How To Win At Casino Video Poker

However, unlike slots, video poker offers players the incredible opportunity to use math and skill to actively influence the outcome.


If played with absolutely perfect strategy, certain video poker variations offer some of the highest payout percentages in the entire casino.

How to Identify a Winning Video Poker Machine

The casino adjusts its house edge entirely by changing the payouts for specific hands, usually the Full House and the Flush.


A '9/6' machine pays 9 coins for a Full House and 6 coins for a Flush, yielding an incredible 99.54% Return to Player (RTP).

Always play 'Max Coins' (usually 5 coins); the payout for a Royal Flush jumps exponentially when playing the maximum betIf you cannot afford to play 5 coins at the $1 level, drop down to the $0.25 level so you can afford the maximum betNever sit down at a '6/5' Jacks or Better machine; the casino has increased its edge dramatically to steal your money
Using a Basic Strategy Card

Playing based on 'gut feeling' or superstition will instantly destroy the incredibly low house edge you worked hard to find.


Casinos legally allow you to hold a printed strategy chart in your hand while playing video poker; they do not consider it cheating.

The Hand DealtThe 'Gut' DecisionThe Perfect Math DecisionHigh Pair + 4 to a FlushKeep the guaranteed PairDiscard the pair, draw for the Flush3 to a Royal FlushKeep the high cardsKeep the 3 Royal cards, discard the rest

Video poker is a game of patience, repetition, and strict adherence to a predetermined mathematical chart.