What Do I Need to Know to Win at On Line Video Poker Slots Thursday, Aug 17 2006
On Line Casino 3:31 pm
Video Poker Slots is not your typical “one-armed bandit”. It is not strictly a slot machine game at all. If you use a strategy you can put the odds in your favor and this makes them highly attractive compared to normal on line slots. You can find video poker slots at almost any on line Casino. Check out Online Casino Bonuses for a list of on line casinos who offer video poker slots.
This game also bridges the gap between simple slot machines and more complex table games, so it’s easy to play and it allows you to use some skill. If you do you can turn it into a really rewarding game.
In video poker slots you have a chance to make decisions and influence the outcome of the event. That means that the house odds can be lowered if you play correctly and with a fixed strategy.
Video Poker Slots is still the best slots for your money
You get all the fun and excitement that you do from the other slots, except that Video Poker Slots gives you a chance as it is interactive and the outcome is dependent to some small degree on the actions you take.
Visually, video slot machines offer great graphics so if you want a visually great game that allows you to use some skill without over-taxing your brain, then video poker slots is a great game to play.
How to Play
Video Poker Slots is based on the classic 5 card draw poker and basically uses the same rules. The major difference, of course, is that you are not playing against other players, but against a computer.
After you place your initial bet by putting coins in the slot, the machine deals five cards on the screen. You can now take up to five cards. The player decides which of the 5 cards he wishes to keep and presses the “hold” button on those individual cards. The computer will discard the rest.
Then the player presses the “deal” button, and the computer replaces the number of discarded cards with new ones, keeping the total to 5 cards. That is technically the end of the game.
The player wins or loses by the poker hand ranking system, and the pay table on the video screen will show how much the player has won.
What the Pay Table Means - How to Read it
One of the distinct advantages that video poker has over other slot machines is that the payment for winning can be easily seen and calculated from the pay table on the front of the machine.
The video poker game uses a 52 card deck, or a 54 card deck when 2 jokers are included, so there are only so many combinations of hands that can be made. It is the number of combinations that determine the payout, and these are based on the possibility of each winning hand. There are 2,598,960 possible hand combinations obtainable from a 52-card deck.
In a video poker machine the computer chip is designed to simulate the probabilities of drawing any of these combinations in a random manner. As the probabilities are fixed, the casino has adjusted the pay table of the on line machines to produce the house edge which is actually their long term profit.
How to Win - Despite the Odds
Here are some tips to help you around the house edge which is against you. You need to tilt the odds more in your favor in order to win.
1. Always play the maximum number of coins allowed.
Never bet one coin. Bet the full five coins and all winning hands, except for the royal flush, will be paid out by a factor of five. This is the incentive the casino gives as a bonus for playing five coins.
Anyone playing less than maximum number of coins is just contributing to the royal flush jackpot and you need to win it to make money in the long term. Don’t contribute just for someone else to win it!
2. Be on the lookout for favorable payouts
Look out for the video poker machine with the most favorable payouts - before you start playing.
The payouts for all video poker machines are the same, except for the flush, full house, or royal flush. So, a 9 / 6 will generally hit the royal flush once for each 40,000 hands. The 8 / 5 odds are once for each 45,000 hands, - so try and play 9 / 6 machines only. If you play the 9/6 machine you will increase your chances of success.
3. Do your homework
Look on the Internet and find free strategy cards for various video poker slot games. They are out there for free, so take some time to study them and get your strategy firmly in place before you start playing.
4. Don’t Rush Your Game!
Relax, chill out and take your time.
You receive nothing extra for playing quickly. The machine is not in a hurry and neither should you be! Take your time, play correctly and make sure you are having fun!
