First of all, keep in mind that the only thing that is the same for video poker and online poker is the ranking of the hands (which can be seen in the image attached to this post). In both games you want to get the best hand but the dynamics are different in each game.

In video poker you are playing by yourself on a machine that resembles a slot machine. You are dealt five cards and can choose to dispose those that do not help you get the winning hang, then you press the ‘Deal’ button again and receive a payout if your final combination was a winning hand.

In online poker you are at a table with other players, you are dealt hole cards (the number varies depending on the poker variation you are making. Your objective is not only to form the best hand, but to also bet your competitors out of their hands in order to win the pot.

The main difference is the fact that in video poker it is you and your bets combined with the results in the machine trying to form a winning hand, whereas in online poker it is you betting against your competitors in order to win the pot.

The strategy for both games should be different as the odds and the objective of both games differ. Later this week I will go into video poker strategy a bit more in detail as it was the main topic last week and hopefully I will also look over some online poker strategy in the near future if our readers show interest.

In video poker it is important to keep an eye on the odds but it is also important to focus on the game rules as there are several variations of video poker games that offer different rules for the bonuses and jackpots and tell you the hands you need in order to win.

If you are playing Jacks or Better video poker then the average return you can expect is 99.52 percent, however the best video poker odds are on full pay Deuces Wild video poker but this are a little bit harder to find because they offer a return of 100.71 percent with simple strategy and if you have perfect strategy your returns are increased to 100.77 percent.

With that being said, today we are going to look into specific odds in video poker and how to increase your chances of winning. In video poker you need to focus on the hands that you can actually get. For example, you would normally have a ratio of 42 percent on pairs. However, this is on any pair, not the specific pair that you need to win but this means that you still have the odds on your side when trying to get the cards you need.

Some strategy to keep in mind while playing video poker is that when you have a pair of two’s for example, you should keep that pair and try to go for a three of a kind or other type of hand. Even though the chances of winning with a non-winning pair are very low, this is better than just throwing away the entire hand, in my opinion.

I will try to talk about more specific video poker strategy in the next couple of weeks so that you can get the highest returns on your gaming.

Before playing any type of game you should be aware of what your chances are of winning. In poker what we need to look at are the chances for the poker hands. The odds in poker vary depending on whether there is a wild card or not and on whether you can have a pair be the winning hand or not. We estimate that about 1/3 of video poker games requires you to have two pairs or three of a kind to win and so the odds of these games do not favour the player at all.

In order to get two pair or three of a kind you might want to choose video poker games that come with a wild card. This is because without a wild card you are expecting to actually get three of the same card, which happens about 11% of the time in standard games. In video poker, for strategy purposes, you might want to stay with the games where the odds favor you more.

Tomorrow I will talk about what the specific odds are in video poker and how you should find your way around them. I will also discuss how good video poker is for those players more interested in making money than just the fun of the game.

If you are a fan of video poker, Silver Oak Casino is your new best friend.  Over the last few weeks we have posted several video poker strategy cards that show you how to play with flawless strategy, no thinking required!

Download the Double Bonus Poker Cheat Sheet in PDF

Double Bonus Poker Cheat Sheet

Today, I present to you the Double Bonus Poker Cheat Sheet.  If you have downloaded and used the other video poker strategy cards from the Silver Oak Casino blog, you may notice that the Double Bonus Poker Cheat Sheet is longer than the rest.  Why would that be?

Double Bonus Poker has a little twist the other games don’t have that makes the strategy a little more complicated (and the cheat sheet that much more useful!).  Let me show you what I mean.

Take a look at the order of winning hands in Double Bonus Poker (in order from biggest payout to smallest):

1. Royal Flush
2. Straight Flush
3. Four Aces
4. Four 2–4
5. Four 5–King
6. Full House
7. Flush
8. Straight
9. Three of a Kind
10. Two Pair
11. Jacks or Better

It looks just like the standard video poker pay table until you get to numbers 3 – 5.  Notice that four 2′s, 3′s, or 4′s beats four 5′s through Kings.  Weird, right?

This little quirk makes the strategy a little more complicated because it has to take that twist into account.  Even though this strange rule makes life a little more difficult, have no fear!  Just follow the strategy outlined on the cheat sheet and every move you make will be flawless!

As always, just follow these easy steps to use the strategy card:

1. Place your initial bet.
2. Click on “DEAL” to get your starting hand.
3. Now take a look at the cheat sheet. Based on the cards that you have, find the highest hand on the list.
4. Keep all of the cards listed in the hand you chose in step 3.
5. Click on “DRAW”

That’s it!  You have successfully played perfect video poker strategy.

If you enjoyed this video poker strategy card, you may also enjoy the Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategy Card, the Joker Poker Strategy Card, the video poker strategy exception, 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.

What’s the difference between playing Joker Poker with perfect strategy and playing Joker Poker with your “gut”?  $93 plus a 4 course steak dinner.

Allow me to explain…

The Video Poker Bet

I have a friend who is a professional poker player.  Let’s call him “Jimmy”.  I’m not exactly sure what qualifies someone as a “professional” poker player, but let’ just say he’s good enough to travel the world playing in poker tournaments for a living.

Last week I was telling Jimmy about the Video Poker strategy cards that I had been making.  I told him how I had figured out a video poker strategy for Joker Poker that allowed me to virtually eliminate the casino’s advantage altogether.

Since Jimmy had finished his poker playing for the day, winning several thousand dollars, and had begun celebrating with several glasses of wine, Jimmy felt a little cocky.  He clearly felt my video poker strategy could never stack up to his poker skills, even if video poker is a completely different game from poker altogether.

He was so confident, in fact, that he bet me a steak dinner that he could win more money in an hour playing Joker Poker than I could using my strategy.

The competition was on.

We each logged in to our accounts at Silver Oak Casino and started playing 25 cent Joker Poker.  I printed out a copy of my Joker Poker strategy card and Jimmy started playing with his gut.

The Results

After an hour of play, I was up $32 and poor old Jimmy was down $59.  Big win for video poker players!  While not exactly a scientific test, it’s a good indication that using this Joker Poker cheat sheet will improve your chances of winning at the online video poker machines.

Here is the exact same video poker card I used to beat Jimmy by $93 and win a steak dinner:

Download my Joker Poker Strategy Card in PDF

Once you have the Joker Poker cheat sheet in hand, download a free video poker game here and give it a shot:

Have you tried this Joker Poker strategy card for yourself? How did it work for you?  Win any steak dinners?  Let me know in the comment section below!

If you enjoyed this video poker strategy card, you may also enjoy the Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategy Card, how to double your video poker winnings, the video poker strategy exception, 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.

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.

Have you ever been playing video poker and wondered “should I keep this flush or take the risk and go for the straight flush?”  This Jacks or Better strategy card will be your new best friend.

Download The Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy Card in PDF

How to Use the Jacks or Better Strategy Card

Video poker is always played the same way.  You are dealt 5 cards (your starting hand).  You tgeb choose which ones of the 5 you wish to keep, and then receive new cards to replace the ones you decided to discard.

When you download the cheat sheet, you will see that it is basically a list of possible starting hands labeled 1 – 16.  These hands are ordered from the best (number 1) to worst (number 16) possible starting hands.

When you sit down to a new game of Jacks or Better video poker, have your strategy card ready.  When you are dealt your first 5 cards, look to the cheat sheet and find the highest possible hand listed which corresponds to your cards.  Choose to keep those cards, and then draw.  You will have made the best decision possible given the cards you were dealt.

Real World Video Poker Example

For example, let’s say you are dealt the following hand:

If I look at the strategy card, I see that the best hand I can make out of this is “two suited high cards” using the Jack and the Ace of hearts.  Two suited high cards is number 11 on the video poker strategy card.

Let’s look at another example.  Let’s say you are dealt the same cards, except the 8 and the 4 aren’t diamonds; instead, they are hearts:

You still have the same Jack and Ace of hearts, but now because you have 4 cards that are hearts, you can now make a hand that is ranked higher on the strategy card than the two suited high cards.  If you notice, due to the 4 hearts, you also have a “4 to a flush”, which is number 8 on the video poker strategy card, out-ranking the “two suited high cards”.

Every time that you are dealt your starting hand, simply look to the strategy card and figure out the highest ranking hand you can make with the cards you are dealt.  Keep those cards, and you will always have made the highest odds decision given the situation.

Final Thoughts

How has this video poker cheat sheet helped you? What other games do you want a video poker strategy card for? Let me know in the comment section below!

If you liked this video poker cheat sheet, you may also be interested in 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.

Some video poker terms can be confusing to new players, especially if they are unfamiliar with poker.  For those of you who are looking for a definition for any of those tricky video poker terms you are in the right place!

Video Poker Glossary

• Bankroll · The amount of money a player has to play with. As a player wins or loses during the game, his bankroll increases or decreases as well. See the article on how to manage your video poker bankroll for tips on keeping your bankroll healthy.
• Bonus · Some video poker machines offer a bonus if the player gets a certain hand during play.
• Cycle · A cycle is the number of bets a player should expect to make before making a specific hand.  This is calculated as an expected average number of bets that need to be made, and is not to be used as a steadfast rule.
• Deuces Wild · A common version of video poker in which all 2′s are wild cards.
• Full Pay · A full pay machine is one that pays out what is considered to be the appropriate amount for common hands.  The pay table is different for every machine, but for a Jacks or Better video poker machine, it should pay 9 credits for a full house and 6 credits for a flush to be considered a “full pay” machine.
• Gutshot Straight · A gutshot straight is a draw for a straight in which the card needed to complete the straight is one of the interior cards.  For example, if a player is holding a 2, 3, 10, 5, and 6, this would be considered a “gutshot straight” because the card needed to complete the straight is in the middle of the straight.  The player would discard the 10 in hope of receiving a 4.
• House Edge · The percentage advantage the casino has over the player in a certain game.  The house edge in video poker is generally very low, often less than 1%.
• Joker Poker · A version of video poker which uses a 54 card deck which includes jokers.  The jokers in this game are wild, meaning they can be substituted for any other card in the game.
• Pay Table · The pay table is the schedule of credits paid to the player for winning a given hand.  The pay table is usually displayed above the video poker machine’s screen.
• Payout · The amount the video poker machine pays the player when he wins a hand.  How much a player wins for each hand is displayed in the pay table.
• RNG · Random Number Generator.  The RNG is a piece of software used by the video poker machine to ensure that every game is completely random and fair.  The RNG decides which cards are dealt to the player on every turn.
• Short Pay ·Unlike “full pay” machines, short pay machines pay players less than what is generally regarded as standard for the game.  When possible, players are advised to avoid short pay machines and look for full pay machines in order to receive the best odds.

What other video poker terms do you want defined?  Post the video poker terms in the comment section below to have them defined by our team of video poker experts!

Now that you know all of the video poker terms, check out these articles to improve your game: online slots versus online video poker, how to double your video poker winnings, video poker myths, why video poker is better than poker, and 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.

Is it possible to make one deposit in a video poker machine and never run out of money for the rest of your life?

According to statisticians, it is, and it’s less than you might think!

Play Video Poker For The Rest of Your Life… On One Deposit

As previous video poker articles have pointed out, the odds involved in video poker are some of the highest of any casino game; some games even have an expected payout of over 100%, meaning that over the long run, the player is expected to win more than the casino!

Due to these extraordinary odds, it is entirely possible for you to make a deposit into a video poker machine and NEVER lose the deposit, even if you played that video poker machine for the rest of your life.

Risk of Ruin

So how much do you need to deposit before you have a good chance of never losing your bankroll?  The answer lies in how confident you want to be when making that deposit.  Do you want to be 50% confident, or 99% confident that your money will never run out?  The more confident you want to be, the more you must deposit.

Let’s look at an example.  You are playing Deuces Wild Video Poker.  To be 50% confident that your bankroll will never dry up for the rest of your life, you must make one deposit of 5305 times the minimum bet.  To put this in dollar terms, if you were playing a penny machine, you would need to deposit only $53.05 to have a 50/50 chance of never running out of money.

Let’s say 50% confidence is not good enough for you; you want to be 99% confident that you will never run out of money after your first deposit.  To be 99% confident, you must deposit 35,240 times the minimum bet, or only $352.40 to be almost 100% sure you can play that machine forever.

Don’t believe it’s true?  Download Silver Oak Casino and give it a shot!

Hint: If you use this video poker bonus code, you’ll get $50 free to play video poker with!

Think it’s true you can really play forever for only a few dollars or am I full of it?  Let me have it in the comment section below!

If you’ve decided you like video poker, check out these articles to improve your skills: online slots versus online video poker, how to double your video poker winnings, video poker myths, why video poker is better than poker, and how to manage your video poker bankroll.  For a list of all video poker strategy articles, see the video poker strategy page here on the Silver Oak Casino blog.

• Poker is difficult and complicated… Video Poker is easy and fun. When I start gambling, I want to enjoy myself.  Whenever I step up to the poker table, I’m confronted with 8 guys each sporting 7-11 sunglasses, half a bottle of 7-11 cologne, that have had 7-11 drinks too many.  This is supposed to be fun?  Then if I don’t know any chip-stacking tricks or forget to ante up on the small blind, I’m some kind of insignificant loser.  Who needs that kind of pressure?

• Video Poker has bonus codes. Sure, some poker sites have bonuses you can use but most of them are paultry compared to video poker bonuses.  Who needs a 19% bonus when you can get $777 free just for signing up at Silver Oak Casino?

• In Video Poker, I know my opponent. As stated above, the gents down at the local poker hall aren’t always my cup of tea.  When I come home to my trusty online video poker game, I feel like I’m a winner already.  Who needs pets when you have Jacks or Better video poker?

As you can see, I’m not much of a poker person.  Give me a new bonus code and a trusted video poker machine any day.

What do you think?  Am I right here or is poker the superior game?  Let me know in the comment section below!

If you’ve decided you like video poker, check out these articles to improve your skills: online slots versus online video poker, how to double your video poker winnings, video poker myths, using video poker bonus codes, and how to manage your video poker bankroll.  For a list of all video poker strategy articles, see the video poker strategy page here on the Silver Oak Casino blog.

When I first started playing online casino games, it was tough to decide where to start.  For example, I had a good idea what a slot machine was, and a general idea of what video poker was all about, but couldn’t decide which one was for me.

After many MANY hours of playing them both, I am writing this article in an attempt to make the similarities and differences between these two popular online casino games more clear.

How Online Slots and Online Video Poker are THE SAME

• Online slots and video poker both have the option to bet anywhere from 1 cent to hundreds of dollars per turn.

• They are both played on similar looking machines, making it easy to go from one to the other.

• They both use a Random Number Generator (RNG) to pick spins and hands to make the games fair and reliable.

• They are both extremely fun and addictive.

How Online Slots and Online Video Poker are DIFFERENT

• Online Slots have bigger jackpots than video poker.  Video poker usually has a jackpot (royal flush) of 4000 times your bet.  Online slots can have jackpots that pay out millions of times your bet.

• Online slots only require the player to put in money and spin, without much strategy involved.  Using proper video poker strategy can win you much more money than haphazardly making decisions at each draw.

• Online slots can be played on autopilot.  Video poker requires your attention for each hand played.

• Video poker has better odds than slot machines over the long run (most of the time).  In general, video poker odds range from over 95% to 101% payouts.  Online slots, on the other hand, have payouts ranging from 90% – 98% on the loosest machines.

• Casino bonus codes usually have a higher playthrough requirement on video poker games than online slots.

• You can play up to 100 hands at once in video poker and only one game at a time at the slots.

What other similarities or differences are there between video poker and slot machines?  Add to the conversation by letting me know in the comment section below!

If you found this article helpful, you may also like: video poker winning decisions, how to double your video poker winnings, video poker myths, using video poker bonus codes, and how to manage your video poker bankroll.  For a list of all video poker strategy articles, see the video poker strategy page here on the Silver Oak Casino blog.