Despite the rise in popularity of Texas Hold’em poker in the form of live cash games, live tournament games and online play, online video poker remains a widely played game. This is due to its ease of play, availability and fun rather than competitive playing style. If you are an avid video poker player or have ever thought about playing video poker online, here are some tips to improve your game:
Pace yourself and take your time with each hand. Think about your moves and then make your decisions based more on odds and calculations than on instincts. In online video poker there is no time limit as there may be in live games so try to use this to your advantage. Don’t make the mistake of playing video poker like you would a slot machine.
Familiarize yourself with the interface before you actually play for money. Many web sites offer free online video poker for this very reason. Make sure you know where all the key buttons are so you don’t accidentally click on the wrong one and lose the hand.
Whichever limit game you choose to play, make sure you bet the maximum amount that the “machine” will allow. Otherwise, you are playing against yourself and not getting the biggest potential payout for your money. For instance, it is better bet the max amount on a nickel video poker game than it is to bet the minimum amount on a 25-cent video poker game. The nickel game ultimately has the larger payout. Familiarize yourself with the odds before you gamble away your money.
Keep in mind that every new hand you play in video poker is the equivalent to a dealer re-shuffling the cards. As such, each hand is independent of any previous hands dealt. This means that for each game you play, you have the same chance of getting any set of cards regardless of the cards that were dealt before.
