I’m checking out Villento Las Vegas today because I’ve heard it has fifty, yes 50, games of video poker available and there has to be a game there that I haven’t played.  But with casinos is all depends on how the count a game of video poker.  Okay, let me take this apart a bit.  If I were playing slots and checked out a slot game called Big Spin slots, I might be able to play that slot game for one pay line or twenty-five pay lines just by choosing how many lines to activate in the game.  So, how many slot games does the casino count this as?  Well, usually that would be one slot game because it would be the same game regardless of how many pay lines I played.  Sound right?  Good because that’s how Villento Las Vegas counts their slot games.

But it really isn’t how they count their video poker games.  Let’s take Deuces Wild Poker.  There are 6 Deuces Wild games available for me to play.  The basic is Deuces Wild Poker which is a single hand game. That’s where you want to start if you’re learning Deuces Wild or practicing your strategy.  Then there are the Deuces Wild Poker Poker games. These are games that offer anywhere from 10 to 100 hand at once.  These speed up your chances of hitting a Royal because statistically you are playing more hands at one time.  They also speed up the amount you bet at any one time.  But that’s like choosing one pay line or 100 pay lines on a slot game.  And then there’s the Deuces Wild Level-Up poker. You know, I haven’t played that one yet. Another tempting game to try.

The 50 games of video poker offered at Villento Las Vegas might be a bit over stated.  But they still offer a number of different video poker games with variations on all those games. 

I’ll tell you a secret. Sometimes I play slot games.  Well, sometimes all the good payout video poker machines in a casino are taken or I just want a little change in my online game play.  The problem video poker has is that the games with the best odds look and play the same every day.  We don’t get exciting news like the slots players do that we can play the newest Lord of the Rings or Star Trek game.  But sometimes we’re attracted to the idea of playing a game with new features, new bonuses, new jackpots.  At least I know I am. Yes, I’ll play some level up video poker, even though in the long run I know I don’t fare as well as I do with a basic Jacks or Better game.

And casinos know we’re lured by the new and shiny. That’s why they come out with these new games for us to play.  They know that the knowledgeable  video poker player knows the best games, best pay out charts and the best odds.  But that the average video poker player can still be lured by the allure of a new game.  I’m going to say that it’s okay to check out the new games. I know I do. But to keep a close eye on your bankroll and to study that pay chart before you start playing.  Just what are you giving up in order to take a chance at that shiny bonus or jackpot?  Just what are you having to risk?  Casinos use these shiny new games to entice us to play video poker games with lower payouts and worse odds. They can be fun. But they aren’t smart.

I’m checking out a new video poker game over on English Harbour Casino. Bump It Up Jacks or Better Video Poker.  Bump It Up is a game that gives you a chance to win big by better on four hands at once.  Of course, you can lose more at once too. This isn’t a multi-hand game where you draw one hand, choose the cards you want to hold and draw on that hand multiple times.  In this game you bet on four hands at once and draw the first hand.  If you win that hands, it pays out at the standard pay table rate (note, this is not a 9/6 game).  Now the trick behind this game is that if you win the first hand, you move up to the second hand and that hand pays out at twice the pay table rate. Win that hand and move up again. This puts you at the third hand that pays out at 4 times the pay table rate.  And win there and you move up to the fourth hand which pays out at 8 times the pay table rate.  So the goal here is to win as many hands in a row as you can. To win big you have to win 4 hands in a row.  And it helps if you win that last one with a royal flush.   There is a “bonus” in the game. You can hit the Bump It Up card and that will bump you up one level, whether or not you win the hand.  But it only works for one hand. If you win that hand, the bump it up doesn’t carry over to the next hand.

Now the problem here is that since you’re placing bets on that fourth hand before you’ve even won the first hand, the hands where you would normally break even in the game will lose you money.  Take a Jacks or Better win.  I’m betting $2 per hand for 4 hands, so $8.  A pair of jacks is a win, which pays me $2. Enough to keep my money even in a regular game.  But this isn’t a regular game.  The jacks get me $2 and move me up a rung.  If I lose that rung, I lose the bets for the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th hand.  So I’ve bet $8 and won $2, leaving me down $2.  Now, if I win all the way to the top — which I just did, it looks something like this:  first hand - a pair of jacks ($2), second hand a bump ($0), third hand 2 pair ($4 x 4= $16) and the fourth hand three of a kind ($6 x 8 = $48), total win $66.  The problem is, I don’t get enough of those runs. So I’m down over $100 pretty quickly. 

I’ve come across the question — should I play online video poker for free — from a friend.  After a bit of research, it seems the question is related to advice on the web about that play online poker for free doesn’t truly advance your poker playing skills.  Now, I have to admit that I play poker games like Texas Hold ‘em less often than I play video poker.  But I’ve explored things like Zynga poker, where anyone can play for pretend money, and can see where the advice comes in when it comes to playing poker against opponents.  The folks who play poker for virtual money seem overly willing to bet on bad hands in hopes of bluffing their opponent.  After all, virtual coins can be easy to come by.  But I don’t think the strategy works as well when playing against opponents who are playing for real money.

But video poker is a different game than Texas Hold ‘em. Yes, both are based on poker hands and the hand ranking is the same in each game.  So, knowledge of poker hands is going to help you either way.  But while poker games such as Texas Hold  ‘em are played against real people where bluffing and reading your opponent plays a part, Video Poker is played against a machine.  The machine operates according to the same set of rules at all times.  So, your video poker strategy works the same way whether you’re playing for real money or practicing by playing for free.  In fact, playing free video poker is recommended to help players learn strategy.  Or to help learn and adjust your strategy for different video poker games.  So don’t hesitate to play video poker for free. But remember, winning real money can be more fun.

Now this is an usual question because usually video poker isn’t a game we try to play quickly. After all, there isn’t any real advantage to playing fast instead of taking time to make the best decision for each hand and many players like to take the time to consult their video poker strategy cards. (If you are a new video poker player don’t feel shy about stopping to check what you should play.)  But there are some online casinos out there that are offering new players an hour or so to play for real on the house. In other words, the casino either provides a starting bank roll or a starting number of wagers you can make and gives the player an hour to enjoy the casino.  But these offers often include a minimum requirement of placing 100 or more bets during the hour of play. 

Now, the online casinos are really gearing this toward the slots players.  Especially when you look at the offer over at Ruby Royal which is for 888 free bets but in a thirty minute time frame.  I did some testing and found out that is possible to do on a simple slot game with no complicated bonus games.  I’m talking something like a three reel slot where you just click as fast as you can. 

But all this had me wondering — if these types of offers include Video Poker games, how fast can I reasonably play without endangering my winnings.  So, I visited a casino in Free Play mode and made some trial runs.  I choose to play Jacks or Better because that is probably the game most of us are familiar with and besides it meant I didn’t have to slow down to think about wild cards.  Now results can vary depending actually on the hands dealt.  Some online casino software will hold good cards for you, which means faster spinning. But with other hands you have to pause to at least select the cards you want to hold. 

I found that my play varied from about 5 to 10 hands a minute.  Which means I could comfortably meet a requirement of 100 wagers in an hour and still have time to think.  But that 888 bets in 30 minutes isn’t something I want to try when playing video poker.

I have a casino offer to share with all you video poker players out there that isn’t about playing video poker or even about gambling. It’s about love and romance and of course about it being February and Valentine’s Day being right around the corner. 

Here’s what they’ve come up with over at All Slots Casino.  You write and share your love story with them. Make it as romantic  or sappy or as funny as you want. Because the folks over at All Slots are reviewing all the stories that come into them and putting them up on their site. (You have to submit under your All Slots account, so they’ll notice if you try to submit multiple stories. So one love per person for this contest.)  When the stories are up on the site, other players get to read about them and vote on them.  So even if you don’t want to participate by sending in a story, you can still enjoy the fun by reading and voting. 

At the end of the voting period, the most popular and highest ranking story will win the writer a romantic dinner for two.  So, you could win a chance to celebrate love with the one you love.  Now there are the usual terms and conditions for the offer.  If you don’t want to go out on a romantic dinner, you can claim 200 credits to play on instead. If the casino can’t supply dinner coupons for your area, they will give you $200 instead. Oh, and in the event of a tie, the person who wagered the most at the casino during the promotion will win. 

So, what’s your romantic tale?

How would you like a selection of bonuses that you can use to play Video Poker on.  Silver Oak Casino is offering what they call the “Always look on the bright side” promotion.  They want players to take advantage of the offers here to claim the bonus that best fits their needs and playing style.  Now since some casinos don’t allow video poker to be played meet play through requirements for bonuses, I checked out the terms and conditions at Silver Oak. There, every $1 wagered on Video Poker counts as $0.50 toward the bonuses. So, you’ll have to play twice as much to reach the play through requirement. But, you can still play video poker with these bonuses. 

Now with the “Always look on the bright side” bonuses, you choose which bonus works for you. For example, you can use the code HAPPY100 to claim a 100% bonus with no minimum deposit amount, so you can take advantage of this bonus with your smallest deposit.  Or use the code BRIGHT150 and claim a 150% bonus with at least a $35 deposit.  SUNNY175 will sent you claim a 175% bonus with a $50 minimum deposit.  And SUPER200 will let players depositing at least $75 claim a 200% bonus.  But if you really like playing at Silver Oak (why not, they’re good folks), give them a call and ask to become part of the Silver Oak VIP club. Because VIP players over at Silver Oak can claim a 250% deposit bonus with a $125 minimum deposit. But you have to become a VIP Player to take advantage of this offer. 

I’ve come across a new Rival Powered casino called Desert Nights Casino and I’ve been checking it out to see what it has to offer Video Poker players. First, this really is a slots game oriented casino.  Of course if you like to play slots in addition to Video Poker, this is a plus for you.  The casino offers iSlots as well as a variety of other slots.  But if you look under games and “Other Games” you will find a small selection of video poker games.  They have the standards such as Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Aces & Faces, Double Joker, Deuces and Joker and Joker Poker.  They don’t have Coliseum video poker and some of the more unique games I’ve seen out there. But those games always seem to not have the best pay tables.  Sticking to the standards can be a good idea.

But there’s something else going on at Desert Nights Casino.  They are offering  $500 free play bonus to new players.  Now this is a bit of a unique bonus so make sure you understand the details. All you have to deposit into your account is $25.  Then you have $500 to play with for 30 minutes.  Only 30 minutes.  At the end of the time period, you get to keep any money you won over the initial $500. Okay the fine print says up to $100.  But still, that’s not bad potential.  You can play on the casinos dollar for half an hour and potentially win $100.  It might be a good reason to check out Desert Nights Casino.

Whoot! Let’s hear it for bonuses for Video Poker players.  Now one of the sad things about being a video poker player is that while the odds on the game are much better than playing a game like slots, we are less likely to be rewarded with bonuses than slots players.  Okay, the reason for this is that we’re more likely to win while with slots the casino is more likely to get their money back.  But since I’m a video poker player and not a casino, I’m really more likely to look at what I can get out of the casino than what they can get out of me. 

But Club World Casino is going one better, they’ve combined a tournament and bonus into one and it’s running Thursday, January 20^th through Monday, January 24^th.  First, you’ll need a Club World Casino account and you’ll want to make a deposit of $100 using the coupon code VPTOUR.  Club World will then credit you account with $75 in bonus chips, so you’ll already be a winner. 

But next, you’ll want to go in a play your favorite video poker games during the tournament period.  If you’re one of the top three video poker players who score the highest wagering during the tournament period you’ll be awarded  an additional prize. First place will win $100, second place $75 and third place $50. 

Oh, our friends the slot players won’t be left out of the fun. There’s a slot tournament during the same time frame as well as a blackjack tournament.  Yes, the slot pokers do get a larger bonus for their deposit, but come on, it’s slots. You know they’re going to lose all that in a few spins.

I’ve found a video poker tournament for the weekend and if you’re up for a little Deuces Wild action why not  join me over at English Harbour for the Weekend Deuces Wild Face Off.  The tournament start on January 14^th and runs through January 16^th and the entry fee is only $5.  With your $5 entry fee you’ll get a starting balance of $200 to play with. If you run out of money, you can rebuy another $200 for a $5 rebuy fee. 

The prize pool for this tournament is starting at $100 with the first place winner taking home 40 percent of the pot.  Second place gets 25 percent with prizes going down to 10 sixth place winners who each get  a $10 bonus in their account.  (Generally speaking, bonus money is money you can use to play games at the casino, but can’t withdraw until you have met the play through requirements.)

If you’re in the mood for a longer game, there is also the January 100 Hand tournament taking place now through January 31^st.  The entry fee for this one is still $5 and you’ll still start with $250. But you have to make that money last longer.  The prize pool is currently at $1,019.75 but that will go up if you join in.  First prize is 40 percent of the prize pool and second place 25%.  And the game this time is Mega Deuces Wild for some Mega action. 

English Harbour is a great site for some video poker action and one of the sites that also offers video poker tournaments.  If you like video poker and like tournaments, keep an eye on their schedule.