Guaranteed Play Video Poker

Guaranteed Play Video Poker is a package deal that casinos offer to video poker players. On this type of game, players can buy a guaranteed number of hands of video poker for a discounted price. Consider "guaranteed play video poker" to be gambling at bulk rate prices.

For instance, you normally might buy 200 hands of video poker for $200. In guaranteed play video poker, you might be able to find 500 hands for $400. This is a bargain for the player, if that player walks into the casino knowing he wants to play a certain video poker game for a long period of time.

How Guaranteed Play Video Poker Works

Imagine you buy $400 of $1 guaranteed play video poker. You are guaranteed of being able to play 500 hands of the game.

Your credits sit at $400 to start the game. As you play, your winnings are added and your losing hands are deducted. At the end, of 500 hands of video poker, you cash out whatever you have left. If your total stands over $400, you've made a profit. If it's under 400 bucks, you lost money.

If you are on a losing streak or just hit it big, you can walk away from the game at any time and take the money you have.

The Downside of Guaranteed Play Video Poker

We've already seen the advantage of guaranteed play video poker. It's like playing video poker at Sam's Warehouse, because you buy a set number of hands at a bulk rate, discounted price. The disadvantage of guaranteed play is a little more subtle, but important for you to know.

If you play a hand of video poker with a 99.50% expectation, you are playing against a .50% house edge. The odds are stacked against you, but those odds are almost unnoticeable on a single hand.

The disadvantage to guaranteed play is that you are playing against a house edge on a long term. When a casino has an edge--which it usually does--it is to the advantage of the casino to keep you playing as long as possible. This allows the house edge to play out, assuring the casino it will win if you play long enough.

Theoretically, the risk of ruin in a game of Guaranteed Play video poker is 100%. That is, since Guaranteed Play is a negative expectation game, if you continue playing, you will eventually lose all your money. No one can play that theoretical infinite number of games to ensure ruin, but it's in the casino's interests to assure you play as many hands as possible. So while Guaranteed Play video poker offers a bargain price, it offers big rewards for the casino, too.

Entertainment Value of Guaranteed Play Video Poker

If you look at video poker as a form of entertainment and not a money-making venture, then Guaranteed Play Video Poker is a great deal. It assures you'll be able to play a certain number of hands, so you'll be sure to be at a machine for an hour or more before losing your money. You can't exactly assure that betting hand to hand.

If you are a serious "professional" video poker player, you'll probably want to avoid this game. I've yet to see a fully convincing video poker strategy analysis of this game, so it's hard to study the best strategies for Guaranteed Play video poker.

Guaranteed Play Video Poker Strategy

One thing that is for certain is that guaranteed play video poker calls for aggressive plays, at least when the player is down. For instance, if you are in a hole and you're trying to win back to even before your total bought hands are depleted, you'll want to forego chances at smaller pots and take a shot at the larger jackpots.

More times than not, this plays into the hands of the house. So you'll probably find yourself losing a lot when playing a long session of Guaranteed Play video poker. Still, if you're going to be in a casino all day playing at a negative expectation, it probably pays to get the bargain price for spins.

Read about more video poker games:

Click here to visit River Belle Casino and play video poker games, including Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild.

Click here to play video poker at Millionaire Casino.

Click here to get a $555 bonus at Golden Casino.