Video poker Information
My Video poker Information Blog

Riverboat casinos were first legalized in Iowa in 1991 and their popularity has increased dramatically since that time. At first, gambling on riverboat casinos was limited to $5.00 bets and a maximum loss of $200.00 for each cruise passenger. Riverboat casinos gradually moved to Illinois and Mississippi, where there were no limits and casinos were open 24 hours a day. In 1994, riverboat casinos were introduced to Missouri, the last state to legalize riverboat casinos.

Riverboat casinos are legal in six states, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri. They resemble the grand riverboats of the past; however, they seldom leave the shore and remain at dockside. The Mississippi riverboat casinos must be permanently docked, with gangplanks from the shore to the casino. Some riverboat casinos, ″boats on moats,″ are large barges with casinos on deck, designed to float on pools adjacent to the river. The majority of the riverboat casinos operate on the Missouri, Ohio, and Mississippi rivers, with the exception of Illinois, which allows them on the Des Plaines, Ohio, and Illinois rivers, as well. Each state has its own gambling restrictions for riverboat casinos, including number allowed, types of games, admission charges, number of hours spent in cruising, and amount of gambling time allowed.

There are a variety of games on riverboat casinos, including blackjack, craps, roulette, poker, slots, and video poker, as well as frequent shows, featured performers, dinner, and dancing. Some popular riverboat casinos include the Argosy VI in Indiana, with 2,300 slots and 80 table games for over 4,000 passengers; the Grand Victoria Casino in Illinois; the Ameristar Casino in Missouri, with the largest floating casino floor in the world; and the Mississippi Belle II in Iowa. The Tunica Queen, a 3-deck riverboat casino featuring afternoon and evening gambling cruises, is very popular in Mississippi. One of the newest riverboat casinos is L’Auberge du Lac in Louisiana, a single-level deck, with 30,000 square feet of gambling space, 60 table games, and 1,600 slot machines. Another well-known riverboat casino in Louisiana is the Treasure Chest, featuring 1,000 slot machines and several types of poker games.

Riverboat casinos add millions of dollars in revenue to the economy of each state, as well as providing employment for thousands. Although natural disasters affect the riverboat casinos each year, gaming developers and individuals contribute to rapid reconstruction and reopening. There remains a bright future for riverboat casinos because of their convenience, reasonable prices, and inexpensive entertainment.

What you see isn’t necessarily what you get, at least when it comes to poker star Mike ″The Mouth″ Matusow.

Some people know only the guy they see on TV and many of them think Matusow is a just plain jerk, or, as one writer put it, asshole.

Others, including ″The Mouth″ himself, swear he’s the greatest guy on earth — as long as you don’t mess with him.

Unfortunately for World Poker Tour TV producers, Matusow was eliminated in 48th position from the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic at Bellagio on Sunday as the field was whittled from an original 583 to 33.

He won’t be at the Finals Table when tape rolls Tuesday night.

Matusow is one of the highly popular Travel Channel series’ main atrractions and Sin City is his turf.

Colorful and controversial, Matusow pulls in viewers much like Marshall Holman did during the Professional Bowlers Tour’s ABC-TV heydays.

Mere mention of his name ignites verbal warfare.

Like Hillary, you love him or hate him.

There’s no in-between.

Nothing perks up ratings like a little poker table trash talk between Matusow and fellow Las Vegan Daniel Negreanu, who remained in contention entering Monday’s action.

Occasional outbursts of profanity bring punishments that ultimately cost Matusow and he’s consciously working on controlling them.

Much of the swagger is genuine, though, and he says that stems from being bullied as a youth.

Matusow knows he’ll probably always have a ″chip″ on his shoulder, while ″Mikey″ acknowledges much of his on-camera persona is orchestrated.

″Mikey can be a lot of fun because he really likes joking around,″ Matusow said during a Sunday break before he busted out.

″But I only make fun of people I know; I don’t try to hurt somebody I don’t know.

″I do it with my friends, guys I know can take it.

″Don’t start something with me, though, because I’ll needle you right back.″

Matusow’s remarks are targeted — no secret in pokerdom — at 2004 World Series of Poker champion Greg Raymer.

The two engaged in nasty verbal repartee during the latter stages of that event and bitterness still lingers in Matusow’s ″mouth.″

ESPN duly recorded their word duel, and Matusow has no regrets.

″People don’t understand how he came after me,″ ″The Mouth″ said, still pleading his case 2 1/2 years later.

He makes it clear there’s no lost love between the two, who currently don’t have to deal with each other because Raymer is among a group of players boycotting WPT events.

He may be a tough cookie on the outside, but Matusow insists he’s marshmallow inside.

The hurt little boy still comes out and ″Mikey″ even has been lensed shedding tears.

Watching him play poker for a couple hours is like watching a tennis ball bounce back and forth — hardly boring, just hard to follow.

Matusow pops up and down, always seeking side action and darting from table to table to catch what’s going on around him: a lady massaging Jeff Schulman’s neck at one, a very sexy-looking Evelyn Ng hugging a male admirer at another.

Matusow, who was attired in a blue jeans and a white Full Tilt Poker t-shirt and cap on Sunday, has been diagnosed with attention deficiency disorder.

He admits to having used illegal as well prescription drugs, ranging from speed and ecstasy to Ritalin.

On this day, though, he’s pumped on pure adreneline and consumed by his passion for poker; purple blood sprints through his veins.

Now 37, Matusow was born in California, but grew up in Vegas.

Video poker machines introduced him to the game when he was 11 and by age 18, Matusow was dealing at a local casino — and stealing from his mother’s purse to play himself.

He acknowledges he attended Gamblers Anonymous meetings at one point.

Matusow was in his 20s when he became convinced his destiny was to play profesionally.

He was a Sam’s Town sensation before he began to pursue his ultimate dream.

Matusow drew attention in 1998 when he paid a third of Scotty Nguyen’s $10,000 entry fee into a 1998 World Series of Poker satellite event; Nguyen rewarded him with $333,333 — a third of the stake — when he won the title.

Omaha is Matusow’s specialty and he has won a pair of WSOP gold bracelets in events featuring that game.

His highest WSOP main-event finish came in 2001, when eventual champion Juan Carlos Mortenson successfuly bluffed him and Matusow finished sixth; he had a higher payday when he placed ninth behind Joe Hachem in 2005.

A short time later, Matusow collected his second $1 million paycheck in a couple-month span when he won the Tournament of Champions.

″That was the greatest,″ he said.

″To be able to come back like that after getting cold-decked ..

″I really thought I was going to win the World Series that year.″

The Bellagio pre-Christmas Tournament brings many players home for the holidays, but — bah humbug! –don’t expect to find lighted reindeer in the front yard of Matusow’s 4,000-square foot suburban Henderson home.

″I’m not a holiday kind of guy,″ he said in his best Scrooge impersonation.

″We (his family) take care of each other, but we do it our way.″

Matusow also shares that while relations with his parents aren’t exactly frosty, they’ve chilled since his mother led cheers for him at the 2005 WSOP.

″We’re still close, it’s just that now we talk maybe twice a week instead of everyday,″ he said, adding he didn’t know what, if anything, the clan had planned for Christmas.

Playing Deuces Wild Video Poker and can bring you hours of entertainment, and some money if you follow the tips below

In Video Poker games, only the ranking of the hands is the same as in table poker.When you play Deuces Wild video its fast fun!

Lets look at the game, how to win and have some fun.

Play Deuces Wild Rules

You make your bet, and then the machine deals you a five-card hand. You can keep or throw away as many cards as you wish. Obviously you never throw away a deuce, as its "wild", and can represent any card you wish it to in the deck.

You now decide which cards to hold and which cards to throw away; you press the appropriate buttons, and then you are dealt new cards for those which you discarded. The game is over, except to determine if you won or not.

When you play Deuces Wild Video Poker, as any Video Poker game, the ranking of hands follows the general poker rules.

Where this differs from the other poker games is that the four deuces can represent any card in the deck you wish, so you can augment your hand accordingly.

Here is how the hands are ranked.

• Five of a Kind

• Royal Flush

• Straight Flush

• Four of a Kind

• Full House

• Flush

• Straight

• Three of a Kind

• Two Pair

• A Pair

A Five or kind may seem unusual, but not when you play Deuces Wild Video Poker

Here are Three Tips to help you Win when playing deuces wild video poker:

1.Play the maximum number of coins per game. The payout for five coins at once is far greater than five times the payout for only one coin.

2.If you have an empty hand (no matching cards, and no deuce), discard all five cards and try your luck with a new hand. Statistics show you have more of a chance this way.

3.Play only at machines that offer the full-pay schedules of 9/5 (9 coins for a straight flush and 5 for 4 of a kind. Read the payout schedules before you start to play Deuces Wild Video Poker, or any other gambling machine

Some Basic Strategy to Help You Win

Winning when you play Deuces Wild Video Poker can be easy, but you need to remember some rules about holding and discarding the cards in your hand.

If you have Four, three or two Deuces - Hold all the deuces, and determine what kind of a hand you can make with what you have.

Discard carefully, and never a deuce.

If you have only One Deuce – Keep the cards and the deuce that go for a high-ranking hand; otherwise, throw all except the deuce and wait for a better combination.

If you have no deuce, you need to follow this strategy:

Hold all paying hands, except the four cards to a royal flush.

Hold a four-card straight flush.

Hold any one pair

Hold the cards that make a four-card flush.

Hold the cards that make up a consecutive four-card straight.

Hold any three cards that go to make a straight flush. Hold any two of 10, J, Q, or K, if they’re in the same suit.

Play Deuces Wild for a great time

Remember,playing Deuces Wild Video Poker can bring you hours of entertainment and follow the rules above and you could make some money as well!

You play Jokers Wild with a 53-card deck, the regular 52-card deck, plus a joker.

The joker is a wild card, which you can use as any card you want. This increases the chance of getting a winning combination.

On average, the joker appears in about one out of every ten hands, making Jokers wild an exciting game to play.

Keep in Mind the Following Points:

Play the Better Game - There are two versions of the Joker Wild game.

One version returns your bet on a two-pair hand. The Jokers Wild strategy presented below is for the other (better) game that gives back your money if you HAVE a pair of kings or aces.

Always Play Maximum Coins Per Game - As the payout for five coins played is far greater than five times the payout for only one coin.

Play at Machines that Offer a Full Pay Schedule - The full house pay schedule for jokers wild will be a 7 / 5 machine i.e. 7 Coins for full house and 5 for the flush.

Kings or Better Joker Wild Strategy

If the Hand you’re Dealt Contains the Joker: Keep all hands that are three-of-a-kind or higher, except hold four cards to the royal flush, even if it means discarding a paying hand of lower value.

Always remember that you are looking to hold the joker as a part of ANY combination.

Keep any four-card straight flush and a four-card flush if it includes K, A or both.

Keep three cards to a royal flush.

Keep a paying pair of high cards (King, Ace).

Keep any three cards to a straight flush.

Keep any four-card flush without King or Ace.

Keep consecutive four-card straights.

If not dealt any of the above, keep the Joker only.

If you’re dealt a Hand without the Joker:

Keep all paying hands, except hold a four-card royal flush.

Keep any four cards to a straight flush and any three cards to a royal flush.

Keep four cards to any flush.

Keep any pair of 2’s to Queens.

Keep any three cards to a straight flush.

Keep any four-card consecutive straight.

Keep two cards to a royal flush if one of the cards is an Ace or King.

Keep unsuited King and Ace.

Keep King or Ace alone.

Keep two suited royal flush cards lower than King or Ace.

If you don’t hold any of the above, draw five new cards.

Jokers Wild a Fun & Exciting Game

Jokers Wild is a fun and exciting game and is very popular - second only to Jacks-or-Better and Deuces Wild.

By playing with the above strategy, you will not only have fun but increase your chances of success as well.

1. The Bellagio - 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Folks, there's a reason why this casino was featured in the film Ocean's 11. It's the jewel in the crown of Las Vegas casinos, and it will provide you with an elegant and upscale experience which is second to none. The poker room is luxurious and has become a hotspot for fans of 7 Card Stud. Many of the gaming tables are set off in semi-secluded rooms, giving players a more intimate setting in which to gamble. From the elegant light fixtures to the expensive upholstery on the furniture, everything about the Bellagio is high class.

2. Caesar's Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Blvd. Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109

This classic casino has two wings to meet the needs of the wide variety of gamblers who pass through her doors. The older wing caters to experienced and high-priced gamblers, while the Olympic Casino appeals to the player on a budget. But whatever your taste, Caesar's will more than meet your gaming needs with over two-thousand slot and video poker machines, blackjack and craps tables, as well as roulette wheels and many other games. Their sports book room accommodates over 650 people, with 38 high-tech screens covering the walls. And then there's the architecture. With its famous marble columns and vaulted ceilings, Caesar's Palace draws in many people who just want to look around. Whatever category you fall into, you will not be disappointed.

3. Paris-Las Vegas - 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109

If you've always wanted to visit Paris, France, this casino is the next best thing. The interior of the building matches the streets of Paris with exacting detail. There are over 2000 video poker and slot machines, as well as over 100 tables games such as roulette and blackjack. And for high rollers, there's even a special area where the limits are through the roof. There are musical shows to watch, plus you can ride to the top of their 50-story Eiffel Tower replica and enjoy a breathtaking view of the Las Vegas strip.

4. MGM Grand Hotel and Casino - 3799 Las Vegas Blvd. Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109

The MGM is divided into four distinct gaming areas, each with their own unique theme (Emerald City, Monte Carlo, Sports, and Hollywood). As the largest casino complex in the world, the MGM boasts 171,500 square feet (50,000 square feet more than the next largest). There are 3700 slot machine and video poker games, as well as 15 craps tables, 76 blackjack tables, and 17 roulette wheels. There's also a youth center for the kids, multiple showrooms, and a fun 33-acre theme park. This hotel and casino literally has something for everyone.

5. The Venetian - 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. Strip, Las Vegas, NV 89109

With frescoes on the ceiling, the Venetian perfectly captures the spirit of the Renaissance period. Couples will especially enjoy being serenaded while taking a gondola ride through a recreation of Venice's Grand Canal. Restaurants can be found all along the perimeter, and don't forget about the wonderful 30,000 square foot wax museum. In addition, there are over 2500 slot and video poker machines, 115 table games, and a high-stakes area with more than a dozen exclusive table games.

Most conventional mechanized slots in recent times are substituted by the video slots or computer-operated slots. Casinos are giving special preferences and priorities to such electronic slots. It is not just the player who enjoys the gaming experience, but also the casino owners who make millions from it.

Nickel slot is one such electronic gaming device and is characterized with a multifold nature. Nickel slots come in a variety of attractive game formats with added exciting and enthralling interactive dimensions that traditional reel slots never had.

Nickel slots have become the most popular slots at casinos all round the world. On the other hand, casino owners are making millions out of these slots. These slots are attracting increasing number of players as it facilitates a multi-coin play, which enables the players to be on the machine for a longer time and thus extending his fun. No single nickel machine can be characterized on single parameter as even though these machines look alike they can be set up differently. The best way recommended by most slot players to exploit this game is to increase the frequency of the bonus games by playing maximum lines, while betting as little as possible overall. This is advisable because the bonus games boast a critically high percentage of the payback; they also show the biggest difference between the liberal chips used in the nickel slots and the others. However, this game has been greatly criticized all around, as a casino owner controls it and it is not based on luck alone. As mentioned earlier, nickel multi-line slots have generated millions for the casino owners. The figures reveal that during a single month, 2,646 units clocked at an Illinois casino generated gross receipts of $31.5 million, almost as much as the $33.6 million that was generated by 3,043 quarter units in the same month.

Some groups that oppose the game of chance describe such electronic games as the ?crack cocaine of gambling?. To a certain extent, this fact is acceptable, as video poker is addictive but the perception can be put down with a skillful play.

Gambling is one amongst the most eminent sources of entertainment today. It is also the cause of livelihood for many people. Gambling is all about wagering money usually to acquire more wealth or even things of material significance. Nowadays the enticement of gambling is at a surge. This is why apart from ordinary people it is commonplace to see celebrities gambling in some or the other big casino.

Broadly speaking gambling is of two forms. One that relates to playing casino games and the other to bets on various sports. For instance betting on horse race, car races, sports betting are all different types of gaming because in these cases too a person puts an amount of money at stake, calculates the odds etc. Besides this there is gambling related to gambling tables, deck of cards, slot machines and the like. This sort of gambling can be within the four walls of a casino or at home. Few decades from now, gambling at home meant lot of expense and work. For a person had to collect various ingredients such as cards, table, dice, coins etc. to play. But today with the advent of online gaming any gambling aficionado can relish gaming while relaxing on his couch. Moreover with the arrival of online gambling, gaming has reached in every corner of the world.

Some of the most common gambling games are poker, baccarat, blackjack, video poker, slot machines etc. People cherish these games across the globe. Poker is the well-known game of skill. In poker players make wagers into a central pot with fully or partially concealed cards. The winner of the game (who has the best combination of cards) takes away this pot. Blackjack is the game of card counting. It's also known as twenty-one and pontoon in British English. Blackjack is popular for card counting, a skill with which players can turn the odds of the game in their favor by making betting decisions based on the values of the cards known to remain in the deck. The game of video poker is quite popular in Las Vegas. It is played by placing a bet of one or more credits and by inserting money into the machine. After this the 'deal' button is to be pressed to draw the cards. Then the player gets a chance to hold or reject one or more of the cards in exchange for a new card, which is drawn by the player from the same virtual deck. This is followed by a machine evaluation of the hands. If the hand matches one of the winning hands in the posted pay schedule the machine offers a payout.

All these games have different rules and regulations. Prior to playing any game it is better to get acquainted with its rules first. Internet is a good way to know about these moneymaking games. it provides a rule book for almost every game.

Though gambling is also a good source of revenue yet is proclaimed illicit in most parts of the world. It is legalized only at few places such as Las Vegas. However all the players should take gambling in a sporty spirit only. Its addiction can be disastrous to the concerned person as well as his entire family.

Most all top online casinos voluntarily subject themselves to regular audits (usually monthly) by a qualified and reputable third party firm, such as Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). These audits generally focus on two aspects of the online casino's operations: their random number generator and their payout rates. The latter — payout rates — is the subject of this article.

An online casino's payout rates are displayed as a percentage — that being the percentage of incoming wagers that are paid out in winnings. As you can imagine, the higher the payout rates, the better. The top online casinos are often considered so, in part, precisely because they offer the highest payout rates.

A top online casino with the highest payout rate in video poker may not have the best payout rate for slots. Payout rates vary within top online casinos for each individual game. If you're planning on joining a top online casino for a specific game — be it poker, craps, baccarat, video poker, roulette, blackjack, slots, keno, or any other top online casino game — check the top online casino's payout percentages for that specific game.

Top Online Casino Payout Rates Overall: Grand Online Casino (98.42%), Golden Palace Online Casino (98.15%), Sands of the Caribbean (98.11%), USA Casino (98.09%), 32Red Casino (97.97%), Ladbrokes Casino (97.68%), Casino-on-Net (97.63%), InterCasino (97.13%).

Top Online Casino Payouts for Slots: Slotland (98.00%), Casino Las Vegas (97.50%), Golden Palace Online Casino (97.18%), Royal Vegas Online Casino (96.59%), Aztec Riches Casino (96.51%), Yukon Gold Casino (96.31%), Shark Casino (96.49%), Casino Kingdom (96.15%), Ladbrokes Casino (96.03%).

Top Online Casino Payouts for Video Poker: Jackpots in a Flash Casino (99.53%), Lucky Nugget Online Casino (99.11%), Crazy Vegas Casino (99.07%), Lucky Emperor Casino (99.03%), 7 Sultan Casino (99.00%), Royal Vegas Online Casino (98.77%), Swiss Casino (98.70%), Spin Palace (98.60%), RiverBelle Casino (98.59%), Roxy Palace Online Casino (98.58%).

Top Online Casino Payout at Table Games: Casino Kingdom (99.62%), Mummys Gold Casino (99.52%), Aztec Riches Casino (99.22%), 3 Diamond Casino (99.19%), 49er Casino (99.10%), Casino Domain (99.01%), Challenge Casino (98.98%), Crazy Vegas Casino (98.91%), Cherry Casino (98.69%), Captain Cooks (98.57%).

Top online casinos that get their payout rates audited will almost always publish the results of each audit on their website for anyone — member or non-member — to view. They'll even keep archives of all their past audits, also open to public viewing.

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Slot machines have a background and history as coin operated gaming devices that began in the late 1880’s on the East Coast, and made their way westward where their popularity increased greatly. The father of the modern day slot machine is the inventor Charles Fey who back in 1899 was responsible for the creation of the 3-reel Liberty Bell slot machine. During this time period slot machines and ″poker machines″ were generally used to simply distribute gum, mints, or amusement coupons redeemable for drinks, cigars and tokens. In saloon and cigar stores they were used as trade stimulators. For example, the ″Perfection″ poker machine built by the Royal Card Machine Company in 1897 would give a lucky winner who hit a royal flush 100 free drinks.

These popular devices which quickly migrated across the United States, found a home in California where the gold rush brought together adventurous wealth seekers who lived life as a gamble on a daily basis. Especially in San Francisco where by 1890, 3,117 establishments were allowed to sell alcohol that equated to 1 license per 96 inhabitants in the city. The saloons and cigar stores that cropped up were a natural draw for nickel devices. Owners of these businesses in 1893, could purchase a device for around $35 each or share in a percentage of income per device with daily earnings often reaching $30 a day! It was easy to see why every businessman in those industries wanted a few for their place of business. In 1897, liberalization of the laws governing the devices paved the way for San Francisco to become a haven for their manufacture. Future versions grew larger, more extravagant and of course ate more nickels. Some would take up to 6 coins per pull and offer larger payouts, receiving a huge welcome from saloon and cigar store owners and also the public.

Demand for the gambling devices went up and down until Prohibition went into effect on January 16, 1920, effectively driving alcohol and gaming devices underground into the ″speakeasy″ where they continued to be enjoyed by the public in a hushed manner. Operation of both went from honorable businessmen and a regulated environment to gangsters and racketeers. Demand became so high in the speakeasy to where new devices were created and older nickel devices were being modified to accept dimes, quarters and half dollars. Charles Fey in 1929 made the Silver Dollar Jackpot Bell, which became the first bell devise to accept silver dollar coins. Other manufacturers saw increased sales such as Mills Novelty, Caille, Watling Manufacturing and Jennings to name a few. The famous Bally’s Manufacturing Company began in 1932 with the introduction of a small, but highly profitable, pinball game called the ″Ballyhoo″ and Pace introduced the Comet Bell in the same year. Prohibition was finally repealed on December 5, 1933 by the signing of the 21st Amendment.

The makeup of the one-armed bandit remained purely mechanical until the early 1960’s when the world of electromechanical operation came into age. This saw the entrance of electromechanical circuitry and motorized hopper payouts. Video poker came on the scene during the 1970’s with devices run on solid-state circuitry. They offered decision-making options that the player could choose from, making them the rage to play that ran into the 1980’s. During this period another change was the increase in monetary payout to the player. Prior to 1950, percentage payouts to the player were generally under 80%. Devices from Bally’s that were pre 1975 gave the player 84% - 85% with the option to go up to 87% to 88%. But when high win dollar play got popular from 1976 onward, percentages then went to the range of 93% - 97%.

Computer technology with modern microprocessors took over the industry in the 1980’s. Flexibility in what could be offered hit new ground as players could choose gambling preferences in how they wanted to play, specialized bonus rounds, amount of denomination (25 cents to $500 per pull) and more. Eventually people’s preferences moved away from table games to gaming devices. And when microprocessors were combined with communications equipment, state wide networked progressives like Megabucks, Nevada Nickles and Quartermania enabled separate units in different casinos to work together in concert, giving a player a chance to win hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars with just one pull.

Today major manufacturers such as Bally Technologies, Inc. (formally Bally Gaming, Inc. and Bally Manufacturing Company), International Game Technology (IGT), WMS Gaming and Konami continue to add new features as microprocessor technology advances. Features such as interactive bonus games where players can actively make choices that affect bonus game outcome, multi-hand video poker which allows the player to play multiple hands per play instead of just one, touchscreen video monitors allowing choice of games and play functions like ″Deal/Draw″ or ″Spin Reels″ and ticket-in/ticket-out game play where the ticket can be cashed in or reused at another machine.

From it’s beginnings as a 3-reel mechanical curiosity to the 21st century high tech masterpiece it has become today, the concept of fun and excitement along with a number of determined visionaries has caused this gaming device to find widespread acceptance in what has become a global casino industry.

Video Poker slots are a fun game, but require skill to play correctly and this is the advantage over other slot games which require no skill at all.

You have the potential to maximize your gains by being able to put the odds in your favor, making it a more involving lucrative playing experience.

Let’s look at the basics of video poker slots and how to maximise your winning potential

How to play the game

Video Poker slots are derived from draw poker and has the same rules, except that you are not playing against any other players, just the machine.

The machine deals five cards.

The player has the option to, take up to five new cards if they wish.

The player keeps the cards they want to keep by pressing the ″hold″ button for the individual card shown.

When the player has decided is made they hit the ″deal″ button, and the cards discarded are replaced.

The result of the game is determined by the outcome after the final hand is completed.

How much you win is indicated on the pay table on the front of the video poker slot machine.

Video poker slots tend to have better graphics and more effects than other online slots, making it a more pleasing game to play.

The Pay Table

The advantage of video poker slots have over other slot machines is that the return of the game can be calculated by reading the pay table.

Most video poker games use the combinations of hands that can be made from a 52-card deck.

The number of combinations that can be made means the payout can be calculated by what the payout table pays out for winning hands.

There are 2,598,960 possible hands from a 52-card deck.

The computer chip in a video poker slot machine is set to simulate the probabilities of drawing any of these combinations.

Because this is a set probability, the casino adjusts the pay table of the online machines to produce the house edge.

By knowing how to read a pay table, you can pick a machine with the best return and best odds of success.

The payouts for all video poker slot machines are the same except for the payout on the flush, full house, or royal flush.

Here is a typical comparison of payouts on a Jacks-or-Better, which is the most popular video poker machine.

Payback Payback with Strategy

9 for a full house 6 for a flush 99.5%

8 for a full house 5 for a flush 97.4%

7 for a full house 5 for a flush 96.3%

6 for a full house 5 for a flush 95.2%

A 9 / 6 will generally hit the royal flush once for each 40,000 hands. The 8 / 5 odds once for each 45,000 hands etc - So try and play 9 / 6 machines only.

Play Maximum Coins

If you bet five coins, all winning hands are paid out by a factor of five, except for the royal flush.

This is a bonus amount given as an incentive to play maximum coins.

Any player who plays less than maximum coins on video poker slots will contribute to a royal flush that will be won by other players, so play maximum coins to increase your winnings.

Play With a Strategy

In video poker, your odds are improved if you play with a strategy and there are strategies free on the net for all of the major games.

Take Your Time

Take your time, with video poker slot machines there in no hurry and you don’t get more money for playing quicker.

The above is a quick guide to the world of video poker machines and the tips above will see ensure you have a good time and the potential to earn big winnings.