While we’re strong believers in the idea that live poker played in a tournament or friendly game is always better than video poker, the fact still remains that video poker is a very popular form of poker-playing. Playing against a machine may not be as satisfying as playing against other people, or a dealer, but it offers a certain level of convenience and comfort that is difficult to deny. That said, when watching live plays of video poker or talking to casual video poker players, it’s frustrating to see and hear the number of rookie video poker mistakes that occur. Especially considering that they’re simple mistakes, and easily avoidable.
If you’re interested in finding out how to avoid making these simple video poker mistakes, read on for the full article.
What is video poker?
There’s nothing complicated to understand about video poker. Video poker is poker played against a machine which generates random results instead of against other people. It’s something that rose in popularity with the emergence of online casinos. Most iconic online casinos, especially sportsbook casinos like Guts and Unibet, carry a video poker section with them. Players find video poker so appealing for two main reasons: 1. extremely high payout percentage, low house edge 2. most control over a casino game. Video poker comes with an incredible number of game variations that can seriously alter the payouts and style of the game. It might seem a little overwhelming initially, but most decent casino review sites like this one usually have a video poker guide that takes you the different varieties step by step.
The video poker guide should also tell you the difference between one variety and the next, and the different payout you might get from them. ‘Flexibility’ and ‘malleability’ are the two keywords which identify video poker the most, but that means that you have to do more reading up before playing than you would, say, with a video slot. Once you feel confident enough, you can turn to actual video poker real play.
And, then, maybe – even despite all the reading – you might still mess up. But that’s ok, everybody makes mistakes. Check out our top video poker mistakes down below to learn fast, and get back to playing.
Top video poker mistakes
1. Not betting the maximum amount (i.e. not betting 5 coins)
Doesn’t playing at max amount set you up for bigger losses? Usually, yes. With video poker, no. Playing the max bet, usually 5 coins, puts you in the running for also getting the maximum return i.e. the royal flush. Betting with 4 coins gets you a potential 1000 coins. Betting with 5 coins can get you a massive 4000 coins. Notice the exponential jump? It means that playing the maximum amount is increasing the return of the game, and decreasing overall house edge.
2. Going in with a bad strategy
This probably sounds a little redundant, like saying ‘don’t play badly and you’ll win’. What we mean is that, given all the different variations of video poker available, players typically use a strategy incorrectly by applying it to a version which doesn’t work with said strategy. It might seem superfluous, but a bad strategy can easily knock-off 1% or 2% from the payout percentage of your game. Make sure to look around on the internet for some decent strategy guides before making this mistake.
3. Not utilizing the arsenal of video poker online tools available
And we don’t even mean the practice modes. Since video poker is such a hugely popular casino game, a lot of online tools have been developed to make playing easier and more profitable for the player. There are paytable analyzers, dedicated forums, calculators – all easily ready at your fingertips. Why would you go in for a version of video poker which has a lower paytable than another version, if you could prevent it?
4. Focus, people!
Again, a little redundant sounding. But the problem with video poker, because it’s all automated, is that it’s easy to stop paying attention to the machine and just play hundreds of hands at a go. Stay focused, study the best hold options, and play your hand wisely. A little attention will go a long-way in safe-guarding your bankroll.
