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As most gamers here at Everygame Casino know, the return-to-player rate in video poker (along with blackjack also played correctly) is about 99.5%. Clearly, the key to this resounding return-to-player rate in video poker requires gamers to play the game like champions.
What are the keys to playing video poker like a champ?
What is Video Poker?
Video poker was developed only about 50 years ago. Generally, it is a digital form of five-card draw poker. Some of the rules for video poker are different than the rules for five-card draw you play with friends.
For example, in a game at home, you play against the other players. Bluffing is prevalent. The pot size will vary and a Royal Flush never pays as well as it does in online casino video poker.
Another major rule difference is that in a game with friends, you can never trade in all five of the cards you were dealt. In online video poker, you can trade in all five cards and you don’t have to show an ace to do so. Trading in all five of your cards when you have nothing else going is a major strategy move in online video poker.
Understand the Probabilities
One major element in video poker requires gamers to break a winning pair in order to go for a much higher-paying hand. You might have a winning pair and four to a straight flush or four to a Royal Flush.
Breaking the pair gives you the chance to win the big extra payout for a Royal Flush or the much higher payout for a straight flush.
Now, your chances of getting either to Royal Flush or the straight flush are no better than 2 out of 47. That is, in both the straight flush and the Royal Flush, there could be no more than two cards that result in that hand. If the straight flush is close-ended, there is only one card and you might need a single card to get the Royal Flush as well.
So, it is fair to ask why would a gamer give up a winning pair to go for a hand with 47-2 or 47-1 odds against it happening?
The answer is that the player can also get a simple flush, a simple straight, or they can pair the remaining high cards. That means that there are actually a lot of outs that can result in at least the same level of win and often a larger win.
Always Bet the Maximum
For experienced video poker gamers, this is a no-brainer since you cannot win the extra payout for a Royal Flush unless you have bet the maximum. Now, a Royal Flush happens about once in 40,000 hands. So, the odds of any one player getting one is small. However, with billions of people in the world and many millions (possibly billions) of gamers playing video poker, at least a few Royal Flushes happen every day!
Online Video Poker Often Pays More
We understand the attraction of land-based casinos. We simply want gamers to realize that payouts at Everygame Casino online and at all reputable online casinos are higher than payouts at many land-based casinos. In slots, the casino can have the game developer calibrate the random number generator to pay less than the 97% we generally return to gamers in slots.
In blackjack, many land-based casinos now pay only 6-5 for a blackjack. We pay the traditional 3-2 for a blackjack.
And in video poker, many land-based casinos now pay only 8-5 or even 7-5 for a full house and a flush while we pay the full 9-6.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Of course, you can download the strategy card for any of the several video poker variations we offer here at Everygame Casino. We also know that most gamers want to play freestyle without always consulting the strategy card. That means that you have to practice playing.
Everygame Casino offers free play so you can practice for free. Naturally, you will also play for real money but the availability of free play will make you a better video poker player in the long run.
Understand that there Will be Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks
That means that you need a bankroll that is large enough to withstand a long losing streak. If you are betting $5 on every hand, you might want to have a bankroll of at least $50 and probably higher.
Knowing that the losing streaks will be offset by winning streaks makes accepting a losing streak a lot easier.
Do Not Follow Any Betting System
This is the best time to remind you of this very important fact. All of the betting systems fail because they don’t take losing streaks into account. At some point, you will have to make a truly illogical and unreasonable bet in order to win back your original ante. So, do not try to game the game by following a betting system.
Everygame Casino Offers Video Poker and a Lot More
A lot of gamers prefer video poker and blackjack over slots, roulette, or craps. Slots are still the number one casino game here at Everygame but gamers who like video poker often play slots only as a diversion from the heavy thinking they have to do in video poker.
It is the heavy thinking that draws a lot of gamers to video poker. If you don’t enjoy heavy thinking over a long period of time, you might find video poker challenging emotionally.
If you do enjoy some heavy thinking, you should learn to savor the best strategy moves on every hand.
We do suggest that gamers take breaks from video poker every so often just to recharge the thinking side of the brain. Taking a break will also help you avoid the terrible scourge that is tilt. It may have been Phil Helmuth who made tilt famous in Texas Hold’em but tilt can occur at any time and in any game.
Bonuses and Other Promotions
Everygame Casino also offers great bonuses and promotions. Our bonuses always have a high bonus rate. As part of a promotion, a deposit bonus often will have free spins as well. You can play the free spins during your breaks from video poker.
Everygame Casino has over 300 great games so you will never get tired of gaming here.
