VIDEO POKER CORNER

QUICK TIPS ON POPULAR GAMES

Learn About Your Favorite Or Try Something New

Many of our readers write in to ask if we have any suggestions about playing Video Poker. Yes we do!

Playing Video Poker at casinos can be very beneficial if you are wanting to stretch your bankroll, especially over time. Video poker, even in lower denominations, usually has a low house edge. That’s a good thing here in Arizona, where the house edge on the slots could be as high as 20% as allowed by the State’s Gaming Compacts. And, players can’t tell on the slots what the payback percentage has been set to. But on Video Poker you can tell!

CHOOSE YOUR GAME WISELY As one example, below are the various pay tables & payback percentages for the Video Poker game Jacks or Better. Shop around and make sure you’re playing at a casino whose game has the highest return! Keep an eye out on what’s happening to those Full House and Flush payouts!

TIPS FOR DOUBLE DOUBLE BONUS 1. Never hold a dealt Full House with three Aces! Hold just the Aces and drop the other two cards. Hold all other dealt Full Houses.

2. Never hold two dealt pairs if one of the pairs are Aces. Hold just the Aces and drop the other pair. Hold all other dealt pairs.

3. Never hold three cards to a Straight or a Flush and never hold a single low card.

4. Never throw away a Straight Flush to draw for a Royal Flush.

5. Don’t be afraid to drop a dealt hand for five new cards when there are no high cards, no pairs, potential flush or potential straight options.

TIPS FOR DEUCES WILD Deuces Wild is one of the most popular Video Poker games on the casino floors. The four Deuces, which are wild cards, not only provide a lot of excitement and anticipation but also make the game a lot less volatile than most other Video Poker games. However, did you know that when playing this game using optimal strategy you are discarding all 5 cards 20% of the time? Yes, 1 in 5 deals will have you drawing all new cards. Patience is key with this game and knowing that discarding all 5 cards will yield wins 6% of the time!

Hint: When dealt a Wild Royal Flush with 3 Deuces, hold the Wild Royal!

JOKER’S WILD Joker’s Wild Video Poker games are fun, but watch out for the games that pay 15 credits (per credit) for a Four-of-a-Kind rather than 20! There can be a 4% drop in the payback percentage with these variations. Also, stay away from games that pay only on two pair rather than a pair of Kings. Have Fun! $