Regardless of what advantage the casino has in a video poker machine, any of its variations will be characterized by inconsistency and unpredictable results. This is true not only for video poker as such, but also for other gambling games, but this is where it is especially noticeable.
Thus, when applying for the role of a professional player, you need to be not only emotionally, but also financially ready for a long downstream. Sooner or later, the black streak will come to an end, and if you manage your bankroll correctly, you will be able to return what was lost, and even stay in positive territory.
First and foremost, do not approach the game lightly, do not rely only on luck, you need to work out your game strategy to automatism and successfully apply it in practice. Today, there are a huge number of practical guidelines that will determine the most optimal human behavior in a given situation.
Choosing the right game
Everyone knows that poker is presented in a fairly large number of varieties – this is the usual Hold’em, Omaha, as well as the more rare Stud or Oasis. These are varieties of classic card poker, and if you have any experience in these games, it will certainly be useful to you in the future, but a lot of new things await you. Only the combinations remain unchanged, other aspects of the game proceed according to a radically different scenario.
Your poker habits cannot be applied here, and below we will tell you why.
About combinations and cards
Most beginners experience a kind of trepidation towards aces, an openly biased attitude, which is very strange and is explained, more likely, by psychology than by game theory. Remember that in most types of this game an ace is definitely not the best card from the deck, and there are quite a few cases where the payoff for a pair of aces is the same as for a few jacks.
It is very difficult to make certain combinations in the presence of an ace, therefore in some cases it is better to get rid of them and keep the lower cards, which makes it possible to get much more chances of winning the game. This recommendation does not apply to those types of video poker where aces are bonus cards. Do not forget to study the rules of video poker before starting the game, because, most likely, aces are bonus cards and then it is better to keep them. Attentiveness and sober calculation.
What about kickers?
In professional slang, a kicker is a card that will not help to collect a combination directly, however, in theory, if the exchange of other cards is successful, your hand will be strengthened significantly. A serious mistake for beginners – a strong card (kicker) is not discarded immediately, but remains almost until the very end. The logic is simple – perhaps it will be useful later.
Thus, by using the kicker incorrectly, the player destroys his chances on his own, having received a strong or simply paid combination. Do not keep kickers, they “shoot” very rarely, pay attention to other combinations.
Newbies admit – subjectively it seems to them that for a pair of queens they will receive a payout more than for a pair of jacks, however, as we know from the paytable, these combinations are paid the same way. This explains why useful cards are discarded that form pairs in an attempt to collect “stronger” cards, which makes no sense.
Don’t forget about the opportunity to collect Royal Flash! In classic poker, the chances of getting Royal Flash are very small, but in video poker the chances are slightly higher – even more so if you have several cards that are needed for this.
Using these simple tips and gaining experience, you will be able to achieve enviable results and play in the black.