- Learn how and where to play Video Poker online -

The odds of winning video poker will differ from hand to hand and from game to game. For the knowledgeable player the house edge on video poker games is fairly small, and in some cases the odds are even or in perfect conditions in the players favor. The house edge will increase when you do not follow a proven strategy - so if you're a beginner don't look to win big right out of the gate.

As alluded to above, each variant of video poker has a strategy optimized for the greatest expected value of that particular game. Though each game might use a similar standard of poker play, using the optimized strategy will give you the greatest opportunity for gain over the long run.

Game Odds

It is very important that you understand the pay tables on each machine/game you choose to play. These tables will help you determine which machine will yield you the best results. Pay particular attention to the Full House and Flush unit bets located on the left of the pay tables. These two numbers are often used to establish the payout percentage for any particular video poker variant.

Below you will discover a listing of payout percentages, which can indicate your likely hood of being a winner. The ratio on the left refers to the payout for Full House to that of a Flush. Take for example a table that displays a 9 for Full House and a 7 for the Flush, then you would know that the return rate for that game would be in the order of 100.7% making it a very player friendly game.

Video Poker Payout Percentages

Below are some general tips and some standard playing strategies which might help you in your video poker game play. Be sure to check out our strategy section for additional game specific strategies.

General Tips

• Play Carefully - Take your time and make wise decisions. It's you against the machine and there is no need to rush things.
  
  
• Know the Paytables - This is one of, if not the most important keys to success in video poker. You need to understand the paytables for each machine - understanding these will potentially allow you to maximize your winnings.
  
  
• Play each hand like a new game - Since you are playing a machine try and forget about the last hand played. The machine has no memory of the last hand - the random number generator assures this, so don't fret over what happened last hand - focus on the next.
  
  
• Practice makes perfect - the more you play the better you will be. Learning which cards to keep and which cards to discard is very important if you are to take full advantage of the payout tables. If you use your knowledge consistently i.e. utilize a strategy, it will help assure that you will meet the payout percentages of a particular machine.
  
  
• Never keep a kicker with any pair. Holding a kicker to any pair reduces your return by 5%.
  
  
• Never draw four cards if you can draw three to a royal flush.
  
  
• Always keep five card winning pat hands with one exception: if you can, draw one card to a royal.
  
  
• Don't break a flush even if you can draw one to a straight flush, but always break a flush to draw to a royal.
  
  
• Never break a straight to draw to a straight flush.
  
  
• Never draw five if you have a jack or better.
  
  
• Don't keep a ten for a four card draw.