We have already mentioned several times that using a strategy while playing video poker is very important. Many casino enthusiasts prefer this game because it gives them the opportunity to affect the outcome, so they can rely on more than just luck. That said, you cannot simply trust your gut when making decisions in video poker. On the contrary, you must know which move will bring you the highest payout and enhance your gaming experience.
It is not realistic to memorize all the possible video poker hands, which is why you will have to use strategy charts. These will help you apply the right strategy in no time, and your gambling experience will be as rewarding as possible. Even if you are seeing a strategy card for the first time, we will break down all the important elements of this tool and explain in detail how to use it.
You should be aware that strategy cards do not provide any cheat codes and do not guarantee that you will win every betting round. However, making the best decision will help you enjoy a lucrative video poker adventure, which will be very rewarding in the long run.
Why Should You Use a Strategy in Video Poker?
While many casino devotees find slots entertaining, there is no way to use a strategy with such a game because the outcome is always random and cannot be predicted or influenced. This is why those who seek games in which the player’s decisions affect the result often opt for video poker.
Even though video poker resembles slots because the first five cards of the hand are dealt randomly, there is a real chance to change the course of the game through your decisions. Because of this, some video poker variations have a drastically lower house edge or even give players a complete advantage over the casino. This is true, however, only for players who use perfect strategy.
Although video poker is a thrilling game, its true charm lies in the payouts it offers. If you use the right strategy, your chances of landing amazing payouts increase significantly. If you have seen video poker machines or virtual variations that advertise an RTP of more than 100%, remember that this figure is accurate only if you play with optimal strategy.
| Type of Game | Optimal Strategy RTP | Other Strategy RTP |
|---|---|---|
| 9/6 Jacks or Better | 99.54% | 99.46% (0.08% difference) |
| Deuces Wild 25/15/9/5/3 | 100.76% | 99.73% (1.03% difference with NSUD strategy) |
| 10/6 Double Double Bonus | 100.07% | 99.57% (0.50% difference with 10/7 Double Bonus strategy) |
| 10/7/5 Double Bonus | 100.17% | 99.61% (0.56% difference with 8/5 Bonus Poker strategy) |
| 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe | 99.64% | 99.29% (0.35% difference with 10/7 Double Bonus strategy) |
| 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe | 99.64% | 99.60% (0.04% difference with 8/5 Bonus Poker strategy) |
Video Poker Strategy Additional TipsWhile it is true that playing a full-pay variant of video poker will increase the odds of winning, without the right knowledge you cannot reap the potential profit that strategic players can.
If you believe that following your hunch is a good technique for playing video poker, try looking at things from a different perspective. Whether we are talking about a virtual video poker game or a machine in a land-based casino, you should know that the payouts you are offered are always based on probabilities calculated through mathematics. Obviously, the casino makes sure its potential profit is always protected. This is why players are advised to use a strategy based on the same mathematical calculations to gain a greater advantage.
Simply put, the true advantage of using a strategy when playing video poker is that you can pursue the most profitable outcome. Even though there is no way to guarantee a win on every hand, you can be sure that, in the long run, your video poker sessions will be much more successful.
What Do Video Poker Strategy Charts Look Like?
To use a strategy card effectively, you must first understand its elements and what they represent. If we look at the charts for the 52-card video poker variations that do not use wilds, the layout of each chart is pretty much the same. The hands are listed from the one with the highest average return at the top to the hand with the lowest average return at the bottom. In most cases, the hand that offers the highest payout is the Royal Flush, which explains why it appears at the top of the strategy chart.
Note that sometimes incomplete hands are listed above regular winning hands because they may have a higher average return. This is why you should not be surprised when you see four cards toward a Royal Flush ranked above a Full House. This is because four cards of a Royal Flush can develop into several different winning hands.
At the bottom of the strategy chart, you will notice a hand that cannot form any winning combination, so it is marked “Redraw.” This means the best move is to discard all five cards and replace them with new ones.
How to Use Video Poker Strategy Charts?
When you consider how many possible ways there are to form a winning hand, it becomes clear why video poker strategy charts are considerably larger than blackjack strategy cards. Beginning with the hand that offers the highest possible payout and ending with five cards that offer no return, you have a rather long list of hands in a video poker strategy chart.
For example, a strategy chart for 9/6 Jacks or Better might contain about 60 or 70 lines that describe winning hands and their payouts. There are situations where several lines can be combined to simplify the chart’s appearance. One of the most important distinctions you must understand to use a strategy chart is the difference between an Open Straight/Open Straight Flush and an Inside Straight/Inside Straight Flush. In the context of the game, “open” refers to an “open-ended draw,” which is a very strong hand in poker.
For a hand to be an Open Straight or Straight Flush, you must hold four cards with two open ends, meaning the hand can be completed on either side. For instance, if you are holding 3h-4h-5d-6d, you can form a Straight with either a 2 or a 7. This type of hand is also called an outside or double-ended Straight. As you can see, there is no gap in the example. However, if you draw 3h-4h-6d-7d, you create a gap, and your hand is not an Open Straight because it cannot be completed on either end. Such a hand is known as an Inside Straight because it can be formed only by a 5 in the middle.
How to Use Video Poker Strategy Charts Additional TipsThere can also be a scenario in which the hand can be completed by adding a card only to one end. For example, if you have been dealt As-2c-3c-4d, you can complete this hand only with a 5, which also makes it an inside draw.
The reason it is important to know the difference between an inside and an outside draw is that it will make reading the strategy chart easier. You will notice that Open Straight/Straight Flush hands are positioned on higher lines because they offer more ways to be completed.
Another important detail to note when using a strategy chart is the order of hands according to their payouts. This will help you determine whether the hand you are holding is a better choice than a potential alternative. You can obtain this information by simply reading the paytable of the specific game you intend to play.
The steps for using a strategy chart are fairly straightforward. Whenever you are dealt your initial five cards, simply look at the first line of the strategy chart. If the hand shown there does not match the one you hold, move down the lines until you find your exact cards. When you locate your hand, hold the cards the strategy suggests and discard the remaining ones. Of course, it is possible to reach the bottom of the chart without finding your hand. In that case, the optimal move is to discard all five cards and draw an entirely new hand.
If you have chosen to use a simplified strategy chart that combines several lines into one, you will still follow a similar process. Often, the first line of such a chart says “Four of a Kind or Better,” which prompts you to check whether you are holding a Four of a Kind or a stronger hand. Remember that it is important to know the payouts for the different hands in the game you are playing. This knowledge will help you use the shortened version of the strategy chart and decide whether your hand is better than the one listed in a given line.
Are Video Poker Strategy Charts Legal and How Accurate Are They?
Although video poker strategy charts come in handy when you want the best possible gameplay, not many players use them. There are several reasons for this: some do not know which chart to use, some feel it will take too long to make a decision with a chart, and others think these charts cannot be used in casinos.
You may hear players refer to strategy charts as cheat sheets, but that does not mean they are illegal. It is true that players are not allowed to use electronic devices that tell them the exact move for every hand. However, in most gambling facilities it is perfectly acceptable to use a printed chart.
In fact, some casinos even sell video poker strategy charts to players. If you happen to find a venue that will not allow you to use your chart, the worst that is likely to happen is a warning. These so-called “cheat sheets” are actually very similar to blackjack strategy cards, and there is nothing wrong with using them to maximize your chances of winning.
Video Poker Strategy Charts Additional TipsEven if you decide to use a strategy chart, you might wonder how accurate it will be. This is a reasonable concern, because even if you find a machine that offers odds of 100.65%, if the chart you are using has an error rate of 0.6%, you will actually reduce your advantage to 100.59%. This is still a good percentage, but it is not the best you can achieve.
Note that it is impossible to create a perfect, error-proof strategy chart. Such a chart would need to be extremely long to display every possible hand and the subtle differences between them. That said, most of the charts you find online are quite accurate and will definitely help you make the most of your video poker sessions.
There are also many apps that allow you to practice strategies for different video poker variations. Many of them include strategy charts for various games that can be printed out and used when you gamble at a land-based casino.
What Are the Consequences If You Use a Mismatched Strategy Chart?
It is quite common to possess the strategy chart for a certain video poker game but encounter a machine with lower payouts or a different variation. In such cases, you might think your chart is useless and choose to play without it. However, you will be surprised by how little it costs to play with a mismatched strategy.
If, for example, you take the full-pay version of Jacks or Better, which pays 9 to 1 for a Full House and 6 to 1 for a Flush, and apply the same strategy to a 9/5 variant, the mismatched gameplay will cost you only 0.01%. Similarly, if you apply the 9/6 Jacks or Better strategy to an 8/6 variant, it will not affect your results at all. Of course, this does not apply to all short-pay variations of video poker. For instance, if you use the 10-7-5 Double Bonus strategy chart on the same game with a payout of 9-6-5, the potential error rate will increase by 0.25%.
In addition to the generally low cost of using a full-pay strategy on short-pay variants, there is often little harm in applying the strategy of one video poker variation to another. For instance, you can play Bonus Poker using the strategy for Jacks or Better, or vice versa, without significantly harming your results. You can also play Bonus Poker Deluxe using the strategies for Jacks or Better or Bonus Poker. However, if you intend to play Triple Double Bonus, you should always stick to the strategy designed for that specific variation.
When you are playing Deuces Wild, you should avoid using the Not So Ugly Ducks (NSUD) strategy on a full-pay version, and vice versa. Playing full-pay Deuces Wild with the NSUD strategy will increase the error rate by 0.93%, while applying the full-pay strategy to the NSUD variant will result in a 1.03% error cost.
Conclusion
If you want to improve your winning odds in video poker, you should use the right strategy. However, because the possibilities for forming hands are numerous, it is difficult to memorize every correct move. This is why strategy charts are so helpful for video poker enthusiasts. They let you quickly identify the hand you are holding and decide which cards to keep and which to discard.
Even though video poker strategy charts have many lines and are larger than blackjack cards, they are still easy to use. All you need to know is the paytable of the specific game you are playing. You should also pay attention to the exact cards you are holding and find the best option on the strategy chart.
Although they are sometimes called cheat sheets, video poker strategy charts are not illegal, and players can usually use them when playing at land-based casinos. In addition, strategy charts are a great way to practice before you start playing video poker for real money.