Though Texas Hold ‘Em undoubtedly holds the top position when it comes to popularity these days (thanks to the World Series of Poker mainly), there is no doubt that video poker is one of the most loved versions of poker there is. When you first look at a video poker machine, you may mistake it for a slot machine – especially if you are a beginner. Unlike slots, however, video poker requires skill from a player on top of the luck factor. In order to win at video poker, you need to know certain rules as well the ranks of the different hands.
The first thing you must bear in mind when playing video poker is that you’re not playing against other people. It’s only between you and the machine. Now, this can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on your point of view. In any case, the aim of the game is to obtain a winning hand. There is no place for bluffing in video poker.
To start a game, you normally put coins or tokens into the video poker machine. You’re then dealt 5 cards in a random fashion. These cards are dealt from a deck of 52 cards total. You’re then given the chance to either hold or discharge any or all of the 5 cards you were dealt. To hold a card, you need to press the “hold” button. If you want to change the card, then you do not have to do anything. Once you have made your decision for all the 5 cards, then you have to press deal. You will then be dealt new cards to replace those that you have chosen to discard.
You will know if you have won based on the pay table. The video poker machine will display this. In video poker, the hand ranking is as follows (in order of the highest to the lowest):
1. 5 of a Kind
2. Royal Straight Flush
3. Straight Flush
4. 4 of a Kind
5. Full House
6. Flush
7. Straight
8. 3 of a Kind
9. Two Pairs
10. A Pair
If you’re playing a video poker game which requires Jacks or better, then your pair should at least be Jacks. Playing at a Jacks or Better machine would be to your advantage as the pay out is always better. However, not all Jacks or Better machines offer what is called “full pay”. In full pay video poker, the odds are 9/6. This means that if you play with one coin, you will get 9 coins back for a full house and 6 coins back for a flush. Of course, the better the hand you hold, the more coins you win.
Remember, when playing video poker, you need some basic knowledge about regular poker. Yet do not make the mistake of thinking that video poker is the same as the regular game.
