Easy Tips to Win at Video Poker

Doing well in video poker leans on three key parts that good players must know. Get these right, and you will play better and win more.
Pick the Best Machines
Look for 9/6 Jacks or Better machines to up your chances to win. These machines give a 99.54% return, so aim for these. Always check the pay table before you start.
Play the Right Way
Using basic strategy is key for good video poker. You should:
- Pick the best cards to keep
- Play each hand for 15-20 seconds
- Avoid playing with your feelings
- Use math to choose cards
Manage Your Money Well
Good money handling needs you to:
- Keep at least 400x your bet size
- Only risk 5% of your cash each time
- Set strict loss rules
- Watch your betting
Master these ideas to use the game’s math in your favor. With smart choices, good game picks, and careful play, you can win more often.
Learn the Basics of Video Poker
The Game’s Build
Video poker mixes a slot’s ease with poker strategy. You don’t play against others here, just the pay table and you use one 52-card deck (53 with a joker).
How to Play and Score
Your goal is to make the best hand from your cards. Hand rankings go from Royal Flush down to pairs, changing a bit by the game type. You get five cards and choose which to keep or drop to make a good hand.
Different Games and Pays
Pay tables show what you can win in different games. Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild are great for starters with easy rules. The house edge can be low as 0.5% or up to 5%, with the best machines giving the best chances for those who play well.
What to Focus On:
- Check your first hand well
- Pick cards smartly
- Look at pay tables
- Change strategy by the game
- Handle your money smart
Using good strategies and picking the right games makes a big change in how often you win in video poker.
Choosing the Best Video Poker Machine
Study Pays and Returns
Choosing the best video poker machine starts with mastering paytable secrets checking the pay tables. Full-pay schedules in Jacks or Better with a 9/6 pay table (9x for a full house, 6x for a flush) give 99.54% return. This setup is the best for players who want the most back.
Think About Bet Sizes and Money Handling
Higher bet machines usually have better pay tables and give more back. $1 machines beat smaller bet machines on how much they pay back. Yet, with bigger bets, you need to manage your money well to handle ups and downs and keep playing right.
Smart Machine Picking
Check casinos as some machines offer different pay tables than others. Progressive jackpot machines can be good when the jackpot is big and could give over 100% return. The machine’s volatility matters too, affecting how much money you need and how you should bet. Check machines well to match them with your cash and how you want to play.
Guide to Video Poker Hands and Payouts
Understand Hand Scores and Returns
Video poker hand rankings set the payout chances. The best hand, the Royal Flush, has a strong 800:1 pay. Next are Straight Flush (50:1), Four of a Kind (25:1), Full House (9:1), Flush (6:1), Straight (4:1), Three of a Kind (3:1), Two Pair (2:1), and Jacks or Better (1:1).
Pays Change How You Play
Knowing payouts helps you play better. Like, with four cards to a Royal Flush, it might be worth it to change good hands due to the possible 800:1 pay. The popular 9/6 Jacks or Better game, when played well, gives a 99.54% return, so the house edge is only 0.46%.
Pay Table Changes and Machine Picks
Look at pay tables before you start. Different machines and places can have different returns. A lower pay for a Full House can drop returns by about 1.1%. Picking your machine wisely based on the pay tables helps you win more and lose less.
Perfect Play Video Poker Strategy

Basic Strategy Must-Knows
Perfect play strategy is the math-backed best way to handle each hand in video poker. By making the right choices, you can drop the house edge to under 1% on good machines, boosting your expected win through smart play.
Automatic Hold Choices
Know these very important automatic hold hands:
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
Deeper Choice Order
Knowing hard choices sets great players apart from new players. Key strategic choices include:
- Leaving flush chances for royal flush tries
- Looking at straight flush chances versus made hands
- Handling multiple draw hands
Max Out Expected Value
Strategy charts list hands by expected wins. Important often-seen choices include:
- Suited K-Q-J (0.82% expected value) against low pairs
- Three-card royal flush draws against made hands
- Straight flush draws against high pairs
Practice and Do It Right
Winning needs you to put the best strategy to work:
- Learn expected value percentages
- Practice often until it’s easy
- Always make math-backed choices
- Go over hard choices often
This all-in strategy method in video poker makes sure you get the most out of each hand with the right math at play.
Money Handling for Winning in Video Poker
Bankroll Needs and Handling
Good bankroll management is a must for long wins in video poker. A strong bankroll of 400x your typical bet lets you manage normal ups and downs and reach expected returns through enough play.
Set Good Limits
Put in place firm loss rules by never risking over 5% of your total cash each play. For $1.25 bets, keep at least $500 for each play. Track carefully your play time, money in and out, and results to see how you do.
Goals and Session Plans
Set clear win targets and plans for leaving:
- Aim to increase your start cash by 50%
- Stick to set time limits
- Avoid trying to win back losses
- Keep strong when you’re winning
Pick the Right Bet Size
Match your cash amount to the right game bet size. A $1,000 bankroll fits quarter machines. Video poker swings need a big cash base to handle the low points while you build up good expected wins over many plays.
Track How You Do
- Watch how long you play
- Keep an eye on how your cash goes up or down
- Record win/loss numbers
- Note machine bet sizes
- Look at your results over time
Video Poker Mistakes to Skip
Big Betting Mistakes
Not playing max coins is a big miss in video poker. Less than five coins cuts down what you can win, especially the big royal flush pay. Stats show this mistake alone drops expected wins by 1.5% to 2%, hurting how much you win over time.
Bad Choices in Hands
Changing winning hands is another big 온카스터디 먹튀검증소 확인 miss in video poker. Playing wrong on straight flushes or full houses while going for royal flushes loses more than it could win. Royal flushes pay the most, but holding strong hands usually works out better math-wise.
Picking Games and Getting Paybacks
Bad game picks can cut how much you win. Going for machines with weak pay tables when better ones are around is a clear miss. The shift from 9/6 Jacks or Better to lesser ones can swing the house edge up 2.7%, showing why you need to pick machines smartly.
How Fast to Play
Rushing your play ups mistakes and missed chances. Keeping a calm pace of 15-20 seconds per hand leads to better choices and better play. Studies show rushing ups errors about 300%, hitting how often you win and how you perform overall.
Deep Strategy Needs
Knowing pay table changes and using good base strategy forms your win plan in video poker. Seeing how to hold cards, managing your money well, and picking machines that pay well boosts your chances to win and cuts down bad moves.
Deep Video Poker Methods and Types
Play More Lines
Multi-line video poker is a top way to win more. You play several betting lines at once, way upping your odds to hit top hand sets. Start with 3-5 lines to get used to more going on while keeping it manageable.
Handle Different Games Right
Game-tied strategies are a must to ace different video poker types. Deuces Wild needs you to go hard for five-of-a-kind, often changing paying combos. Double Bonus games human intuition say to hold high pairs over straight tries with four cards. Joker Poker asks for unique holds or drops based on the joker. Each game type has its own math edge needing special ways to play.
Bet More When Winning
Smart money moves through progressive betting help use win streaks well. The 1-2-3-4 method boosts bets after wins while setting safe points after losses. This needs at least 100x your base bet to work well. This plan boosts wins when times are good and keeps risks low during tough times.
Play Each Game Type Well
Each video poker type wants special play plans right for their experts reveal own pay tables. Knowing these little things sets top players apart from just okay ones, helping for better wins through smart play choices.