Video Poker Rules and Basic Strategies

Video poker is a fast, fun, rewarding, and interactive game that is unlike any other. From first appearances it may seem that video poker play is similar to slot machine play but this is not true. The main attraction of video poker is that the player's wits are pitted against the machine in fast action with a possible chance of a big jackpot. To the skilled player, however, the attraction is that some games offer an opportunity for a long term profit. Just as in a live poker game, there is a considerable amount of risk and luck involved in the short term, but it is a player's skill that will make the difference between a winner and a loser in the long run.
Nevada casinos average about 60% of their hold from slot machines, and in some casinos up to two-thirds of those machines are now video poker. It's not uncommon for a large casino to have more than one thousand video poker machines.

How to Play Video Poker

Slot games and Video Poker start out the same way by inserting a coin into the machine and pressing the play button, but this is where the similarity ends.

Once the cards appear on the screen it's up to you to decide which cards to hold. This can be from none to all five cards. There are five buttons on the front of the machine. When you push these buttons the word hold will appear above the card selected. You select which cards to hold, then press the Draw button, and new cards are dealt off the top of the deck to replace the discards. Your objective in video poker is to get the best or highest hand possible.

If a winning combination results, you will accumulate credits as determined by the payout schedule. After the payout a "player paid" sign will appear on the screen. The object of each game is to end each round with a winning combination.

After completion of this hand, you can now start the process over again. You bet what you want to play on the next hand. When you decide to end the session all you have to do is press the collect button and the machine will give you your credits. Credits are given on the basis of what the value is required to play the machine. In other words a machine that requires $0.25 to play would record each credit as 25, so basically the credits are the value required to play.

Betting is very simple with Video poker. You can choose $0.25, $0.50, $1, or $5 games with the bets being 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X. The maximum bet is 5X. If you are playing a $1 game, you can place bets of $1, $2, $3, $4, or $5.

Video Poker Games

There are a number of game choices in video poker. The games are All American, Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus Poker, Jacks or Better, Jokers Wild and many others. To get the high paybacks you need the correct playing strategy for each different game. The payout schedule can differ for each game. The most popular game by far is Jacks or Better as it has a payout of 99.5%. This is an excellent return for an easier game.

Below is a summary of the more popular Video Poker games. Read up on the ones that interest you the most and start playing!

Deuces Wild

In this game, the standard 52-card deck is used, with all four deuces (2’s) designated as wild cards. Because of the added bonus of the four deuce wild cards, the minimum rank for a winning hand is three of a kind. Never discard a deuce in a Deuces Wild game.

Jacks or Better

This is the best game to begin with when starting to play video poker. In fact, it is a good all-around machine to play at any time. You can identify a good-paying machine by reviewing the full house and flush payouts on the first column on the payout chart. On a 9/6 machine you will be paid nine counts for a full house and six for a flush.

It is important to remember not to play the low payout 7/5 machines as the house odds are just too high.

The next factor to look for is the royal flush payout. You want to play on non-progressive machines that award at least 4,000 counts for a royal flush. This means that if you play the maximum five coins and get a royal flush, you will get 4,000 coins back.

The royal flush payout is the bonus that makes video poker a winner. If you can't or won't play the maximum coins on a given video poker machine because of its cost, go to a machine with a lower denomination.

Joker’s Wild

This game is played with the standard 52-card deck, with a joker thrown in as a wild card. This wild card can be used as a substitute for any other card or can be used to create a five of a kind. The machine will automatically compute the best hand when a joker is present, usually about 10% of the time. Because of the added bonus of the wild card, the minimum rank for a wining hand is two pair.

King of the Decks

In this game, five decks of the standard 52-card decks are used. If you get five kinds of clubs, you will win the progressive jackpot. Because of the added bonus of the increased number of potential pairs, the minimum ranks for a winning hand is two pair. Games with more than one deck will always reduce the player's odds, so consider other games before playing King of the Decks.

Progressive Machines

These machines typically have a lower payout for a full house and flush; however, this can be overcome if the progressive jackpot is high enough. On a $.25 machine, if the jackpot is above $2,240, it's worthwhile to play. If it's below the $2,240 level, go back to the standard 9/6 machines. On progressive 9/6 Jacks or Better machines when the jackpot raises above 6,500 coins, the payback reaches a 100% return making this an excellent machine to play.


To summarize…

The three best machines you can play are the 9/6 Jacks or Better, 10/7 Double Bonus, and full-pay Deuces Wild. When you insert the maximum coins and use proper strategy, these machines will pay out 99.5%, 100.2%, and 100.8%, respectively. Look for these machines and play them.

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