Video poker – the common misconceptions

Once you start playing this online casino game in depth, you will end up chatting to many online casino video poker players that feel they know all there is to know about this casino game. Some will have valid points, many will not. As with any online casino game, even if you are playing at a casino on land, you will need to get the real valid truth of the game. While it is nice to chit chat and make small talk when gambling, even at online casinos, avoid know it alls. Think about it like this. If you actually knew it all, would you honestly be sharing it with some random stranger at an online casino? Here at GamblingPhd.com, we are not saying that we are know it alls, but our job is to give you accurate information. This is not some chat room either. We are not trying to cram info down your throat by making you read this. This accurate info is here if you want to read it. It is just worth pointing out to you that even though this is a casino game that is considered to be a solitary game – meaning you are not at a table playing with others – but for some reason many video poker players feel compelled to tell you how it is done – according to them.

In this article we will gently point out a few of the most commonly misunderstood aspects of video poker. Check them out and consider using them when you play video poker the next time.

-          Stay away from players that tell you a certain machine is cold because it just paid off or vice versa. Yes, these players exist even at online casinos. This is considered a very short term observation and is of no validity whatsoever – especially in a game that where skill and know how affect the outcome. You may now be thinking – what about slots, they do not require skill that affects the outcome – can a slot machine be cold? If you think there is any fact behind that way of thinking, then you really need to read this article. In video poker, every hand is a new start where the pay table and your personal skill will determine a machine’s value to you.

-          A good video poker machine is not determined by how often it deals royal flushes. Using the proper strategy always helps, but a machine’s pay out schedule determines its worthiness to be played by you.

-          You will always want to play a video poker machine that has a good pay out schedule, but you also need to be able to play it accordingly to the recommend strategy it comes with. Even if you play a crappy machine (pay outs) while using the recommended strategy, you will not get far in the end. Using the proper strategy on the proper machine is of great importance for successful game play.

-          Some online casino video poker players may tell you that you have to play the machines with higher denominations because the lower denomination machines are too tight. This is based on no factual evidence. The amount of money you put into a machine has no bearing on what you are dealt. The pay table is what you need to focus on here folks. It determines the machines pay out, not the size of the coin you put in. Randomly shuffled cards are not set or programmed according to a certain return; they return what they do because of the pay schedule. Worth noting: you will however, find that nickel machines tend to have lackluster pay schedules. This is why it is so important that you are capable of reading and understanding each game’s pay schedule before you start plugging away at it.

-          When determining your budget, it is important that you don’t misconstrue things. For instance, quarter machines may be considered to be lower staked machines, but they can eat a lot more money than you might first think. If you are betting 5 coins per hand ($1.25 per hand) and you play 600 hands per hour (which is the going rate if playing solid), you can easily blow through $750 an hour. Yes, you will have some winning hands, but the main thing to consider here is an actual budget based on the worse case scenario. The point – look for machines with the best possible pay schedules when playing for even quarters, you can very well spend more than you think. Pay schedules. Pay schedules. Are you getting the point? If you don’t play online casino video poker at sites that provide highly competitive pay schedules, you can end up throwing away your money. In that case, you better be playing an entertaining game at least.

-          As with most online gambling considerations, all generalities have exceptions (it’s the beauty of gambling). There are not any rules that work on all machines. Depending on how certain hands are paid back to you, your guiding principles will vary.

The above tips are worth taking to heart. They are necessary to be considered when playing at online casinos and land casinos. In this day and age of online gambling, most online casinos are totally safe, secure and run properly according to licensing and regulation. If you are one of the skeptics out there that think the machines don’t really provide a random deal, you are just jaded or playing at an online casino that is a rouge casino (these do not exist anymore). Online casinos are a multi billion dollar industry. You don’t get to be a multi billion dollar industry by cheating customers left and right indefinitely. There are way too many online casinos out there fighting for your patronage to be dishonest.

All in all, this is a fun online casino game that mixes skill with the fact that you can play alone. As with nay and every casino game, at online casinos or in Vegas, you need to understand what it is you are up against to play it well. Have fun.

 

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