In this guide, you will discover how to win at video poker and improve your chances of making a profit. Video poker is one of the most popular games at casinos because of its combination of skill and luck. It also has one of the lowest house edges of all games, and by following a few simple video poker tips, you can further reduce the house edge.
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How to Play Video Poker and Win
Video poker is somewhat of a hybrid between online slots and poker. You get the engaging visual elements and factors of luck as you do in slots, but there is also skill involved like in poker.
Several variations of video poker games can be played online and in brick-and-mortar casinos. In most popular versions, but not all, players are dealt five cards and select which to keep. Any cards they choose not to keep are discarded and replaced. The remaining cards make up the player’s final hand.
Despite there being several variations at video poker casinos, how to play video poker and win remains very similar for whichever variant you are playing. The aim in all the versions is to make the best standard poker hand from five cards. You can view the standard poker hands below.
Pair: Two cards of the same rank (most versions need to be at least a pair of Jacks or higher).
Two Pair: Two sets of pairs.
Three-of-a-Kind: Three cards of the same rank.
Straight: Five consecutive cards of different suits.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, not in sequence.
Full House: A pair and a three-of-a-kind.
Four-of-a-Kind: Four cards of the same rank
Straight Flush: Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Royal Flush: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit.
Some versions payout for certain pairs, but others, like Deuces Wild, have the lowest-paying hand as a three-of-a-kind. Some variants also have other paying non-standard hands, such as Five-of-a-Kind in Jokers Wild.
Learn How to Beat Video Poker Machines
As already mentioned, while winning at video poker involves luck, there are steps players can take both before and while playing to increase their odds of success. In this section, we provide five essential tips on how to beat video poker machines.
Tip #1: Learn About the Best Video Poker Odds
One of the most important things to do when learning how to win at video poker is to understand the odds and probabilities of hitting a winning hand. By learning the best video poker odds, you can employ the best strategy and increase your chances of hitting a paying hand.
Video Poker Hand
Odds
Royal Flush (without drawing cards)
1/650,000
Royal Flush (after drawing)
1/40,000
Five-of-a-kind (Jokers Wild)
1/220,745
Five-of-a-kind (Deuces Wild)
1/5,555
Four Aces + Kicker
1/16,236
Straight Flush
1/9,150
2s to 4s + Kicker
1/6,984
Four Aces
1/5,761
Four Deuces
1/4,909
2s to 4s
1/2,601
Four-of-a-Kind
1/423
Full House
1/90
Flush
1/85
Straight
1/80
Tip #2: Try Basic Strategies on How to Win at Video Poker
Implementing a basic strategy is essential to lowering the video poker house edge as much as possible. We will outline some of the most basic strategy tips below.
Hand
Action
Ready Combination
Stay, even if it is weak (unless you have a pair and you are one card away from a royal flush, in which case redraw one card)
Cards of the same suit or in sequential order
Redraw cards not in the flush draw or straight draw, even if these are face cards
Jacks to Aces of different suits
Keep the face cards and redraw the rest if there are no possible straight or flush matches
Nothing to match
Redraw all cards
Tip #3: Understand Video Poker RTP & Paytables
One way to know how to pick the best video poker machine at an offshore casino is to understand the RTP and paytables of machines.
RTP stands for Return to Player Percentage and tells you the average amount of money spent on a game that players win back. For example, a game with an RTP of 98% means that for every $100 bet on the game, the machine will pay out $98 over a period of time.
So you can tell what video poker has the best odds of winning by its RTP, the higher the percentage, the better your chances of making a profit. Paytables are also important to check out before playing, as this tells you
Tip #4: Consider Probabilities
To better understand how to win playing video poker, you need to know your chances of getting a hand. This is where probabilities come into play. Knowing the probability of hitting a winning combination helps you make informed decisions and play smarter.
We’ve already seen the odds of hitting hands in the table in tip 2, but these are the chances before any cards have been dealt. Knowing the odds of getting the cards you need from a redraw is probably more important. You can work out the odds fairly easily in video poker, as most games are played with a standard 52-card deck.
For example, if you are dealt a 4♥,5♥,6♥,7♥, or 10♦, you can easily calculate your chances of getting a straight, straight flush or flush. To get a straight, you need any 3 or 8. There are four 3s and four 8s, giving you a total of eight cards you can hit.
There are 47 cards remaining in the deck (52-5 in your hand), so your odds are 8/47 or just under 1/6 (around 17%). To get a flush, you need any of the remaining hearts, of which there are 9 left. So the odds are 9/47 or just over 1/5 (around 20%).
To complete the straight flush, you need one of two cards, either the 3♥ or the 8♥. This gives you odds of 2/47 or about 1/24 (around 4%).
Tip #5: Practice Games for Free
This one is the easiest to do out of all our video poker tips and tricks. It’s simply to practice for free before risking any cash. Luckily, many new online casinos allow members to play video poker for free in “demo” or “fun” mode. Remember, though, that when playing in these modes, any winnings you make have no real monetary value whatsoever.
In addition to playing in the free or demo mode, most online gambling sites offer their members a host of casino bonuses. With these bonuses, you can play without risking your own money, but winnings have the potential to be turned into real withdrawable cash.
Joe YarnoldEditorExpert InsightWhen playing video poker, implementing basic strategy that instructs you what cards to hold and redraw is essential. The RTP increases on average 4% to 5% when using basic strategy and can be as high as 7.6%. This can be the difference between a profit or a loss.
What to Avoid When Trying to Win at Video Poker
Now that you know our tips for playing video poker and the actions you need to take, it’s time to learn what not to do if you want to increase your video poker wins.
Chasing a Straight/Flush
It’s important to know what cards to hold in video poker. A common mistake beginners make is opting for a high-paying hand like a straight or a flush when they shouldn’t.
If you have three to a flush/straight and a pair (low or high), you should always keep the pair and not chase the higher-paying flush/straight.
If you have four to a flush/straight and a high pair, you should keep the pair (unless it’s four to a royal flush). If it’s a low pair, discarding it is the right move.
Keeping Kickers
Unlike standard PVP poker games like Texas Hold’em or certain live dealer games, kickers are not a thing in the majority of video poker games, and there is no need to keep one as it will not increase your chances of getting a higher payout.
For example, if you have 8, 8, King, and Ace, you should keep the three 8s and withdraw the King and Ace. Your payout doesn’t increase just because they are high cards, but it does go up if you hit another 8 and get four-of-a-kind.
Not Using the Five Credits/Coins
Most in-person and online casino video poker games use a coin/credit system, and players can bet with 1 to 5 credits. A game may set credits at $0.50, which means a 1-credit bet is $0.50, a 3-credit bet is $1.50, and 5 credits is $2.50.
Always play with five credits whenever you play because the payouts are different. For example, in Jacks or Better, a royal flush pays out at 250 to 1 for a one-credit bet but at 800 to 1 for a five-credit bet.
If betting with five coins isn’t within your means, change machines or games to one with a lower credit amount rather than playing with fewer credits.
Comparing Video Poker RTPs & House Edge
As we previously discussed, checking out the RTP and house edge is essential when trying to find out how to win at video poker. These tell you how much money, on average, is returned to players. The higher the RTP and the lower the house edge, the better your prospect of winning is.
Below are the RTP and house edge of five of the most popular video poker games. This table displays the machines’ maximum and minimum house edge if using a basic video poker strategy.
Video Poker Game
RTP
House Edge
Jacks or Better
99.54%
0.46%
Deuces Wild
100.76%
-0.76%
Jokers Wild
99.65%
0.35%
Bonus Poker
99.17%
0.83%
Double Bonus Poker
98.98%
1.02%
Video Poker Jackpots
Many online casinos provide jackpot games, and these variants are some of the best video poker games to play as they offer huge payouts. For example, a man in Vegas in 2023 won two $400,000 and a $200,000 video poker jackpot within 24 hours.
Jackpot video poker games typically feature progressive jackpots. These work by taking a small percentage of every bet made, usually around 0.5% to 2%, and adding it to the jackpot so that the more people play, the bigger the jackpot becomes. In video poker, the jackpot is typically triggered on a royal flush.
There are several jackpot variants of games, including Jacks or Better progressive, Double Doble Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild progressive, Triple Play Draw Poker, and more.
Other Useful Video Poker Guides On ReadWrite
If you want to know more about poker strategies, how to win at video poker Jacks or Better, or simply how to play this game, be sure to check out our other guides below.
How to Play Video Poker
Video Poker Strategy Guide
Jacks or Better Video Poker Guide
Can You Win at Video Poker?
Yes, you can win at video poker, and very few casino games give you as good a chance of winning as video poker. Without any strategy, the RTP of one of Jacks or Better is just below 95%, which is reasonably high. However, by implementing a basic strategy and using video poker tricks, the RTP is as high as 99.54%.
If you are ready to try out these tactics and start winning at video poker, there are several decent online casinos where you can play. Our recommendation is Wild Casino as it’s reliable, has some of the best video poker games and offers excellent casino bonuses.
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FAQ
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How do I consistently win at video poker?
Lots of people ask the question, is video poker profitable? The answer is yes, it can be, but it’s not guaranteed. You need to learn all aspects of the game, use basic strategy, play smart, and have some luck.
What cards should you hold in video poker?
You should always keep a paying hand, except if you have a pair and are one card from a royal flush. You should also almost always keep low pairs in most cases unless you have four to a straight or a flush.
Is it better to play video poker fast or slow?
Most people who fully understand how to win in video poker advise playing slow. If you play fast, you may miss things and make mistakes, like redrawing the wrong cards.
Should you hold a low pair in video poker?
In most cases, you should hold a low pair in video poker. The exceptions to this are if you have four cards of a straight or a flush or three cards of a royal flush. In these instances, discarding the low pair is the better choice.
Responsible Gambling
Responsible gambling is essential as it safeguards players and allows gambling to remain a safe and enjoyable experience. If players don’t gamble responsibly, they are at risk of developing a gambling problem, which can lead to financial distress, mental health problems, and strain on relationships.
To find out more about responsible gambling and seek help if you are affected by a gambling addiction, we recommend taking a look at the websites below.
https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/
Resources
https://turnto10.com/
https://www.math.utah.edu/~ethier/sample.pdf
https://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/
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