Online casinos such as Everygame Casino have two types of games: games of chance and games of skill.  Although the games of chance, led by slots, are the default choice of most gamers, the games of skill, primarily blackjack and Everygame Casino video poker games offer a dramatic shift in value.

A Royal Flush in hearts. The 10 is shown on a smartphone screen. The Royal Flush is the top hand in video poker.

The value of games of skill can be seen in entertainment value, increases in gamers’ personal self-confidence, and return to player rates.  In video poker, assuming that the gamer uses the best strategy on every hand, the expected return to player rate is about 99.5%.

What Does That Mean?

In short, it means that if you play video poker for an hour and play 5 hands per minute, you will have played 300 hands at the end of the session.  If you bet $10 on every hand and win back all but 0.5% of your bets, you will end up in the red by $1.50 at the 99.5% return to player rate.  Since your bets were all for $10, you could not lose only $1.50.

Your win or loss total after the one-hour session of video poker would be either +$10 or -$10.  That is a very small price to pay for enjoyable gaming entertainment!

How Does Playing Video Poker Increase Gamers’ Self-Confidence?

In any game of skill, the more a person plays correctly, the better they feel about themselves.  This is a direct manifestation of an increase in self-confidence.

This is also the case in other games of skill.  Many people play difficult Sudoku because of the challenge and the ego boost that finding the key to the games’ solutions provides.  People who may be no more than average chess players like to try their hand at chess problems.

Everygame Casino Offers Many Variations of Video Poker

While most video poker games are based on Jacks or Better, there are unusual rules governing some variations.  Here are a few general tips for playing video poker.  We will elaborate after we present the list.

  1. Always understand the unique rules that govern a variation.
  2. You can play in free play mode in order to get the hang of a video poker variation.
  3. Always bet the maximum so you qualify for the extra payout for a Royal Flush.
  4. Always play 9-6 video poker.
  5. There are many cases where the best strategy seems counter-intuitive.  Nevertheless, these unusual plays are the best in those cases.
  6. Most hands will not be winners at first.
  7. Take both winning streaks and losing streaks in stride.
  8. Never use a betting system.  Betting systems are entirely different than strategic systems.
  9. Play at a reasonable speed.
  10. Set a sound monetary budget for gaming in general.
  11. Understand than online casino gaming, and in this case video poker, is a form of entertainment.
  12. Take a break to stretch your legs and air out your mind.
  13. Never drink alcohol while playing online casino games.

How Can a Gamer Keep Track of These Tips?

These tips are at times totally understandable without further explanation and others do require some elaboration.

Understand the Rules

This is a no-brainer.  In every game, players need to understand the rules.  Video poker may be a form of five-card draw poker but there are still rules that govern each variation.  Learn the rules before you make a bet on an outcome.

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Bet the Maximum

Even though a Royal Flush comes about only once in about 40,000 hands, the statisticians who have studied video poker say that gamers should always bet the max and should often go for a Royal Flush even if they have a winning pair.

This is one of the many times that strategy seems counter-intuitive.  Let’s say that you have suited 10, jack, queen, and king and a second king.  This is called Four to a Royal Flush.  This is a rare hand indeed but it is very instructive since similar examples occur a lot more often.

The pair of kings is a winning hand but the chance for a Royal Flush dictates that you give up the second king and hope to land a Royal Flush.  The reason is because the extra payout for a Royal Flush is too high to pass and because even if you don’t get the Royal Flush, you have many other outs.  Here are all of your possible outcomes:

  1. You might hit the suited ace for a Royal Flush.  This is 1 out.
  2. You might hit an ace that is not suited but gives you a straight.  The straight pays more than the pair.  This is 3 outs.
  3. You might hit a suited 9 for a straight flush.  This is 1 out.
  4. You might hit an unsuited nine for a straight.  This is 3 outs.
  5. You might hit a spade that we have not yet counted.  This gives you a flush.  This is 7 outs.
  6. You might hit a jack or a queen.  This is 6 outs.
  7. You might hit another king.  This is 2 outs.

There are 23 cards that can at least get you back to the winning pair or can get you a better, even a much better paying hand.  Since there are 47 cards left in the deck, your chances of winning the hand are 2-1.  The chance to improve to a very high hand is too great to pass up!

What is 9-6 Video Poker?

His means that you win 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush.  Many land-based casinos pay only 8-5 or even 7-5!  Play 9-6 video poker for the best chance to finish a session in the black.

Winning and Losing Streaks are part of the Game

Video poker results are determined by the random number generator which has no knowledge of what has happened previously.  Gamers will inevitably have winning streaks and losing streaks.  In the long run, it all evens out.

Losing streaks are the reason to avoid all betting strategies.  They fail to take losing streaks into account and compel players to make very irresponsible bets during a losing streak.

Taking a losing streak in stride avoids tilt and taking a winning streak in stride avoids hubris.  Both tilt and hubris are reasons that some players lose more than they should.

Avoiding Alcohol

It might add to the fun of playing slots if you take a drink or two, but in the games of skill, every ounce of alcohol causes the cognitive side of the human brain to begin to malfunction.  When that happens, a gamer is prone to all of the mistakes and errors of judgment we have presented here.

Sober video poker is a great and exciting game.

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