* Start small on the lowest denomination machine, especially if you haven’t played in awhile or you’re totally new at video poker. Some pros like the smaller machines as well just because you’re able to play for fun, longer, and not risk a serious amount of money.

* Take your time to study and analyze each hand. You’re playing against a machine, so it doesn’t really matter how long you take per turn since nobody is being forced to wait on you and you’re not under pressure from anyone else.

* When playing video poker, it’s easy to get ahead in the game at least some of the time by following some time-tested strategies.

* Use machines that pay 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush.

* If you opt for a progressive game that only pays out 8 coins for a full house, pick a machine where the jackpot is more than $250 on a nickel machine or $10,000 for the dollar.

* On a progressive video poker machine, make it a point to always bet the maximum number of coins. This will ensure you’re in the right position to win on royal flushes.

* If you can, use a casino slot card so that you get credit for all of the games you’re playing. You’ll earn some comp benefits even if you’re losing the hands. Finding out ahead of time what the comp value is always wise as well.

So what did he have to do to win the hundred g’s? It wasn’t easy. Father Trapp had to win a series of head-to-head Hold ‘Em matches, against competitors with a wide variety of experience. His first match was against fellow amateur, John Salley, a former NBA champ. When he dispatched the basketball star, he next sat down to play PokerStars pro Vanessa Rousso. Shockingly, he was able to take out the much more experienced player with a mix of aggressive play and some card luck.

But it was the next match that makes you wonder if there was some divine intervention. Father Trapp took on three-time WSOP bracelet winner, and one of the top poker pros in the world, Daniel Negreanu. Though he showed obvious signs of nervousness, Trapp held his own against Negreanu, and eventually won the match when his pair of 8s held up against a missed straight-draw. He’ll now have to wait until the show’s finale in November, where he’ll play one more match, with the winner of that one taking home a million bucks.

So what does he plan to do with his winnings? Donate it to his church, of course. He says he’s already handed over the $100,000, and if he wins the million dollar grand prize, that’ll be donated too.

Want to try your hand at some exciting poker action? Check out our selection of video poker machines right now. And if you’re not already a member at Silver Oak, get started right now!

You may remember a headline news story back in April of this year when Phillip Markoff (aka the Craigslist Killer) was arrested for murdering a prostitute he found on Craigslist.  Despite being on his way to being a doctor and a husband (he was in medical school and was engaged at the time), Markoff is now accused of robbing 2 different call girls and murdering a third.

While many people found it hard to believe that this clean cut med student would be capable of such heinous crimes, the evidence was quickly stacked against him.  Not only did investigators find video footage of him at the scene of the crimes, they found a bag containing the underwear of all three victims stashed underneath his bed.

It looks like Mr. Markoff may be going away for a long time.  That’s why, according to prison officials, Phillip Markoff has taken up poker to pass the time in the Big House.

“He plays every night”, according to to one source from the jail where  Markoff is being held.

I guess if you’re looking at decades in prison, it makes sense to take up a hobby.  But if you would rather learn how to play some video poker, you don’t have to be Markoff’s cellmate.  Check out this free video poker strategy guide right here on Silver Oak Casino to learn the ropes, then download a bunch of free video poker games by clicking on the big Play Now button below!

When writing this blog, we scour the globe internet for stories from the world of gambling that may be of interest to those who play here at Silver Oak Online Casino. But in all that scouring, this has to be the first time that we find a story that’s both interesting and relevant, in the pages of the “Faith and Reason” section in USA Today. But there’s a first time for everything…including, as it turns out, a first time for a poker-playing priest to be taking on both celebrities and poker pro Daniel Negreanu for a shot at a one million dollar poker pot.

According to the story, he’s Father Andrew Trapp, and he’s an assistant pastor at St. Michael Catholic Church in Garden City Beach, South Carolina. And he’s just one of the contestants on yet another poker reality TV show. And yes, there have been a lot of poker reality shows to appear on the tube, only to disappear in an underwhelming fizzle of low ratings, but this one might just be different.

It’s called PokerStars Million Dollar Challenge, and there’s a few wrinkles that might help the show actually attract some viewers. First of all, to qualify for the show you have to be good at poker, and have some viewer appeal. Those who place in one of the qualifying rounds of online poker aren’t automatically given a seat on the show. Instead, they have to submit a video audition, which is judged based on personality and an interesting back-story…like being a poker-playing priest for instance.

Now that Father Trapp has qualified, he’ll play in multiple rounds of poker, including one against celebrities like Super Bowl champ Jerome Bettis and former Playmate of the year, Jayde Nicole. Eventually, if all goes well for him, he’ll sit down for a game with a grand prize of $1 million bucks.

The first episode airs Sunday on Fox in North America, so you can tune in then to see if Father Trapp throws the keys to his church in the pot when he gets desperate. Or, even more intriguingly, to see if he gets paired in a heads-up match against a former Playboy Playmate. It could make for some interesting table banter.

Love the thrill of poker? Try out one of our big selection of the most exciting and popular video poker machines right here on Silver Oak.

Lots of people have become very famous by starring in popular reality shows: Richard Hatch from Survivor, all those Kardashian sisters from their self-named show, Heidi & Spencer from The Hills, Rob & Amber from every single reality show on TV, even Paris Hilton from The Simple Life (with an assist to her self-shot, night-vision slice of reality, of course).

And yes, we can all agree that most of those semi-lebrities don’t really have any talent. But one thing we can say is that at least they were forced to do some interesting stuff on their assorted reality shows. Whether it’s cat-fighting in the Hollywood hills, eating giant bugs or running around naked in Samoa, the shows that made them famous had some pretty good entertainment value. But what about a reality show that just points a camera at people as they engage in some online gambling?

I love playing casino games online. And I love reality TV. But I really, really never thought anyone would try to put the two together. And yet, things are just about to start rolling in The Rounders House. It’s a Big-Brother-esque idea, where people live on-camera in a house 24/7. And what do they do to entertain viewers? They play online poker. And…well…that’s it. We get to watch a bunch of people sit at their computers and click their mouse every now and then. I’ve done lots of online gaming, and let me tell you, there is not a whole lot of entertainment value there. I might eat some chips and salsa or have a beverage now and then and that is about it.

Of course maybe there will be some interesting extracurricular stuff going on in the house. The first person to qualify for a spot in the house earned it by winning a tournament on a site called “Reefer Poker”. Which might tell you something about the types of people who will be on the show. Which is just another reason why I think I’ll pass on the Rounders House qualifying tournaments, and just stick to video poker right here at Silver Oak.

When the Borgata casino in Atlantic City recently hosted a women-only poker tournament, things didn’t quite turn out the way the casino planned. A man defied tradition, if not the law, and entered the tournament as the only man in the 270 player field. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, he won.

The party-pooper’s name is Abraham Korotki and he’s a pretty experienced and skilled player, having previous victories on the WSOP circuit. On that fateful day, though, he’d busted out of an earlier tournament at the casino. But instead of playing a cash game, or waiting for another open tournament to come around, he decided to forgoe general decency and tradition, and play against the ladies.

After several hours of poker, Kortki wound up heads-up against one last player, a woman named Nicole Rowe. She asked him to “chop” the pot, meaning they wouldn’t finish the tournament, but instead split the 1st and 2nd place prize. Her reason? She needed every cent she could get to help pay her living expenses while she recovers from cancer. The chivalrous Korotki refused her request and when he eventually beat her, took the entire winner’s pot all for himself.

It does raise the question of whether casinos are actually allowed to offer gender-specific tournaments. And, according to the law, they can’t. Despite it being unenforceable legally, in the vast majority of cases players respect the women-only rule and don’t play where they’re not welcome. But not Mr. Korotki.

Hey, looking for some exciting poker action without any rules about who can and can’t take part? Then choose one of our online video poker games and play a few hands. And if you’re not already a Silver Oak player, take a second and download our free software. Just hit the blue button to get started.

In my opinion, choosing the right online video poker machine is sort of like picking a pizza. Everyone likes something different, but hey, they’re all pretty tasty. Truth be told, I’ve never met a video poker game I didn’t like. Well, there was that one 4am session in Vegas with a mean-spirited Double Bonus Poker machine in a lounge at the Rio where I lost twenty bucks in about a minute, but I blame all the giant margaritas for that one.

Joker Poker is one of the most popular poker games at Silver Oak and it’s easy to see why. First of all, as the name would imply, this game uses a 54 card deck containing two jokers which play as wild cards. What that means is that you hit a lot more big hands than you do with a regular machine. Of course that also means that the pay table is adjusted accordingly, but you can still do pretty well when you nail that full-house. In fact, Joker Poker has the second best odds of any video poker machine, and is one of the best bets in the casino.

Of course, to get those great odds, you should use proper strategy when you play. Easy to say, tough to do, right? No way. We want you to get the most bang for your buck which is why we’ve prepared a Joker Poker cheat sheet with all your proper plays laid out in an easy-to-use way. Just keep it beside you as you play and you’ll never make a wrong move again. Well, unless you decide to screw the proper strategy on the occasional hand as you shoot for the monster payoff of a Royal Flush. Hey, you can’t always play by the rules.

Want to give Joker Poker a try? Then get started right now!

If you’re someone who likes to scour online casinos looking for the video poker game with the best odds, look no further. Bonus Deuces Wild features the lowest house odds, and that means you’ll win more when you play!

Like with all our online video poker games, the basic rules of Bonus Deuces Wild are super easy to learn. You’re dealt a hand of five cards. You choose how many you want to hang onto, anywhere from zero to all five, then re-deal. Then you win different amounts based on the best poker hand you were dealt. In Bonus Deuces Wild, like the name implies, 2′s are wild, which makes it easier to hit lots of big hands. There is some strategy to learn about what hands you should be trying for. It’s pretty easy though, and you can get all the basics with our free cheat cheat, available here.

If you prefer your video poker action fast and furious, then be sure to check out the multi-hand option available in this game. The idea is that you can play up to 100 hands at once, instead of just one. When you play multi-hand, you’re still dealt the original hand of five cards. You then choose which cards to hold onto, and which to discard, then hit the “Deal” button for the re-deal. At that point, the game deals you out the number of hands you’re playing. So if you’re playing 25 hands, for example, you’ll receive 25 re-deals on your single hand. It’s just as easy to play as single hand, and can pay off with some truly enormous wins!

So if you want a game with the best payouts, and options to play as fast or slow as you want, check out Bonus Deuces Wild. Good luck and have fun!

Maybe justice really is blind. For years now, various parties have been involved in various legal fights throughout the US, as the legal establishment tries to create a clear definition of what exactly poker is. Depending on which side of the fence they’re on, these parties have been trying to either have poker declared a game of skill, paving the way for greater legalization, or declared a game of chance, and one that is so terrible that playing it will be punishable by being locked in a cell with Phil Hellmuth for a year.

Finally, in the last couple years, sanity seemed to be reigning. In a couple different cases, a few notable rulings seemed to indicate that the legal system was leaning towards viewing poker as a game of skill. The argument being, of course, that if some players can consistently win at poker, which of course they can, that the game features more skill than luck. If poker truly was a game of chance, then why are there poker pros, who consistently win bracelets and make it to final tables?

But in that case of Colorado engineer, Kevin Raley, a judge just threw out a jury’s earlier ruling and declared poker a game of chance, and thus, a game that should be considered gambling. In another case, a judge made a similar ruling last week, even disallowing expert testimony at trial that would have argued poker’s merits as a game of skill.

With the legalization of poker being argued at the highest levels of US government, these recent rulings are poorly timed, at least if you favor the game’s legalization. Will they have an impact on US legislators, as they decide which way to vote on an upcoming bill in support of legalized poker? Only time will tell.

At Silver Oak, we offer a whole lot of different types of online video poker. Yes, there’s a lot of luck involved, but that just means that even if you don’t know how to play, you can still win a nice juicy jackpot! See all our video poker games, or start playing right now!

Tomorrow night, Bachelorette Jillian Harris will finally decide between her final two suitors. The twenty-nine year old interior designer will have to choose between chemistry and stability, between raw physical attraction, and a good, safe choice, between Kiptyn and Ed. Her final gamble will be the ultimate game of pick ‘em, as she makes a decision that will affect her for the rest of her life…or, if past seasons of the Bachelor/Bachelorette are any indication, more like a month or two.

Of course, this being reality TV, rumor has it that a huge surprise is in store for us drama-hound viewers. There’s even some speculation that Reid, who was eliminated last episode, may make a surprising return…forcing Jillian to re-examine her motivations for sending him home in the first place. Of course, nothing is confirmed. And the only way we’ll get answers is to tune in to the big, no doubt tear-soaked, finale tomorrow night.

By now, you probably have an idea of who she should choose. And if you’re so good at picking the winner between two choices, you should try our online video game Pick ‘Em Poker. It’s a unique, easy-to-play and exciting poker game that relies on nothing but chance and gut instincts, as you pick between two poker hands where you can only see the top card. Think you can pick ‘em better than a bachelorette? Then why not:

If you are a video poker veteran (or have read the video poker strategy articles on this blog) you are undoubtedly familiar with the video poker rule of thumb: always play maximum coins for the best odds.  Always.

You also may be aware of the difference between a full pay and a short pay video poker machine.  For those of you who aren’t familiar, a full pay machine pays what are considered to be standard odds for the game.  This is in contrast to a “short pay” video poker machine, which pays out players at lower odds.

For example, a full pay Jacks or Better video poker machine would pay you 9 times your original bet if you get a full house or 6 times your normal bet if you get a flush.  A typical short pay machine will generally pay you 8 times your bet for a full house or 5 times your bet for a flush.  This small difference in payout can have a significant impact on the odds of the game.

A Video Poker Quandry For The Ages

So what do you do if you find yourself in the following situation?

You have the choice to either play a SHORT PAY nickel machine, playing 5 coins every time, OR you can play on the FULL PAY quarter machine, playing 1 coin each time?

In other words, which is more important to the odds of the game, playing a full pay machine or playing 5 coins at a time? 

The answer may surprise you….

It turns out that over time, playing the full pay machine with one coin will always be your best bet.  In fact, playing the full pay machine with 1 coin will yield 50% better results over the long haul.  So the next time you are presented with the option, always take the full pay machine!

If you enjoyed this video poker strategy article, you may also enjoy the Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategy Card, how to double your video poker winnings, video poker myths, the video poker glossary, or video poker risk of ruin.  For a list of all video poker strategy articles, see the video poker strategy page here on the Silver Oak Casino blog.

Due to the popularity of our jacks or better video poker strategy card, we decided that our readers would love this one as well: the Deuces Wild Video Poker Cheat Sheet.

Since all of the video poker games have a unique set of rules, the best strategy to use for Deuces Wild Video Poker is much different than all other forms of video poker out there.

Download the Deuces Wild Strategy Card in PDF

The Deuces… They’ve Gone Wild!

Unlike Jacks or Better video poker, all 2′s are wild in Deuces Wild (hence the name), meaning they can substitute for any other card in the deck.  In other words, f you have at least one 2 in your hand, you are guaranteed to have at least a pair.

As you can see, having the 2′s is key to making big hands in Deuces Wild Video Poker.  Because the 2′s become so important to Deuces Wild strategy, the cheat sheet is broken down into 4 sections: four 2′s, three 2′s, two 2′s, one 2, and no 2′s.  By dividing the strategy card in this manner, you can quickly find the perfect play on the cheat sheet for your situation.

How To Use the Deuces Wild Cheat Sheet

Using the Deuces Wild strategy card is exactly the same as using the Jacks or Better strategy card.  All of the hands are ranked from the best hand to the worst hand on the cheat sheet.  All you have to do is find the highest hand on the cheat sheet, and choose to keep the corresponding cards through to the draw.

Here is a step by step breakdown:

1. Start playing a Deuces Wild video poker machine and receive your starting hand.
2. Once you have your hand, check how many 2′s you have.
3. Look to the corresponding section of the strategy card.
4. Find the highest ranked hand.
5. On the video poker mahine, choose to keep the cards that make that hand.
6. Click on “DRAW”.

That’s it!  You have made the best possible move based on the cards you were given to start the game.

For an illustrated walkthrough of how to pick the best hand, see the Jacks or Better video poker cheat sheet post.

What games would you like a strategy card for? Let me know in the comment section below and the top suggestions will be made into a free downloadable cheat sheet!

If you enjoyed this video poker strategy article, you may also enjoy online slots versus online video poker, how to double your video poker winnings, video poker myths, the video poker glossary, or video poker risk of ruin.  For a list of all video poker strategy articles, see the video poker strategy page here on the Silver Oak Casino blog.