Video Poker - The Fundamental Truth

Let's face it; some people are a little intimidated about playing poker in a casino environment. It is a lot different than playing at home, or around the neighborhood, not just because you are playing against strangers, but because it is also in surroundings that are not necessarily built for your comfort. There also folks who just don't like playing around others, regardless of the game.

Maybe that's why a lot of people love to play video poker in a land-based casino, because they can do it alone, just like a slot game, and there is a payout schedule that works on a fixed scale; in other words, you know what the hands that pay the most are and you can aim your strategy to pursue that objective.

And there is a big difference between playing table poker and video poker. You see, you are not matching up against other players, in a dynamic by which even if you don't play very well by your own standard, you can beat the other players if they are not as good as you. In video poker, you have to be skillful or very lucky, because you are playing against the house.

Video poker works a little different than a game of five-card draw in the respect that Three of a Kind often pays the same, whether you're talking about three Queens or three fives. So you have to train yourself under circumstances like that to disregard appearances, so to speak. You also don't want to keep something called a "kicker," because it doesn't mean anything to have an Ace along with your pair or two pairs. Remember, in video poker you are not playing against others, so it's not a matter of two players having the same hand, with a kicker being a tie-breaker of sorts.. We'll go even one step further and tell you that when you hold onto the kicker you are actually giving yourself less of an opportunity to improve your hand. So it is not a productive move.

What you want to do in video poker is always work toward making your hand better, whether it is by attaining Three of a Kind, Four of a Kind or a full house. And there are times when you may have to break up something that looks like a possibility, like a pair, for the chance to make a straight or a flush. This fundamental understanding is critical to playing successful video poker.