How to Simplify Video Poker Strategy
Video poker is a great Jackpot Capital online casino game. A lot of gamers go straight to video poker after they accept their Jackpot Capital casino signup bonus! However, there are also gamers who shy away from both video poker and blackjack because they are both games of skill that require correct strategical decisions on every hand!
These Jackpot Capital casino gamers prefer playing slots.
In this article, we will try to simplify the strategy behind gamers’ decisions in video poker. If we succeed in simplifying the stupefying strategy in video poker, we feel that a lot more gamers will make video poker one of their favorite games!
There are Basically Two Types of Video Poker
Most people play a variation of Jacks or Better. The other type of video poker is the game with wild cards. Deuces Wild is the most common form of video poker with wild cards.
The hands that pay out differ greatly in these two types of video poker. As a result, there are hands we keep in Jacks or Better that are not valuable in Deuces Wild.
Betting the Maximum
In Jacks or Better, there is a 4000 coin bonus for getting a Royal Flush. You have to bet the maximum in order to qualify for that big bonus. The bonus in Deuces Wild is much smaller.
Most gamers bet the maximum in Jacks or Better but some players with a limited bankroll choose to bet less than the max. The best strategy is vastly different in Jacks or Better if you bet less than the maximum.
Here we will talk about Jacks or Better while betting the maximum.
Sign Up Now!
Simplifying Jacks or Better
First, we have to realize that most hands are not worth keeping at al. A hand with no high pair, no chance for a straight or a flush, and no other possible combination is more common than the next “worst” hand which is three cards to a straight flush.
Here is exactly where the best Jacks or Better strategy gets wound up in knots. It is a lot easier to think of a hand with no value at all being the bottom of the list followed by a single high card.
Forget the three to a straight flush since it is rare and you will probably not keep those three cards anyway!
Which High Card is Most Valuable?
The answer is that from Jack to Ace, all of these high cards are of equal value! If you have a pair of tens, they are worth less than a high card since the pair of tens is a losing hand but a high card can be paired into a winning combination.
If you have a pair of tens, you should keep it unless you also have a high card! In that case, keep the high card. With a pair of tens, there are two cards out of 47 that can give you a winning three of a kind. With a high card, there are 3 cards out of 47 that can give you a winning pair.
At this stage, it is important to understand that most hands in video poker will be played at this very low return to player level. Straights and flushes and better hands are not exactly rare but they are also not exactly common.
What to Do about Suited Cards?
If neither is a high card, they are functionally useless and you should discard them. If one is a high card, you should keep it and discard the other unless it is a ten.
Now we get to Royal Flush chasing. If you have two suited cards that can be used to make a Royal Flush and you have no other combination that offers even a glimmer of hope, you should keep both suited cards. If the lower of the suited cards is a nine or less discard it.
When we can, and when we have nothing better, we should go after the Royal Flush even though it is a rare bird indeed!
Even though there are many variables in suited cards, they are all functionally the same. Two high suited cards are good for a rare but possible Royal Flush. One suited high card is a keeper and the other, lowe card shoud be discarded.
What Do You Do with Three to a Hand?
Here, the best strategy is to use common sense. Three to a flush is a lot better than three to a straight. An outside straight is better than an inside straight. A straight flush is better than either lust a straight or just a flush. Three of a kind is better than three to any other combination including three to a Royal flush.
That’s because you have a better chance to turn three of a kind into four of a kind than three to a straight flush into a straight flush!
If your hand is better than three to a winning hand, you should use common sense and go for the top flush as much as possible.
How Do the Wild Cards Affect Deuces Wild?
First, the lowest paying hand is three of a kind. Anything less than a pair is not worth keeping. All pairs are the same value since the pair is a loser unless you can turn it into three of a kind or better.
If you have no deuces and a high card, discard all five cards. A high card is worth less in the hand than a deuce that is still in the deck!
Never discard a deuce!
Many players prefer Deuces Wild over Jacks or Better. It has a lot more pizzazz. There is some statistical analysis that says that the return to player rate in Deuces Wild with absolutely perfect strategy is a small fraction above 100%!
Have Confidence in the Statistical Analyses
Video poker has been studied by high-powered computers. The strategy charts that are available are accurate. Unfortunately, the video poker strategy charts that we have seen are not so easy to figure out. It was for that reason that we have tried here to simplify the strategy for this excellent online casino game.
Have Confidence in Jackpot Capital
As much as we encourage video poker players to have confidence in the best strategy even when it seems counter-intuitive, we urge all gamers to have confidence in Jackpot Capital Online Casino! We do everything we can to make your online gaming experience intuitively great!
JOIN JACKPOT CAPITAL CASINO NOW!
