Video Poker Strategy (a bit of fun!)

I've been gambling in casinos, both physical and virtual, for a number of years despite knowing that most of the bets I make on blackjack, craps, and roulette are losing propositions in the long run.  I think most people know that they're not going to beat the house very often, but we continue to play just because of the entertainment and excitement that comes with having money on the line.  Nevertheless, it's never fun to lose and I wouldn't be able to keep playing if I didn't recoup those losses somehow.  That'swhere slot machines such as Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild come in.  When I play those machines using a proven video poker strategy, I come out ahead nearly every single time.

The slots I mentioned above, plus several others, are among the very few casino games where the odds are actually in the players' favor.  In fact, over time both Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild pay out at a rate greater than 100 percent.  What that means to smart gamblers is that by playing these games using the correct video poker strategy, you can consistently win money.  You might be thinking to yourself that this sounds too good to be true.  After all, why would casinos continue to make these games available if the advantage lies with the players?  The straightforward answer is that most people simply don't know enough about video poker strategy to make the right lays on every single hand.  As a result of player mistakes and the sheer popularity of the games, the casinos end up making a tidy profit on these machines.

Do you have to be a math whiz or have a photographic memory to make the best use of video poker strategy?  While those two attributes would certainly help your cause, they definitely aren't necessary.  The odds of these games are constant, which means you don't have to figure anything out on your own.  Other people have already done it, and there is a commonly agreed-upon video poker strategy that gives you the best chance of winning no matter what card combinations come up.  Yes, you do have to study the video poker strategy so that you know the correct plays, and you have to be able to track the cards to a certain extent.  But you won't be making complex calculations or anything like that.  The average person can understand video poker strategy without any problems at all.

If you want to try your hand at following video poker strategy before risking real money at a casino, you have a couple of different options.  First, you can find a video poker strategy guide on the Internet and print it out for reference.  Then, you can go to various gaming websites that have Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and similar games available for free and you can practice as long as you like.  As an alternative, you can purchase computer software that has these games on it.  As you're playing on your computer, the software will alert you to any plays you make that deviate from sound video poker strategy.  Once you get comfortable, you can try your hand at the real thing.

Most of us would love to be able to spend a couple of relaxing, entertaining hours at the casino and walk out of there dead even or perhaps with a bit more money than we walked in with.  You can make this scenario a reality by studying video poker strategy and making smart, consistent plays on machines that payout at 100 percent or more.