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Video Poker Rules & Strategy

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Introduction   Cards   The Video Poker Machine   Practice At Home   Denominations   Selecting a Video Poker Machine   Getting Started   Not Regular Poker   Hands   Pair   Two Pair   Three Of A Kind   Straight   Flush   Full House   Four Of A Kind   Straight Flush   Royal Flush   Sequential Royal   Five Of A Kind   What To Hold   Basic Strategy - Jacks Or Better   Pay Tables – General   Pay Table – Jacks or Better – Flat Top (No Progressive)   Pay Table – Jacks or Better –Progressive   Pay Table – Tens or Better   Pay Table – Deuces Wild   Pay Table – Joker Wild – Kings or Better   Pay Table – Joker Wild – Two Pair   Expected Payback   Pay Back – Maximum Coins Played   Multi Hand Machines   10-15 Coin Machines   Progressive Machines   Taxes   Pay Out   Hitting The Royal   Comps   Tipping   Frequency Of Occurrence   Bankroll   Speed Of Play

Introduction

Video Poker is one of the most popular machine games played in the casinos. It is the machine game of choice for most regulars and is excellent for generating Comps (explained later). Video Poker machines are fundamentally different from slot machines in at least two respects. A decision is required by the player that effects the outcome of the play and most importantly, the actual machine payback can be determined from the pay table posted on the machine in combination with the size of the jackpot. A reasonable bankroll will give you many hours of fun if playing correctly. Most slots have a payback that range from 80%  to 98% with most set in the mid eighties to mid nineties e.g. the average payback on a quarter slot machine in Atlantic City is between 90 and 91 percent. However, it is not hard to find video poker machines in Nevada that have an expected payback of 96%, and 99%. One can even find machines that pay back over 100%. We will show you later how to do that. With slot machines you have no way of knowing what the payback is set at. With Video Poker machines you do and your money will last longer.

Cards

Video poker play is based on a standard 52 card deck. The standard deck of cards contains four suits: hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs. Each suit contains 13 cards: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Each of these 2 -10 cards have the number on the corner e.g. 4 and contain the equal number of the particular symbols e.g. 4 hearts. The Ace can also be used as a 1 to form a straight e.g. Ace-2-3-4-5 or still normally in a 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace straight.

The Video Poker Machine

The video poker machines come in many sizes and configurations. Some are vertical, often they are built into bars and are horizontally flush with the top of the bar. A favorite type is the slant where the screen is slightly angled, these are very comfortable machines to play on. The standard machine will deal five cards, multi hand machines will be discussed later. You have the option to hold or discard any of these five cards. The discarded cards are replaced with other cards after hitting the deal or draw button. Pay out is then determined on this final hand. There are a variety of machine types which will all be discussed later. The most common type is the "Jacks or Better" machines where you get paid if you have at least a pair of jacks or higher.

Practice At Home

We recommend that you practice at home first using Video Poker software on your PC. You can find both the free versions as well as the enhanced pay versions on our Casino-Gaming.com website. Some of the better versions even let you know if you do not play a particular hand correctly and will let you know what the correct play should have been. If you do not have a PC how are you reading this. OK someone printed a copy. Anyway, we would recommend then practicing at home with a regular deck of cards and keeping track of your score. This way you can get the hang of the game without spending any money.

Denominations

Video Poker machines come in a variety of denominations with the most common ones being the Nickel, Quarter and Dollar machines. For most machines you will have to play 5 coins or credits to be able to get the Jackpot. For some you can play 10-50 coins or credits per hand. Never just play one or two coins per hand as the overall payback is significantly less. To try to explain this you have to look at the pay table. On a quarter "Jacks or Better" machine you will usually get 250 quarters for a "Royal Flush" if you play one coin. With two coins you will get 500 quarters. Three coins 750 quarters. Four coins 1000 quarters. Based on this you would expect to get 1250 quarters for five coins. Instead you will normally get at least 4000 quarters or even more if it is a progressive jackpot. The casinos make more of these machines then the pure odds since a lot of patrons just play one or two coins per hand. Always play maximum coins, exceptions to this are explained later. If you can not afford dollar machines, play quarters, if you can not afford quarters, play nickels. If you can not afford nickels, don’t gamble. Do not just use up those last two quarters or give the machine a try with one or two coins, it just leads to frustration and poor overall returns.

Selecting a Video Poker Machine

First check the denomination. Is it what you want to play: nickels, quarters or dollars. Is the payback reasonable (based on the pay table and jackpot, explained later). Is it the type of video poker machine that you wish to pay "Jacks or Better", "Deuces Wild" or other. Are the cards easy to see. Some machines have a lot of glare or the image is fuzzy and sometimes the colors are washed out.

Getting Started

Insert either a paper bill (if the machine is equipped to handle these) or 5 coins on a five coin maximum machine. When you insert the first coin you will see all cards turnaround and see the back of five cards. After the fifth coin the five cards that are dealt are all turned around and you see their value. If you play with less then five coins (not recommended), you will have to hit the deal or draw button to turn the cards around and start playing. Now it is decision time when you can determine which cards to hold and which cards to discard. Normally there is a hold button under each card or you touch the card itself if the machine has a touch screen. The normal default is discard and you press the respective card or button under the card to hold them. If you make a mistake, you can just press the button again to discard. When you have finished making your selections, press the deal or draw button and the cards that are not marked as hold will be replaced by new cards. Dealing is always from a single deck so you would not get the same card again. The machine will then tell you it was a paying hand. If it was a paying hand the respective credits will be added to your total credits. Some machines will immediately pay out in coins and usually then have a button on the left hand side that says cash/credit and gives the option to hold credits or get paid out after every winning hand. This same button is used to get your credits paid out when you are finished playing.

Not Regular Poker

Do not play this game as you would do regular poker. You can not bluff the machine and holding a "kicker" (high card) with a pair is useless. There is also no folding.

Hands

Pair

Two cards with the same value e.g. two 4s or two kings. In "Jacks or Better" you need to get at least a pair of Jacks to win something. If you get a pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces, you will get even money. In other words you will get your bet returned. These would be referred to as a "High Pair" while any non paying pair 2 to 10 would be referred to as a ‘Low Pair". Some machine types will pay of starting at a pair of tens while others require at least three of a kind. Check the pay table on the machine and do not assume that all machines in the same bank (row of machines) have the same pay table. Casinos like to mix them up sometimes.

Two Pair

Two sets of paired cards in a hand e.g. 2-2 and 8-8 or Ace-Ace and 6-6. The actual value has no meaning in video poker in that an Ace-Ace and King-King combination has the same value as a 2-2 and 3-3 combination. This applies to most other hands as well and makes the game different from regular poker. Just to clarify, two pairs of the same value e.g. 3-3 and 3-3 are actual a "Four Of A Kind" hand. Two pair usually pays of at 2x.

Three Of A Kind

Three Cards of equal value e.g. 5-5-5 or King-King-King. Three of a kind usually pays of at 3x.

Straight

Five cards in numerical sequence e.g. 7-8-9-10-Jack. They can be any suit (Hearts, Clubs, Spades or Diamonds) combined. For instance in the previous example the 7 could be a spade and the 8 a diamond. The order that they appear on the screen has no relevance e.g. 6-3-5-4-7 is still a straight. The Ace can also be used as a 1 so 4-Ace-3-5-2 is also a straight as well as Queen-Jack-King-Ace-10. The ace as a 1 is often missed, double check your hand prior to hitting that draw button. If you have a straight of all the same suit (Hearts, Clubs, Spades or Diamonds) you actual have a Straight Flush or Royal Flush which will be explained later. A Straight usually pays of at 4x.

Flush

Any five cards of the same suit (Hearts, Clubs, Spades or Diamonds) e.g. 2-6-7-10-King all Diamonds. The value of the cards have no relevance. If the cards are also in sequence you actual have a Straight Flush or Royal Flush which will be explained later. A Flush usually pays of at 6x.

Full House

Three of a kind and a pair combined in one hand e.g. 7-7-2-2-2 or King-Queen-King-King-Queen. A full house usually pays of at 8x or 9x.

Four Of A Kind

Four cards of equal value such as 3-3-3-3 or Jack-Jack-Jack-Jack. Four of a kind usually pays 25x or a progressive. At times some casinos have specials for four of a kind such as scratch tickets or a six pack of soft drinks. In these cases call over a change or slot person to get your prize before continuing to play.

Straight Flush

Five sequential cards in the same suit e.g. 7-8-9-10-Jack all diamonds or 7-5-3-6-4 all spades. Remember that the ace can also count as 1. A Straight Flush usually pays 50x.

Royal Flush

Ace to 10 in the same suit e.g. 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace all Hearts or Queen-Ten-Ace-Jack-King all Clubs. The Royal Flush usually pays of at 800x or the Progressive with maximum coins played. If you play less then maximum coins per hand you can not get the progressive and the pay is usually only 250x.

Sequential Royal

Some machines pay more for a sequential Royal Flush. Sometimes Ace-King-Queen-Jack-10 of the same suit or sometimes 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace of the same suit or sometimes both. Chances are 1 in 120 for a Royal to be a Sequential Royal of a particular kind.

Five Of A Kind

With some types of Video Poker games such as ‘’Joker Wild" or "Deuces Wild" it is possible to get five of a kind. In "Deuces Wild" 7-7-2-7-7 would be Five Of A Kind.

What To Hold

Each hand dealt in video poker has a right way of playing. The table below shows the right way of playing a "Jacks or Better" machine. It has been slightly simplified for ease of use. Follow it from top to bottom.

Basic Strategy - Jacks Or Better

**** Jacks or Better Strategy in order of preference.***

Be aware of the power of the low pair, it can turn into many hands from two pair to a sequential flush. When you have a low pair and a high card e.g. 2-2-7-9-Ace, discard the Ace (and 7 and 9) and keep the low pair only. Kickers have no value in Video Poker.

Pay Tables – General

The following would be typical pay tables. These would be the ones found in the major Nevada destinations like Las Vegas and Reno. In more remote casinos and on cruise ships they tend to pay less. We have encountered some extremely poor pay outs in Ontario, Canada with 6-5 machines (6x for a Full House and 5x for a Flush). Most of the online casinos are close to these tables but I have at least run into one that only pays 1250 instead of 4000 for a Royal Flush. At least with video poker you can see what you are getting.

Pay Table – Jacks or Better – Flat Top (No Progressive)

These are also called 9-6 machines. Also referred to as "Flat Top" since the Jackpot does not change.

Pay Table – Jacks or Better –Progressive

These are also called 8-5 machines. The progressive jackpot is usually reset to $1,000 and increases with play until the jackpot is hit. Usually they are connected to a bank of machines or several banks in various locations in a casino and sometimes even among different casinos.

Pay Table – Tens or Better

As you see, the pay out starts at a pair of tens or better but the full house pays only 6 instead of the 9 in Jacks or Better.

Pay Table – Deuces Wild

Pay Table – Joker Wild – Kings or Better

There is one Joker in the deck. You need at least a pair of kings to get paid.

Pay Table – Joker Wild – Two Pair

There is one Joker in the deck. You need at least two pairs to get paid.

Expected Payback

Based on the following pay out schedule and with maximum coins played, this is what you can expect to receive as a payback over time. In short sessions payback can vary wildly.

Pay Back – Maximum Coins Played

Although the overall pay back for Joker and Deuces wild is better, the variations in bankroll are less for Jacks or Better.

As you can see in column 4, an 8-5 Jacks or Better progressive will give you a 100% payback when the jackpot reaches $2,370 on a quarter machine. You will often see teams of players "move in" in Las Vegas or Reno when progressives hit this amount. For a dollar machine the jackpot has to reach $9,478.

Multi Hand Machines

Video Poker machines where you can play more then one hand at the time have become very popular in the last couple of years. It started with triple-poker where you would play three hands at the time and now you see machines where you can play up to five or even ten hands at the time (my favorite). Do not play these machines until you have some experience and at least the basic strategy memorized or your money will fly. Besides being able to play multiple hands you can also select different types of play such as Bonus The Luxe and Deuces Wild. Check out the different pay tables. On the triple play machine you will see one hand dealt at the bottom when you have inserted your money and press the deal button. There are two more hands of five cards displayed right above the bottom one with only the backs of the cards showing. When you hit the deal or draw button you will only see the bottom row of cards displayed. When you press hold on any card on the bottom row, that same card will be held in the same hand for all hands played. For instance if you hold two fours, then you will hold two fours in all hands in exactly the same spot and showing (turned around) in all hands. When you then press the deal/draw button each hand will replace the discarded hands and will show all cards played. Each hand is played from a separate deck of 52 cards, so you might see the same or different drawn cards in different hand. Each hand will display in a yellow box, on the hand, if it was a winning hand, the type of winning hand e.g. Three Of A Kind and the amount of credits earned e.g. 15. It is not unusual that in the same play you end up with a variety of winning hands e.g. Three Of A Kind, two Full Houses and Four of a Kind. This makes the game rather fun. On our last trip to Reno, my wife was dealt Four Of A Kind. After holding all four and hitting the draw, see saw Four Of A Kind flash across the screen ten times and displaying it on each hand. The machine shows winning hands with just a slight delay, starting at the bottom and finishing at the top. It was a total win of 4,000 credits, just as good as hitting the Royal once, which she has done on many an occasion. She has the nickname "Royal Queen". You need a larger bankroll for these machines as the variances are greater. On the three hand machines you will see three hands above each other and quite often a red banner on top of the machine with in yellow lettering "Triple Poker". In the five and ten hands machines you will see the bottom row of cards displayed normally with all the other hands layered and only the left hand side of the card showing. The ten hand machines tend to have a blue top.

10-15 Coin Machines

For most video poker machines you will see 5 credits as the maximum play per hand. There are some machines where you need to play 10 credits per hand to get the maximum pay. Do not play these with any less then 10 as you put yourself statistically at a severe disadvantage. These tend to be mostly found in the nickel machines. You will also find 45 coin triple play video poker machines where you can play up to 15 coins per hand. Some pay true in increments of 5, some don’t. After inserting 5 coins or hitting the single credit button five times, the Royal should pay 4,000 credits. A common problem with playing these particular machines is that if you are playing 5 credits per hand for a while that you suddenly hit the Max Bet button as you are used to on other machines, and your suddenly playing 45 credits a pop.

Progressive Machines

Normally Video Poker machines come with two kinds of jackpots. A fixed jackpot of 4,000 coins for a Royal Flush with maximum coins played. Occasionally you will find one with 4,700 coins jackpot for a quarter machine (just below the taxation limit of $1,200). These are called "Flat Tops" as the jackpot does not change. They should be a 9-6 machine to be reasonable, this refers to a Full House paying 9x and a Flush paying 6x. Progressive machines increase the amount paid for a Royal Flush with the amount played. Remember that you can only hit this progressive jackpot with maximum coins played. The jackpot is normally reset to $1,000 on a quarter machine after the jackpot has been hit. Normally a series of machines in a row (a bank) are connected to the same jackpot and sometimes to several banks in the same casino. We have seen the progressive jackpot go from just over $1,000 to over $2,5000. A lot depends on how many machines are connected and how many 1-2 coin players there are. If someone hits a royal flush with not the maximum of coins played, they will not get the progressive and the jackpot will just continue to grow. They should be a 8-5 machine to be reasonable, this refers to a Full House paying 8x and a Flush paying 5x the bet. Remember that when you hit a jackpot on these machines of $1,200 or higher that you have to pay taxes. That is why you see quite a few regulars stop playing them when they reach $1,200 and start again when they go over $1,800.

Taxes

In the USA any video poker machine win of $1,200 or more is taxable at 30%. On pay out, the casino is obliged to withhold 30% if you are a foreign resident. US residents need to supply their Social Security Number. We have been successful in claiming this back but it is quite a bit of a process.

Pay Out

If you still have credits left and wish to leave the machine, just press the cash or cash/credit button and the machine will start spitting out coins. If there are not sufficient coins in the machine, the screen will often come up with a message "Hopper Empty" and a light on the machine will start flashing. Do not leave the machine, just call over a slot or change person or wait until they notice the light. They will eventually come with a bag of coins, open up the machine and refill the hopper. The machine will then continue to spit out coins when they close the machine again. Always check the screen if all credits have been paid before leaving it. Some older quarter machines would automatically spit out coins once the number of credits reached 200. Any winning hand with over 200 credits already on the macine, would be paid out immediately in quarters. The newer nickel machines can easily hold thousands of credits. Dependent on the amount of credits you have in a particular type of machine, the pay out will not be in coins when you hit the cash button. A message will come on the screen stating "Handpay Required" and a light will flash on top of the machine. Again, do not leave the machine but call over a slot or change person or wait till they notice the light. They will take note of the amount to be paid, go to the cash cage and return (usually with a witness) to pay you out in bills and then reset the machine with a key.

Hitting The Royal

When you hit the Royal Flush with maximum coins played, you will often get a message "Winner Royal Flush" and on some machines it will start playing a tune (often the tune "I’m in the money"). A light will also flash on top of the machine. Do not leave the machine, just call over a slot or change person or wait until they notice the light. They will take note of the amount to be paid, go to the cash cage and return (usually with a witness) with your winnings in bills. They will first reset the machine and ask you to play of the hand so that the royal no longer shows before paying you out. It is customary to tip when you have been paid. Feel free to ask for a Security escort to your car or deposit box when you do not feel save with carrying the money.

Comps

Comps as complementaries are called in the casino industry, are one of the reasons that Video Poker machines are a good deal. Once you find a video poker machine that pay’s 99.5% or higher and you get back 0.25% in comps you are not giving the casino much of an edge and with the machines that reach 100% pay back even ahead in the long term.

Tipping

Tipping, or "toking" as it is called in casino terms, is optional but is highly recommended as most change and slot persons make not much more than minimum wage and depend heavily on tips. Especially consider tipping if you have received very good service. Change persons usually get to keep their own tips but slot (key) persons or supervisors usually pool their tips, often by shifts. A common way of tipping is to give them part of your win when you get paid out for a Royal Flush or a significant hand pay. A suggested tip might be $20 for a $1,000 pay out.

Frequency Of Occurrence

Frequency of occurrence on average on the original (first) five card draw:

Royal 1 in 40,000 hands

Straight Flush 1 in 10,000 hands

Four of a Kind 1 in 420 hands

Full House 1%

Three of a Kind 1 in 13 hands 7.5%

Two Pair 1 in 7.6 hands

High Pair 1 in 4.6 hands In Jacks or Better

Full House from Two Pair hand 11-1 against.

Bankroll

The bankroll required for a session depends on the denomination of the particular machine. The following recommendations are based on maximum 5 coin machine.

Have at least 200 coins for a session of play. For a quarter machine that would be $50.-. This should normally give you at least several hours of play.

Speed Of Play

The average player will play about 4 hands per minute. The experienced player will play 8 to 12 hands per minute. Remember that this is not a speed competition. A skilled player might expect to average a jackpot in 60 to 120 hours of play. Remember this average and will vary greatly in the short run.

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