Video Poker Strategy

Video Poker is a game of skill, with a bit of luck thrown in for good measure. A good Video Poker strategy is to follow a predefined strategy card, approach the game with a good bankroll management system, and be sure you're playing a full-pay machine. Pretty simple, so let's break it down.

To learn what exactly a video poker strategy card is and how to use them, try out our strategy card pages for jacks or better, and deuces wild - two extremely popular machines. Learning to use basic strategy is an essential part of learning Video Poker.

The second most important aspect of playing a good game comes down to bankroll management and expectations. You have to decide early on which type of game you think you want to play. Basically your choices are, a high volatility game where your bankroll will drop a lot before it goes up a lot, or a low volatility game where your wins and losses occur more frequently, but are not as large.

This decisions usually depends on what you want to get out of the game. Some people only play Video Poker for the chance to hit a big hand, make a few thousand dollars in one split second, and walk away up a whole bunch. Another type of player is in it only for the enjoyment of playing, wouldn't mind winning, but are more concerned about losing too much too quickly. A third type of player sits in the middle: they want to play for an extended period of time, but they also want to hit some big hands.

The third type of player is more likely to be a pro, as pro players will take a machine on, be sure they have the bankroll to weather the storm, and play it out until it coughs up more than they've put into it. The first type of player, the one who only wants to hit it rich, is better off playing volatile machines with large progressive jackpots. There isn't much chance they'll win, but if they do they'll be quite happy. If you're this type of player, be aware that volatility is your biggest concern, as your bankroll may bottom out before you hit it big (that might even be, *gasp *, probable, on a high volatility machine).

The second type of player always seems a little more relaxed than the first or third. They enjoy playing, which is a really big bonus, and they can easily fall into the pro category once they become a master of a particular machine.

While it may be strange to consider it a part of your video poker strategy, seeking just the right machine is exactly that, a strategy decision. With all of the machines available at the casino, you have to expect some of them are rip-offs. You'd be right. Some machines are known as 'full pay', which means they offer the best payoffs out of the machines in that variation's category (jacks or better, for example, would be a category).

How do you know if a machine is a full pay machine or not? You read all about Video Poker pay schedules.