One of the popular questions many players look forward to getting answers to is “how to beat video poker”. No guide will ever tell you how to beat a game and be 100% effective every time, but educating yourself about the rules of a game, and certain strategies to use, might increase your winning chances in every game you play. Take a look at some ideas on how to beat online video poker. Let’s get started!

Basic Tips on How to Beat Video Poker

Learn The Game

The basic rules on how to play video poker are as simple as placing a wager, dealing with the cards, selecting and discarding the cards to create a strong hand, and then comparing hands to declare a winner. Other details you can learn about are the game such as the house edge, pay table, variance, etc. With all these details, you can work on strategies to use to help you win.

You can always learn how to beat video poker with a strong knowledge of how the game is being played.

Employ Video Poker Strategy

If you rely merely on luck or guesswork to play video poker, it could be the worst mistake you can ever make, and you might end up losing a lot of money. Every poker variant has various poker strategies for creating winning hands, to know when to hit, stand, split, or surrender, and every player should take their time to go through them if they really want to commit to winning the game.

An optimal strategy increases your chances of winning and even gives you fun satisfaction from playing the right way. The strategy list below is an example of a 9/6 Jacks or Better game, which is one of the better games to play (the list of steps is arranged from ascending to descending in order of importance)

• Full house or better
• 4 to a royal flush (you have four cards and need one more for a royal flush)
• Straight, three-of-a-kind, or flush
• 4 to a straight flush (you have four cards and need one more for a straight flush)
• Two pair
• High pair
• 3 to a royal flush
• 4 to a flush
• Low pair
• 14 to an outside straight (you have five–cards 6, 7, 8, 9, 2–and need one more on the outside–either a 5 or 10, to complete the straight)
• Two high-suited cards (face cards)
• 3 to a straight flush
• Two unsuited high cards (if more than two picks, then pick the lowest 2)
• Suited 10/J, 10/Q, or 10/K
• One high card
• Discard everything

Mind you, you need to practice often to commit these strategies to memory, and there are several online casinos with the game available for free play to all players.

Choose The Right Pay Table

Video poker always allows players to know the returns before the game even begins. Video poker pay tables show the expected return on the amount you bet, and each variant has a different pay table. Therefore, it is best to research so you can find the best video poker machine with a very good paytable.

To understand how to pick a video poker machine with a very good video poker paytable, you need to understand the concept of house edge and return to player percentage. 

The house edge is the percentage a casino wins in cash over every player’s bet. If a casino’s house edge is 3%, the return to the player will be 97%. For example, you have a greater chance of winning if you go for a video poker machine with a paytable of 99.67% compared to a video poker game with a 96.29% return.

Play the Maximum Number of Coins

The number of coins every video poker machine allows players to place as a bet, ranges between 1 to 5, and to optimize your chances of winning, you should always play the maximum number of coins which is five. 

The reason for playing the maximum number of coins is due to the payout of the best hand in most video poker games, the Royal Flush. The payout for five coins for a Royal Flush hand is always great, which can significantly increase your winnings.

Know that placing the maximum bet is optional, especially when you can’t afford to play all five at once. You can always place a minor no of coins, only that the payout will be small compared to five coins. Remember to play responsibly.

Take Advantage of Bonuses

Online casinos offer many bonuses and promotions, not just on video poker games but several other casino games. You can take advantage of this whenever it’s available for a video poker game. Taking advantage of these bonuses helps increase your bankroll and gives you more time to play.

Understand The Video Poker Machine

You’ll see several buttons when you play a video poker machine, either at an online casino or a land-based one. All those buttons have a specific purpose, for example:

• Paytable: This button on the poker machine screen displays how much each hand pays out for each coin wager.
• Credit Total: This shows how many credits you have and is displayed under the card area.
• Deal/Draw Buttons: You’ll find the deal or draw a button on the right side of the keyboard. You hit the deal button to get another deal, or if you want to draw a replacement card.
• Hold Buttons: You can find the deal buttons below the screen. Press the buttons corresponding to the cards you want to keep after each new deal.
• Cash Out Button: This button is pressed after the player is done playing. Once you press the button, the machine will display a voucher with your balance.

Now that you know more about the game, log in at Slots Paradise Casino, and don’t miss out on the chance of winning today! Learn many more strategies, like how to play Oasis poker, or how to play regular poker, by visiting our Slots Paradise casino guide. Tell your friends on social media too!

FAQs – Do You Know How to Beat Video Poker?