When online casino gaming officially launched in Ontario earlier this year, one game particularly caught the imaginations of Canadian gamblers. Video poker is more accessible than versions like Texas holdem, as it is played against the machine, not other gamblers. Yet it is also more strategic than casino games of pure chance such as roulette or slot games.
It’s not just in Canada that video poker is popular. It’s also one of the top trending games in the US, Australia and Europe, despite its slightly retro appearance – after all, the game has barely changed since its invention 50 odd years ago. If you love video poker and want to improve your win rate, there are plenty of ways to achieve just that.
Shop around for a full pay table
Sometimes, what you do is less important than where you do it. Before you start playing, check the pay table and make sure it is “full” – it’s easy to find with a quick internet search on Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, or whatever game you are looking at. If the pay table is anything less, find another casino. As we mentioned earlier, Canadian players are now spoilt for choice when it comes to trusted casinos offering the best games – there is a useful list at https://www.gambleonline.co/en-ca/casino/games/. Players in other locations such as US and Europe also have plenty to choose from, so there is no reason to play a video poker game with anything less than a full pay table.
Play max bets
Before we finish looking at pay tables, video poker is famous for its great returns when you play well – but only if you bet the max. You’ll see returns are significantly lower for smaller wagers, so this is one game where “go big or go home” is sensible strategic advice.
Strategy tips for Jacks or Better
We could spend a week talking video poker strategy for different games, especially when we get into ones like Deuces Wild, where there are wild cards to add to the equation. But Jacks or Better is the most popular video poker game, and it’s where most people start. The following very simple strategy rules are easy to remember and are in order of precedence. So for example, trying to make an inside straight if two or more cards are jacks or better takes precedence over holding a low pair.
- If you hold 4 to a Royal Flush or 4 to a Straight Flush discard the 5th and go for it, even if that fifth card provides a paying combination.
- It’s also worth risking smaller pairs and flushes if you hold 3 to a royal flush.
- Always try to make an open straight if it is one card away, or two cards away if two or more cards are jacks or better.
- Try to make an inside straight if two or more cards are jacks or better.
- Hold a low pair.
- If you have one card jack or better, hold it.
- If you have none of the above, have all five cards redealt.
