In the last decade, video poker has become one of the most popular games in and out of bricks and mortar casinos. The game requires both poker skill and a little bit of that intangible "poker luck". Video poker tutorial systems are useful for improving your game play and can not promise any financial return.
But adding a bit of poker knowledge to the aforementioned "luck" can only make things better for the average gamer.
Unlike certain slot machines, there are no hidden house advantages to worry about. Every draw begins with a fresh deck -- a fresh "shuffle" of the cards conducted by a random number generator. In fact, this random number generator, or RNG, is the reason that certain video poker machines have positive financial returns if played with perfect strategy over a long enough period of time. Inside the video poker machine is the RNG, which runs from a software algorithm programmed to ensure a mathematically random element exists in the game play. While the machine is not being played, the RNG continues to run hundreds of times per second. The RNG has billions of possible outcomes for any set of cards or numbers. Once the Start, Bet, or Deal button is pressed (or the first coin is deposited or the first lever released) the outcome is determined randomly through math -- this means that any outcome given by RNG is purely random, regardless of game play or the number of coins bet as some video poker tutorial systems would have you believe.
Each round of play begins with a bet, after which five cards are "dealt to the player" -- this means they appear on the screen. The player then has the option of holding or discarding as many of these cards as he wants, ideally forming stronger hands or combinations of cards. The cards that he discards are then replaced with new cards from the deck. This new hand represents the player`s final holdings. If the hand is good enough and is on the list of "payout hands", the number of credits allocated by the machine will be awarded to the player. Now the machine waits for the player to place his next bet to start the process over.
Jacks or better is the most popular form of video poker available. This type of machine rewards the player for hands containing at least a pair of jacks or better, hence the name. Jacks or better was the original form of video poker, but many versions exist, with many more added all the time. Popular games include Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Joker's Wild, Poker Frenzy and others. Because all machines are different, there are a few solid rules that any video poker tutorial would be incomplete without mentioning.
Make sure you know the rules of the game you're playing before you sit down to play.
All video poker machines are not equal. Different machines offer different returns -- look for "favorable machines", which are machines that pay higher payouts for common hands. Remember, big pots are rare, and most gamers that make money do so with small bites.
Different video poker machines offer payouts for different types of poker hands. Generally, the more "wild cards" there are in thr game, the more difficult it will be for the player to receive a decent payout. In other words, these machines reward skill above luck. Usually the games which have no wild cards offer a payout for a pair of Jacks or better. Another popular twist, the Joker's Wild games, usually offer a payout for two pair or any hand with a wild card. The Deuces Wild games usually don't payout for less than three of a kind.
All the machines known as "progressive payout", and even many of the non progressive machines, offer more favorable payouts when the maximum bet is placed. On these machines, your expected winnings will be at their best only when you place the maximum bet.
There is no "magic bullet" to succeeding at video poker, and anyone who tells you they have it is selling little more than wolf tickets. Follow the simple rules outlined above, and stop playing when it is no longer fun.
