Video Poker Basics: How Pay Tables and Strategy Reduce the House Edge

Rost said:

For me, video poker is a cross between slots and table games. But video poker has a clear advantage over other slots. It’s the degree of control that the player can exert over the game. I think it’s precisely this control that gives it its main advantage over other games.

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Yes! I played play money just to try it out and I realized that despite counting on luck you at least have the choice for the second round, and your poker experience counts! Good luck to you!

I certainly understand that knowledge, discipline,
an understanding of payout tables, and consistency do increase our chances of success to some extent, but at the same time, if you play this game on a regular basis, it’s clear that the advantage lies with the casino. Otherwise, we’d simply be seeing professionals, half of whom would have their own YouTube channels.

If indeed, skill and experience can make this game break even, then the prospects are obvious. I definitely need to work in this direction. I think compared to regular slots, video poker can give much better results.

I would really like to see a more advanced version of this thread.
For example, what percentage to hit two pair or three of a kind if I have a small pair (under Jacks).
Should I hold a pair of nines, or go for an open ended straight (if I hold 9, 9, 8, 7, 6)? What about a gut-shot?
Should I hold a small pair if I have four to a flush?

Although I've never done well in 5-card stud, I think video poker would be way better for me than typical slots.
(And the payout at 9-6 seems sweet.)

We can dive into that in a future thread, I agree that understanding the math is key but we did dive into a bit of it here, specifically why it doesn't make sense to go for a Royal if you need more than one card.
The challenge becomes the pay table, if the payout is different, it can drastically change the odds to pursue a hand but effectively, there's no value is holding cards that don't compete a made hand