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VIDEO POKER FOR BEGINNERS
Why aren't YOU addicted?

by scott davis

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Video Poker is widely agreed to be the highest payback game available in casinos and online gambling websites. This, combined with ease of play, makes it a very attractive alternative to the more traditional casino games and has an increasingly wide following. The main difference between traditional poker and video poker is that in video poker you are not playing against another player (either human or electronic), but instead you are simply playing against the odds of getting a good hand. Using Random Number Generation technology (click here for a more detailed account of RNG), the video poker machine randomly shuffles an electronic deck of 52 cards (or 53 in Joker Poker) at a speed of hundreds or even thousands of times per second and stops the moment your first "coin" hits the machine. It is an important point to note that it is when your first coin is wagered that the shuffling stops because, in a reputable casino or casino website, the likelihood of receiving a good hand has nothing to do with the size of the wager.

Once you have received your five cards, you are given the opportunity to either keep or exchange up to five cards. The new cards you 'draw" are taken from the top of the pack as it already is without further shuffling. Once you have done that, your hand is analysed by the video poker machine and you are rewarded (or not) according to the quality of your hand and the number of coins wagered.

Royal Flush
Ace, K Q J and Ten, all of a like suit.

Straight Flush
Getting five consecutive cards, all of the same suit (e.g. 6 7 8 9 10 of Hearts).

Four of a Kind
Four of the same card, such as four Aces.

Full House
A full house is having one pair and three of a kind.

Flush
A flush is having all cards of the same suit - Aces, Spades, Hearts or Diamonds - though they do not have to be in any particular order.

Straight
Five cards in consecutive order, though they may be of different suits.

Three of a Kind
Three of the same cards, like three 10's.

Two Pair
Having more than one pair, i.e. 2 sets of two of the same card, like a pair of 6's and a pair of Jacks.

Pair
Two cards in your hand are the same value. In different versions of poker this may constitute the minimum hand, such as Jacks or Better - requiring you to have at least 2 Jacks to have a winning hand.

Nothing - You lose !
If you lose, the original wager in credits is deducted from your current total.

The first choice is the rate of payback and the video poker player needs to make sure that the game he is playing offers the maximum payback rate. The maximum payback rate for video poker is refered to as "9/6", which means that the player receives 9-1 for his wager in the case of a Full House and 6-1 for his wager for a Flush. There are other payback systems available but the 9/6 systems offers the highest average payback or 95.5% - the highest payback rate available on any casino game - and the 9/6 payback system is the only one the video poker player should play.

The second choice the online video poker player needs to make is which video poker game to play. There are up to fifty different variations of the game, but here are the four main video poker game varieties available:

The third choice is where to play online video poker. There are many scams and cheats out there on the Internet, with rigged odds and shuffling designed to never return the best winning hands, so the online video poker player needs to be discerning. Betfactor.com recommends Rumba Casino as a tried, tested and trusted online gambling venue for the discerning and security-conscious player.