Video Poker Strategy

Remember that when playing in a video poker game, you are making decisions all the time. This is not like baccarat, which looks like a game you can affect but can't. The cards you hold and/or discard in video poker have a very definite effect on the content of your hands. So by definition, there is skill involved in this game, because there is a deck of 52 cards (in other words, no duplicate cards are showing up).

Keep in mind that you are looking for a winning combination at all times. And you are playing against the house, so to speak, not against other opponents. This is not like regular poker. So your strategy may be different than if you were playing a game of table poker. In fact, it almost certainly WILL be different.

You will know the basics of how to play a game of video poker if you have ever sat around with friends at home and played five-card draw. You were playing with a strategy then, weren't you? Didn't you think that involved skill? There is always going to be a "best play" for any particular situation. Again, that is going to depend on what variation of the game you are playing. What works for Joker Poker may not work the same for Double Bonus Poker or Deuces Wild.

It is impossible to outline the correct strategy for every situation you are going to face. But it is conceivable that you are going to have hands that you think might be good in a "community" game that won't do you any good in video poker.

Some of the winning combinations offer minor payouts. Your overall strategy may be that those payouts are not big enough for you, when you may have a chance to restructure the hand so that you could be in the running for a bigger payout. If you want those kinds of hands, you are sometimes going to have to go for broke.

Strategy is something that can be learned. After all, there is an optimum mathematical play for each situation. But toward what end? In other words, there may be one maneuver that works best when you are trying to achieve a full house, while quite another move will give you a better chance of getting a Royal Flush. It all depends what you are after. Do you want to hit jackpots or are you more intent on grinding it out with wins that are more achievable?