This is for all Video Poker players who stray from optimal strategy. They do this to help hit the Video Poker Jackpot of a Royal Flush. In some Joker Poker, they aim for a 5-of-a-kind.
It’s not fair, is it? So many players are hitting “Royals,” and some of us haven’t hit one. It’s tempting to keep two or three cards to the “Royal” when the strategy says “ney, ney.” Your bankroll will eventually be lost. This will occur if the play isn’t part of the optimal strategy for that game and paytable.
Video Poker Can Be A Grind
Let’s face it, there are casino games like craps. It’s a social game where the most fun in the casino seems to take place. High fives all around. Win or lose, everybody’s in it together. Ultimately, the outcome is based on a roll of a dice, which is purely random.
But playing Video Poker can be a grind. Playing solo using an optimal strategy is why many of us enjoy video poker. The video poker player, quietly and methodically, combines mathematically based strategy to whittle away at the house’s edge. The correct strategy for the game you choose to play increases the player’s ability to decrease the house edge. Without the patience, focus, and persistence to use that strategy, mistakes will make that house edge closer to slot machines.
What is a Royal Flush?
Simply put, it’s A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. It can be dealt to you, but usually the draw completes it. There are a total of 2,598,960 possible draw combinations to end your hand. However, only four Royal Flushes exist, one for each suit.
A Brief Explanation of Video Poker Play
Video poker is not like playing traditional poker. The hand hierarchy is the same – pair, two-pair, 3-of-a-kind, etc., but that’s pretty much it.
First of all, you aren’t playing against other players; there is no bluffing, checking, raising the bet, or “all-in.”
Second, you are trying to get the best hand possible to score credits. It’s simple. The machine gives you five cards. You choose which to hold and which to discard. The machine replaces your discards and pays you off according to the value of your hand.
It’s just you and the Random Number Generator in your machine. (Click on Video Poker Tips for New Players for more Rookie Tips.)
The Facts of Probability
Many recreational players seem to get impatient for the big prize. Recently, I heard a player ask, “Why follow a perfect strategy. Following your gut and taking a chance might ‘help’ the Royal Flush come up!” Well, here’s the answer to why you shouldn’t.
- Each event, just like any gambling wager, is separate from whatever occurred before or after it. The next button press is unrelated to the previous hand or the next hand.
- The probability of getting a Royal Flush dealt is one out of 650,000 hands. The truth is, anyone, even a trained monkey, can do that. Is it probable that it will occur around 650,000 hands – YES, but don’t count on it.
- The average number of video poker hands played by a recreational gambler is around 500 per hour.
- A Royal flush has a probability of being completed on the draw once in 40,390 hands.
- So, a Royal Flush should pop up once every 80 hours of play.
- For example, if your session is 4 hours long, it will take 20 sessions to get the Royal Flush.
Here is the important part. Probable doesn’t mean “it’s due.” Don’t expect a Royal after 40,000 hands. Probability means probable, not definite. This is the flaw of the “help the Royal” strategy.
Video Poker is all about reducing the house edge to lengthen your bankroll. A perfect strategy is mathematically designed to increase the probability of lengthening your bankroll. By lengthening your bankroll, you increase your chances of the bigger payoff hands appearing. This allows more hands to be played, which gives you a higher probability of snagging that Royal.
The Bottom Line
If you always try for the Royal Flush, you decrease the length probability of your session. It might slightly increase the draw for a Royal on that hand. However, how long will you be able to play using that strategy? ………the probability is more than 650,000 hands
So, stick to the optimal strategy. it. Even if you don’t get a Royal Flush, it will increase the probability of playing longer. You will lose less. You can also increase casino perks with more reward points, thereby increasing your Average Daily Theoretical.
Important Notes
- THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO VIDEO POKER TOURNAMENT PLAY.
- VIDEO POKER PROGRESSIVES may need a change in strategy when the progressive return has made the game a positive EV.
- One key rule is to almost always hold four to a royal. This is true even if it means breaking a made hand. The expected value is usually highest.
- Increasing the number of hands with multi-play games will, in turn, increase the number of overall hands you see per hour. Some multi-hand machines can go up to 100 hands at a time, with all the outcomes for a wager deriving from the decisions made from the same starting hand.
While you can’t change the odds per hand, you can increase how many hands you see. Many video poker machines have a plethora of 3-play, 5-play, and 10-play options. Some believe that a Royal Flush only counts in a single-hand game, as above. But last I knew, regardless of whether your wager is 5-cents, ten-cents, or a quarter, it still pays 4000 credits. The probability remains over 40,000 hands.
Multi-play games deal one hand. When you choose the cards to keep, it keeps the same cards for each hand. Then each final hand is independent with the same odds per hand. You get more total hands per hour. There is more exposure to less likely hands, like Royal Flushes.
If this sounds too good to be true, there is a trade-off. Multi-play games increase volatility. That means it increases swings in winning and losing dramatically. So, bankroll management matters. Multi-hand play requires a larger bankroll to ride the waves of volatility.
Important Notes
- THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO VIDEO POKER TOURNAMENT PLAY. VIDEO POKER PROGRESSIVES may need a change in strategy when the progressive return has made the game a positive EV.
- One key rule is to almost always hold four to a royal. This is true even if it means breaking a made hand. The expected value is usually highest.
- Increasing the Number of Hands with Multi-Play Games
While you can’t change the odds per hand, you can increase how many hands you see. Many video poker machines have a plethora of 3-play, 5-play, and 10-play options. Some believe that a Royal Flush only counts in a single-hand game, as above. But last I knew, regardless of whether your wager is 5-cents, ten-cents, or a quarter, it still pays 4000 credits. The probability remains over 40,000 hands.
Multi-play games deal one hand. When you choose the cards to keep, it keeps the same cards for each hand. Then each final hand is independent with the same odds per hand. You get more total hands per hour. There is more exposure to less likely hands, like Royal Flushes.
If this sounds too good to be true, there is a trade-off. Multi-play games increase volatility. That means it increases swings in winning and losing dramatically. So bankroll management matters. Multi-hand play requires a larger bankroll to ride the waves of volatility.
