Actually, there are a couple of reasons I dislike the collect or double option on a video poker game, so I’ll discuss them both. The second may be something you don’t expect.  The first should be fairly obvious — the collect or double option isn’t part of a decent video poker strategy. Video poker strategy has been developed and perfected based on the probability of different poker hands being dealt to the player.  The double option steps outside that range of probability and challenges the player to simply guess to pick a card value or suit with the chance of doubling their winnings. Or losing their winnings. 

Now let’s take a look at this from the casino’s view. Video poker is already a great game for players. In fact, a good video poker players pretty much has the gambling odds in their favor.  So, casinos need a way to move those odds back to the casino. Land based casinos do this by limiting the video poker machines that have the best pay tables.  But online casinos can’t really do that because players can easily jump to another online casino if they can’t find a great pay table.  So, the online casinos need to find a way to make players voluntarily let the casino win their money back.   And the double or nothing option does that.

But my second option might be a little more surprising. The double or collect option is causing me pain and limiting my playing time. Casinos listen up! Right now I’m playing on a casino that gave me bonus money. But every time I win, I must move the mouse over to the collect button to decline the double option. Which means I’m dealing with wrist strain from repetitive mouse action. Which means I won’t be playing at this particular online casino after I finish working off this bonus.

Have you ever wondered about your chances of hitting a Royal Flush in video poker. Oh, yes, we know it’s 1 in 40,000. But here’s the thing. We humans have a tough time really processing big numbers. That’s why people think that if they buy 100 lottery tickets they’ve significantly increased their odds when the chances are 1 in 13 million. 100 in 13 million is a lot better, right?  Well, fractionally, perhaps.

So, let’s take a look at my current video poker experiment. For Christmas a certain casino gave me $20 to play with for free. Now, this is a casino that I don’t normally play on because their video poker payout charts are lower than I’m going spend my money on. They aren’t the best online casino. But I’m perfectly willing to spend their money playing.  

I took the money, even though I’ll need to play for the rest of my life to meet the play through requirement. I’m playing Jacks or Better Video Poker for the lowest wager I can. The good news is that I’ve actually been playing since Christmas and still have $15 of playing money. See, folks, video poker strategy works. But while I’m hitting 4 of a kind at least once a day, I’ve not hit a Royal Flush. So, let’s break this down into some simple math.

Chances of hitting a royal flush, 1 in 40,000.  So let’s say I’m playing casually at this online casino and playing about 200 hands a day. And I play here only on weekdays, so 5 days a week. Which adds up to 1000 hands a week. (Yeah, those numbers are just estimated to make the final number 1,000 which is easy to work with.) So, at 1000 hands a week, it would take me 40 weeks to play 40,000 hands.  That’s a long time to play.

Now, most video poker players don’t play 200 hands a day, 5 days a week. But I wanted to put it in that perspective so you could think of in “job” terms.  Essentially, it’s means you’d be working most of the year hoping for that big bonus.  Now, this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop playing video poker. Why? Because I’ve been playing for 3 weeks on $20 and I’m still sitting at $15. I might hit that royal flush before I go bust.

In shocking news this holiday season, the Department of Justice has decided that the federal Wire Act of 1961 applies only to sports betting and not to all online gambling and online casino. And right now, we’re all trying to figure out what this means for the gambling industry in the US.

First, we shouldn’t over reacting and think that everything has changed overnight. In fact, many are suggesting that as players, we’re going to need to be more vigilant right now, not less so.  Because while one act may no longer be in effect, the US still lacks proper procedures to regulate the casino operating in the country.  Now, if you play at the right casinos, you’re benefiting by playing at casino operating under guidelines set by other countries which means, they apply those guidelines in the US. Those are the good casinos. The CIGA casinos and the RealTime Gaming casinos. Just check this site to find a list of those rated and recommended casinos.

But the change in the DOJ’s stance means that now we are likely to see an influx of new casinos clamoring for our attention. Because the current laws use the 1961 law as a base, others know that it will now make it harder for the DOJ to regulate the truly bad casinos. Oh, that will be fixed. But that means the truly bad casinos have a short window frame of opportunity to jump in on the suddenly more vague and more open US casino action. 

If you play video poker online, exercise caution. Play at those casinos that we know have been rated and approved and that have a verifiable track record.

Japan is debating legalizing gambling, which comes as a surprise to all of us who thought Japan already had legalized gambling. They don’t. What they have are Pachinko parlors where players can play pachinko and redeem winnings for a prize. These prizes are then taken to another spot and exchanged for cash because gambling is illegal. Apparently making it convoluted is just as good as outlawing it. 

But now Japan is looking at Macau and the vast amount of money that gambling is bringing in there and thinking “hey, we should do this.” So a suggestion has been made to allow slot machines and other gambling into resorts in Japan in an attempt to increase tourism in the country.  This means Japan could soon have video poker as well as pachinko. Which makes me wonder - which will be more popular?

Have you ever played pachinko? You can find a simulated pachinko game on Facebook if you search for it.  Playtech even offers a pachinko game designed for online casinos, though I haven’t been able to play it at any of the casinos I have accounts at. Apparently pachinko isn’t popular with American audiences, though the play is sort of hypnotic. You hit the button on the game which releases a bunch of balls that fall through various pegs and obstacles and are sometimes caught and collected as winnings. The more balls you collect, the higher your winnings.  Though I’ve heard reports that modern pachinko games can use strategy, the versions I’ve seen leave the outcome up to chance. So once you release the balls, you don’t do anything but watch them fall.  There is a popular video game called Peggle that is based on the pachinko concept but it’s played purely for fun and not for prizes.

Shocking and surprising news on the WSJ this week. Barney Frank has announced that he won’t run for reelection in 2012. Now this is news that affects the gambling world because Barney Frank has become the patron saint of online poker. He’s the one member of Congress who has consistently given support to the online gaming industry and worked to introduce legislation that would allow some level of regulated online gambling in the country. And now he’s leaving.

So, what does this mean? Well, expect to see the online poker industry really kick it up a notch when it comes to online poker legislation. They now know they only have a year if they want to use Frank’s influence for their cause. Now online poker doesn’t include video poker, but many are hopeful that starting with poker could lead to more favorable online gambling legislation in the future.

And if they don’t get new legislation passed? Well, the battle won’t stop with Barney Frank. There are been other senators and representatives who’ve shown interest in online gambling legislation. And we’re even seeing places like Nevada announce that they aren’t going to wait for Washington any longer. Yep, Nevada is going to start issuing online poker licenses in February. Now, they’ve apparently gotten around any potential protest by deciding that “online” means “play on a computer while at an established gambling location” not “playing anywhere you damn please.”  But it’s still a start. And it sends a clear message to the rest of the US.

The message?  Oh, I think it’s “there’s money in them there online games and we want some of it.”

I know the news isn’t about video poker, but it should be of interest to those of us keeping track of what’s going on in the world of online gambling. My friend over at Gambling.org always has the latest news and information but this one is hot off the presses.

Nevada has announced that it will begin issuing the first online poker licenses in February. Yay! Oh, wait. There are some finer details to notice. First, the licenses will only be valid within Nevada borders. So, okay, a lot of poker players live in Nevada and they’ll be happy to finally play at Party Poker.  Next, the licenses will probably go first to casinos already operating in Nevada. Well, good because Bwin.Party just announced a deal with MGM Resorts International, and MGM has a casino in Las Vegas.  And third, the online gambling will be restricted to specific locations such as casinos….

So, wait, if I go to Las Vegas, I’ll be able to play poker online in the comfort of, umm, the casino where I can play poker in person?  Did someone not think this through?

Now, the folks in Nevada probably have thought this one through. I’d like to think they know at least as much about gambling as I do. And I’m sure they know all about politics and legislation. But offering online gambling with so many restrictions they really aren’t doing much but increasing the leeway to their existing casinos, they can start the online poker process without engaging the wrath of the Feds. Essentially, they’re just expanding the locations within an existing approved gambling establishment where people can gamble. So, you’ll be able to play poker in your room or at the pool or in the gents. Hey, it could give new meaning to the term “royal flush.”

I’ve heard this question come up before. Sometimes people worry about the casino or the amount they bet or other times they’ve heard rumors that the odds on a video poker game vary depending on where the machine is place. This only works for land based casinos, but the stories can be traced to slot machines. Since video poker machines look a lot like slot machines to players, there’s a tendency to want to treat them like slot machines. They aren’t.

Here’s the quick thing to remember. Video poker is played with a card deck, not on reels with symbols. So the odds of hitting any particular hand in the game are set by the number of cards in a deck. With video poker, casinos use software to deal virtual cards, but that doesn’t change the deck. You can read about the process on this wiki. 

So, the odds and pay out are always the same?  Well, no, not entirely. The odds of hitting a particular hand are always the same because that depends on the cards. But the payout can be changed by the casino. Any experienced video poker player knows how to spot the full pay machines for his favorite game by checking the payout chart, which must be displayed with the game.  In land based casinos, the full pay games may be harder to find, leaving players with less desirable machines to play on. But this is why many video poker players like to play online. Check out the best casino online games and you’ll find that the casinos have to offer only the full pay games. Why? Because if they don’t, we’ll take our money and play somewhere else. 

Here’s a question for you - would you hold two of a kind if they were low cards or a single high card in Jacks or Better poker?  Don’t look at your strategy card. I want you to think this one through. Sometimes in Video Poker we rely too much on the strategy cards and not enough on thinking about why the strategy is there.  Now, I’m not saying that I have a problem with learning and using strategy. But let’s take a look at what can happen if you aren’t playing video poker at your favorite online casino where you have all the best games at your fingertips. What if you’re on a cruise and you wander into the online casino and they don’t have a game you’re familiar with. Now you have to play a game where you don’t have a memorized strategy. What do you do?

I always stop and consider — what is the hand I don’t want to lose?  If I hold a high card in Jacks or Better Video Poker, I’m hoping for a pair of jacks or better. Oh, sure I could hit a royal flush, but really, I’m looking for at least a high pair and even money on my bet.  So, what if I hold the low pair? Well, then what I’m looking for is a potential three of a kind, which will give me more winnings than just even money - at least in most games.

Which brings me to a big reminder. Call CNN.com and tell them we’ve got news. Make sure you check to see what is the lowest possible winning combination for that game you’re unfamiliar with. Because sometimes we have a habit of holding on to the idea that Jacks or Better is a winning hand. It isn’t in all games. 

Lucky Red casino is one of the top casinos out there for US players and they do accept players from the UK and EU. (It’s just US players face more challenges in finding  good gambling sites these days.)  Today I’m checking out the video poker games and the bonuses available and finding that I am pleasantly surprised by the options.  They have all the most popular games and even a game of Sevens Wild, which I don’t see many other places.  The top games including Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and Double Double Bonus poker, are available in one, three, ten or 52 hand variations, so plenty of play for those of you who like to play multiple hands when you play.  Also, the video poker games can be played in the web-based version of the casino so I don’t have to download the full software.

And right now Lucky Red Casino is running a promotion that can earn you $25 free to play one. Now through Thursday, October 20, all you need to do is take advantage of the OTHERGAMES55 offer 5 times and you’ll earn $25 free in playing money. Now, the OTHERGAMES55 offer is an unlimited 55% deposit bonus to play video poker, blackjack and table games. It’s not always easy to find bonus money for video poker. Just try searching Yahoo for it. Slots get all the bonus action. But Lucky Red casino always comes through for video poker players. 

I recently had to replace / upgrade my phone. Now, I will admit this here — I had a smart phone that was so ancient I think the guys at the phone store wanted to enshrine it and put it in a museum. Not just because it was old, but because it still worked, I hadn’t broken the screen in years of use and I still had all the parts. But alas, not the box. Now, there were a number of decisions I had to make when deciding on a new phone because phones these days aren’t just phones. They’re communication devices, maps and navigation devices, and even mobile entertainment centers. Okay, especially mobile entertainment centers. My big question being — what games can I play on it?  So, the place I started my research was Cnet - a great site for anyone information on computers and electronic devices. And then I went and chatted with the staff at the local phone store who let me play with the phones they had.

Despite all the news out there being about the new iPhone4 that’s coming out, I choose an Android.  Turns out we even have a great iPhone or Android divide going on in the office, so I found myself on the Android side.  But here’s why I choose the Android - open development and less corporate control over apps.  Apple wants to keep control over what types of apps and products people can access on their devices, so they have strict review boards and limit what is available.  As a gambler, I don’t want to take the chance that even if my state decides that I should play Video Poker online, the corporation that controls my phone (and mobile gambling entertainment center) will decide that I shouldn’t gamble online.  If you gamble online, I suggest taking a look at that Apple policy before deciding if you really want that iPhone4.