily enough. There is a “Play for Fun” option that requires a minimal amount information to sign up for since you aren’t depositing money. But I do like the look of the site. The Video Poker games have easily readable cards and clean play, which appeals to me. So check out GrandVegas.com today.

Here’s a topic of interest to video poker players. How many hands do you play at once.  Many video poker machines allow player to play anywhere from one to one hundred hands of video poker at one time.  Of course this is easier than playing regular poker since much of the action is automated by the machine. Also, these aren’t 100 actual separate hands. But rather, a single hand is dealt with revealed cards.  The other hands are dealt with the cards uncovered. The player chooses which cards to hold from the revealed hand and those same cards are held in every hand dealt.  The  other cards are then revealed and the winning hands decided.  

Now, why play the game this way?  Well, for one thing, it is meant to help one hit a Royal Flush faster.  Which isn’t to say that it increases the chances of hitting a royal flush.  The odds of hitting the royal still remain at one in about 40,000 hands.  There really isn’t a way to change that.  But the thought is that by playing more hands, you are more like to hit one of those 40,000 hands.  Or basically, by playing one hundred hands at a time, you’d only need to deal 4,000 hands of Video Poker rather than 40,000. 

Of course the casino, online or real world, isn’t going to let you play all those extra hands for free.  So, if play a hundred hands at a time, you pay for 100 hands at a time.  This means that even in quarter machines, you’d be paying over a hundred dollars for each deal if you play for the maximum coins.  Of course, the hope is that you’d also win some of that money back because even if you don’t hit a royal, some of 100 hands would hopefully be winning hands. 

Now 100 hands is a lot to pay for at once, but you don’t have to go to that extreme.  Many games will let you play two to five hands at a time. This could help you hit a royal flush faster, potentially.  Of course, luck still has to be with you. 

Let’s talk Deuces Wild Video Poker for a bit. Just because I’m in a bit of a Deuces Wild mood.  I have to be in the mood for games with wild cards in them because they always feel a little less predictable and restrained than say, Jacks or Better.  It’s mainly a perception issue for me because I have to constantly remind myself that the deuce can be any card and that the visual clues aren’t the same as they are for Jacks or Better.  Which means the strategy is different.  So here’s fast and easy strategy for a basic Deuces Wild game. 

Hands with Deuces (twos)

All four deuces (twos) hold on to them.  These cards. (You would anyway, right).

Three deuces (twos) hold all three, but if the three combine with the other 2 cards to form a “wild” royal flush or five of a kind, hold the whole hand.

Two deuces (twos) hold the deuces but if the cards combine with any of the other three to form four of a kind or a Wild Royal, hold that.  Also, if the cards combine to form four cards to a royal, hold those four.

One Deuce Keep four cards to a royal flush.  If the card combines with other cards to form a winning hand, keep that winning hand. Also keep four cards to a straight flush or three cards to a royal flush. If all else fails, just hold onto the two.

Hands without deuces (twos)

If there are no twos in the hand, then you can play the hand like a regular video poker hand.  So

Hold a Royal Flush because you just won.

Hold four cards to a Royal and cross your fingers.

Hold all paying hands - straight flush, straight, flush, four of a kind,

Hold four cards to a straight flush.

Hold three cards to a royal flush.

Hold any one pair.

Hold two pair only if full house pays the same as four-of-a-kind otherwise, try for the four of a kind.

Hold a four-card flush.

Hold a consecutive four-card straight.  This is an outside straight, where a card on either end can complete the straight. Don’t hold the inside straight where a card is missing from the middle.

Hold three cards to a straight flush.

Hold any two of 10, J, Q or K, if they’re in the same suit.

Then comes to tough part — if you don’t have anything listed above, just draw five new cards.  It’s tough, but it’s the best choice.   But remember, you can always refer to this sheet while playing at your favorite online casino.