First introduced in the 1970s, video poker quickly became one of the most popular forms of gambling and eventually made its way to online casinos where it is played by thousands of people every day. The game is particularly well-liked for its low house edge, solo gameplay and capacity for strategy. While there are many types of video poker, they all follow the same basic principle. The player places a wager and is dealt five cards, any of which he or she can choose to save or discard. Once the player has made a decision, any discarded cards are replaced from the deck. If the resulting cards form a scoring poker hand, they player is paid out according to the posted payout table.
Unlike most casino games, a player with optimal strategy that chooses the right games can gain a small advantage over the house. In fact, a player’s long term payout percentage can exceed 100 in some cases. Playing on tables with inferior pay tables with incorrect strategy, however, can make video poker an expensive form of gambling.
How Video Poker Strategy Works
Because each version of video poker differs so drastically, it is nearly impossible to summarize effective video poker strategy. The only way to effectively learn the various strategies is to memorize charts that instruct the player what to do in various situations, not unlike basic strategy in blackjack.
Strategy usually dictates which cards a player should save and discard given his or her initial hand. For instance, a Jacks or Better video poker player confronted with a hand composed of a single high card, a unsuited low card, and three cards to an inside straight flush must choose whether to keep the high card or flush cards. While it is tempting to keep the flush cards in hopes of a large payout, effective strategy would instruct the player to keep the high card. Because the lowest paying hand in Jacks or Better video poker is a pair of Jacks, one of the player’s four discarded cards is much more likely to match the saved high card compared to the chances of hitting the two cards needed to complete a straight flush.
Learning Video Poker Strategy
For most players, simple video poker strategy is sufficient, as the difference between simply strategy and optimal strategy is normally very small. For instance, perfectly executed Jacks or Better simple strategy allows for a return of 99.46 per cent, while optimal strategy provides a return of 99.54 per cent. However, for serious players, this slight difference can significantly change the result of long-term play. Players who wish to become skilled at video poker are generally advised to first learn simple strategy, mastering it before moving on to more advanced concepts.