If you’re completely new to the game or unaware of why it’s the best game, the following video will be helpful.

Not all video poker games are the same. There are many variations . Some games have an easier strategy than others. Some pay big bonuses for higher ranking hands but pay less on the more frequently dealt lower ranked hands. Some variations even use wild cards. But the vast majority, and the most popular games are based on the the original jacks or better.

The chart below illustrates the standard hand ranking for a basic (Jacks or Better) game.  The machine uses a regular 52 card poker deck.

Basic Play
Press the “Deal” button to begin a game and place your bet. You’ll randomly be dealt 5 cards from the 52 card deck.  The deck is constantly shuffled but the shuffling stops at the moment that you press the “deal” button.

Once you review the cards that have been dealt, you’ll decide which ones to hold and which ones will be replaced by the computer. To hold cards, simply press the “Hold” key or tap the appropriate cards on the screen if it is a touch display machine.

Now that you’ve made your selection of cards to hold, press the “Draw” button and the machine will randomly replace your discards from the deck.

Your win or loss after a particular hand will be determined by the value of that hand as posted on the pay table. The pay table displays the amounts that are paid per winning hand such as two pair, three of a kind, a full house and so forth.

It may be obvious, but the ability to hold and discard allows the player to have a say in the outcome of the game. That is, when you play video poker you can influence not only if you’ll win or lose but also how much a win would pay. Making the right choice is one of the most important thing to understand if you want to win.  The better you are at doing so the more money you will win.

So, making the right hold decision for every possible hand will give you the best chances of winning throughout your session but also the a better chance to win a jackpot – which is usually a Royal Flush.

Understanding different pay tables is also an important part of learning video poker. They vary not only between different games but often on the same game but on different machines. So, one Jacks Or Better machine may return 9 coins for a full house but another Jacks or better game in the same casino might only pay 8 coins for the same hand. Which one would you prefer to play?

To win consistently at at video poker you’ll need to play the right machine and use the right strategy for that particular game. The right machine is one that has the best pay table for the game that you’re playing. You should start off by learning the Jacks Or Better version of video poker. It’s the easiest strategy and one of the most commonly found games.

Don’t waste your money by just playing any video poker machine and then guessing at which cards to hold. You will lose. Video Poker is a game that can be beat fairly easily. All you need to do is understand the different pay tables and learn a basic strategy. But don’t practice in the casino. Learn at home, on your computer, before you go into the casino.

The best place to learn, practice and play video poker is at the Video Poker Page of Action Gaming. There you can play the same video poker games that you’ll find in the casino for free. It was developed to teach newcomers how to play and to allow experienced gamblers to test new games that will soon be found in the casino. Best of all it’s free and you can play anytime, 24 hours a day.

The post Learn Video Poker Basics Then Start Winning In The Casino appeared first on The Magic Gambler.

You won’t become a video poker pro but by using a few easy rules instead of guessing, you’ll be able to play longer, win more often and rack up a ton of points on your player’s card.  These simple rules are perfect if you’re going on vacation or if you just go to the casino once in a while.  And you can practice what you learn here, any time for free here: Practice Video Poker from TheMysticGambler.com.

Start by simply looking for any video poker machines that are called jacks or better. If you don’t see a jacks or better stand alone machine, you’ll often find it as a selection on most Game King machines. The strategy will also work for the game called Bonus Poker, but look at the pay table and make sure that when you get to pair that you’ll double your bet. So for a five point bet you’ll win 10 credits when you get two pair. For now, avoid any game that doesn’t double your bet when you win on two pair.

Playing the game is easy. You just bet one to five coins and the machine will deal you five cards. Then you’ll choose which cards to hold and which ones to throw away. The machine then deals cards to replace what you threw away and pays you, according to the value of your hand.

You’ll sometimes get a winning hand on the first deal. If you do, the machine will let you know by making a sound, and highlighting the winning hand on the pay table. When that happens, hold the cards that make up the winning hand and throw away all the others.

If you’re dealt a pat hand – like a straight or a full house – hold all five cards.

Any winning hand could be dealt to you. Even a Royal flush. But the most commonly dealt winning hand is a pair of high cards. High cards are the face cards Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The others are called low cards. A pair of any high cards qualifies as a pair of jacks or better, and it is a winning hand.

Note: A pair of high cards is the lowest paying winning hand and it pays only even money – the amount of your bet.

If you’re not dealt a winning hand, look for a low pair. You don’t want to miss a low pair. A low pair is also a common hand and even though it doesn’t pay anything by itself, it’s one of the most improvable hands that you can be dealt. A low pair can easily convert to many winning hands like two pair, three of a kind,  a full house or or even four of a kind. However, if you have any four cards that are of the same suit hold them instead of a low pair.

Whether you have a low pair not, hold the four cards that are of the same suit if you have a non-paying hand. And the same is true if you have three or four cards that are part of a Royal Flush. Those are the only non-paying hands that are better to hold than a low pair.

Next, If you don’t have a low pair (or four suited cards), check to see if you have four cards to an outside straight. When you have four cards to an outside straight, there are eight cards in the deck that could complete the hand. For example, if you’re dealt 6, 7, 8, 9 it could be completed if you draw a five or a ten by finishing the straight on either side of the four cards. But never draw to an inside straight when playing Jacks or Better.

Holding a low pair is much better than holding one or two high cards regardless of whether the high cards are suited or not. So don’t be tempted by two high cards if you have a low pair. They look pretty but if you hold them instead of a low pair you’ll lose your money too quickly.

So that’s the basics. You just read a simple but powerful strategy that I hope you use. With a little practice you’ll be playing better than most video poker players, but most importantly, you’ll be able to  play longer and win more often.

Now let’s review what we’ve learned.

• If you’re dealt a winning hand, hold the winning cards and throw away all the others. Hold the money.

• Look for and hold low pairs unless you have four cards that are all of the same suit or three or four cards to a Royal flush.

• Holding a low pair is better than holding a four card open straight but hold the straight over two high cards and hold up to two high cards if you don’t have anything else.

• Finally, if you don’t have any high cards, throw all five cards away.

You’re now ready to practice video poker on your own. And if you learn better by seeing rather than reading, here’s a link to the YouTube Video.

Think lucky!

TMG

The post Easy Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy appeared first on The Magic Gambler.

If you’ve never played Jacks or Better video poker before or thought that learning the strategies would be too difficult, this technique is for you. It won’t make you a video poker pro, but by using these easy rules instead of guessing, you’ll be able to play longer, win more often and rack up a ton of points on your player’s card. It’s perfect if you’re going on vacation or if you just go to the casino once in a while.

And you can practice for free, anytime, at the Mysticgambler.com.

In the casino, simply look for any video poker machines that are called Jacks or Better. If you don’t see a Jacks or Better stand alone machine, you’ll often find it as a selection on most Game King machines. The strategy will also work for the game called Bonus Poker – but look at the paytable first to make sure that when you win with two pair that you’ll double your bet. So, for a five coin bet you’ll win ten coins when you get two pair. Avoid any game that doesn’t double your bet when you win on two pair.

You’ll sometimes get a winning hand on the first deal in Jacks or Better. If you do,the machine will let you know by making a sound and highlighting the the winning hand on the paytable. When that happens, hold the cards that make up the winning hand and throw away the others. If you’re dealt a pat hand, like a straight or a full house, hold all five cards.

Any winning hand could be dealt to you – even a Royal Flush – but the most commonly dealt winning hand is a pair of High Cards. High cards are the face cards Jack, Queen, King and Ace. The others are called low cards. A pair of any high cards qualifies as a pair of Jacks or Better and is a winning hand. A pair of high cards is the lowest paying winning hand as it only pays even money – the amount of your bet. Profitable winning hands begin with two pair.

If you’re not dealt a winning hand, look for a low pair. You don’t want to miss a low pair when playing Jacks or Better. A low pair is also a common hand and even though it doesn’t pay anything by itself it’s the most convertable hand that you can be dealt. A low pair can easily convert to the profitable hands of two pair, three of a kind, a full house or four of a kind. However, if you have any four cards that are the same suit, hold them whether you have a low pair or not. And also hold three or four cards that are part of a Royal Flush.Those are the only non-paying hands that are better to hold than a low pair.

Holding a low pair is crucial to winning at Jacks or Better. Keeping a low pair is much better than holding one or two high cards, regardless of whether the high cards are suited or not. The chances of a low pair converting into a profitable hand is better than just holding high cards, even though they look pretty.

So, lets say that you’re dealt a jack and a queen of hearts, a seven of diamonds, a seven of spades and and a nine of clubs. You would hold the two sevens (the low pair) and throw away the Jack, Queen and the nine. Yes, even though the Jack and the Queen are both hearts, and two cards of a Royal Flush, you throw them away when playing Jacks or Better. Your brain might fight you on this but the odds of converting the low pair to a profitable hand are better.

There is another hand that’s better than holding one or two high cards but still not as good as a low pair.  That’s four cards to an open (outside) straight. Look for a four card straight  if you don’t have at least a low pair. But in Jacks or Better you never draw to an inside straight.

With no low pair and no four card straight you can now look for the high cards. Hold any two suited high cards over two that are unsuited. If you happen to have three unsuited high cards, hold the lowest two.

If you don’t have two high cards to hold you can hold a single high card. However, there is a special two card hand  that’s a little better than holding a single high card.  That’s when you have a Ten that’s suited with a Jack, Queen or King.  Notice that the Ace isn’t included. Never hold  a suited 10 and Ace. You are better off throwing all your cards away – which is our final play. If you don’t have at least one high card, through all five cards away and get five new ones.

Watch for the video on Youtube so that you can see live action play and the decision making as it happens with each hand of Jacks or Better. And practice for free anytime at  the Video Poker site.

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