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In this video we will be speaking with gambling author Linda Boyd about
how to find the best paying video poker machines
Linda is a former mathematics instructor and author of the bestselling
book the video poker edge
and also writes monthly columns about video poker for several
gaming magazines. And now here's linda boyd
A lot of people don't understand the difference between a
video poker machine and a slot machine.
A slot machine is based on luck
so if you're gonna play a slot machine they're lots of fun
especially the new ones but you'd better bring your lucky
horseshoe with you. On the other hand if your game is
video poker then it's based on skill
so you need to learn how to play correctly
and also make sure that you look for the best machines
so we're going to talk a little bit about how you can go
into a casino and locate the best machines
available for video poker within that casino.
If you're comparing a video poker machine with a slot machine
in terms of the pay schedule that you can see on the front
of the glass of each of those devices
it's quite different with the video poker machine
you can see how much they pay for each of the winning
hands and based on how much they pay for
each of those winning hands along with the fact
that each symbol -- there are fifty-two of them with the 52 card deck game--
has an equal probability of being selected on the other hand if your game is slots,
they do not
have an equal probability of being selected So
just because you keep coming close say two
instead of three 7s on a slot machine does not mean you're really close to winning the
big jackpot
With video poker a lot is based on
game names because the games
are the same if it's the same name with the exception
of two things on the pay schedule let me give you an example
jacks or better is a real popular game
in casinos and it's because you get paid
double for two pair versus single pay
for two pair but not all games of jacks
or better are created equal even though they have the same name
the pay schedules will differ in terms of
full house and the flush, respectively. For example
if your game is 9/6 Jacks or Better
you get paid 9 for each coin bet
when you hit a full house, 6 for each coin bet when you hit a flush
on the other hand, if your game is 8/5
Jacks or Better you just get a return of
eight coins for each one bet on a full house
and five for each coin bet
on a flush hand. So essentially
you need to look for a pay schedule that gives you the best
return with the most coins for the same given hand
Considering 9/6 Jacks or Better versus 8/5 Jacks or Better
you may want to think about the ER
which is the expected return. The higher the ER
(expected return) the better it is for you
the player. So if you decide you're gonna play
9/6 instead of 8/5 for each
coin shortfall it's approximately
1.1 percent less on your expected return
Let me use the 8/5 versus 9/6 example
There's one coin less for the full house
instead of 9 you get 8 back on a full house
and there's one coin shortage on the flush
instead of 6 you would get five back so
one plus one is two so it means
1.1 and 1.1 is approximately
2.2 percent less and if you check
using your tutorial devices at home you will see
that 9/6 Jacks or Better if you play it
100 percent accurately pays
99.5439 percent
on the other hand you get 2.2 percent
less if you play 8/5 big difference
when you look at the returns on the pay schedule. People
often wonder is there one best video poker game to play
and the answer is it depends it depends on you
the player and it also depends on the pay schedule
available in your favorite casino. On the one hand
you can have a high risk quite a high volatility game
lots of action, lots of adrenaline rush there
on the other hand if you choose low volatility
it might be a little like watching paint dry which you can last a lot longer
on your chosen bankroll. Let me give you an example of
each. A high volatility game
the highest is double double bonus poker
note in double double bonus poker
and double bonus poker, another high volatility game,
you only get paid even money for two
pair and that is a high frequency hand.
On the other hand, if you choose a low volatility game
the best example is probably jacks or better
Jacks or Better gives you double your wager whenever you receive
two pair. As I said before it's a frequent hand
and I might add it may depend on your goals
as a player if your goal is to get a lot of the entries
into a drawing for example
and it's based on your play you would want a low volatility game
you can rack up a lot of points and a lot of drawing entried
if you're trying for a coveted prize
On the other hand many people myself
included find it boring to sit there
and play and not get any high paying
bonuses unless you get an infrequent hand
of a royal flush which is approximately one in forty thousand
or a straight flush which is also an infrequent hand
and I might add four of a kind if you're playing
a low volatility game may only give you 125 coin return
for a five coin bet, on the other hand
double double bonus if you get four aces and the kicker
you'll receive a a five hundred dollar
on a quarter machine pay-back so it really depends on what
the fun factor is for you and what the goals are as a player
and let me add one other thing just because the casino that you have chosen
at has 9/6 Jacks or Better a really good game
full pay jacks or better, does not mean all of their games
are full pay so you need to consider what the pay schedule
is. If you're choosing double bonus for example
you want 10/7 double bonus however
the casino that has 9/6 Jacks or Better
may not have 10/7 double bonus
so you really want to look at the pay schedule and you want to know the expected
return you want the highest expected return
possible you want to make certain that you know what you're doing
you don't wanna go into a casino
blind if you go into casino when you don't
know how to play a specific game then you're better off
playing slots than video poker in some cases
Some people wonder if they're an unskilled player they have not practiced at
home
will it change the payback percentage? Absolutely
it will change the payback percentage because
all of the expected returns that you'll see in my table
or anybody else's table are based on 100 percent
accurate play very few people can do that
if you're unskilled you will not
over the long run receive the expected return
indicated and many people will say
oh these machines are rigged for the holidays they've got these machines
fixed
you can play correctly and have bad luck over one session
and not get the ER if you're unskilled however
in the long run you won't get even close
to the expected return you must play
mathematically correctly it order to get the expected return.
Often people wonder can I use the same strategy
for every single video poker game and the answer to that one is
a resounding no way. Each game has its own
strategy that's why you need to practice up before you go to the casino
the strategy that you use for full pay deuces wild for example
will be different than the strategy used for not so ugly deuces wild
same thing is true for you Jacks or Better versus
double double bonus the strategy is based on the payback
for a given winning hand along with the odds of achieving
that given hand. So don't expect to play every video poker game
using the same strategy. People often wonder
since each strategy is different depending on the game
is there a way to learn how to play mathematically
correctly when you're playing video poker and thats
a yes. There's several ways you can do that
number one I highly recommend that you take
software or at least practice before you go to the casino
using tutorial software. I recommend
Zamzow win poker which is 100 percent
accurate and its very user friendly
there are other very accurate software programs that are also good
what I state to beginners is to make
certain that has a tutorial function and it's not just
fun lot whistles and bells. There are many good books out there
I have a book called the video poker edge there are
publications Midwest gaming and travel that's a real good one for video poker
players
and there are others on the market you definitely want to be
armed with information though before you enter the casino to play video poker
the same way you would want to be armed before you go to play hold 'em
or any other poker game. What if you're going to a casino
what can you do as a player to make sure that you have
the best odds available? Number one I recommend that you take pay schedules
with you
you will find a pay schedule on the face or someplace
on any video poker device that you find in a casino
you can simply push the see pays button and it will tell you the pay schedule
however it will not tell you the expected return
and as a player you want to know the percentage or
the expected return so make certain
you bring cards with you that give the expected return
for example if you're looking to play jacks or better
you can look at the face of the machine at pay schedule that's
on that device and match it with the pay schedules you bring with you
and you will see 9/6 Jacks or Better
99.5439
percent if you choose 8/5 you'll see that percentage
and so on. So it's important when you go to the casino
that you checked the pay schedules before you find a seat
and that you select the pay schedule with the highest
ER. I will tell you frequently
you'll find side by side games with different
pay schedules you may see a 9/6 pay schedule
right alongside a 9/5 pay schedule
you of course will select the 9/6 pay schedule
You may want to know if there's any kinda guarantee
that when you go to the casino and you find the best
machine in the house that is the machines with the highest
ER (expected return) does that mean you're definitely gonna go home a winner?
Unfortunately no regardless of the casino game
there's always a luck component and sometimes it's just
not your day you need to stay within the predetermined confines
of the budget that you've allocated for your gambling venture
when that's gone it may be a terrific video poker game
but you need to go as well. What's my best advice?
If I were to give just one tip for video poker players
that would be be skilled at the game you select
I would rather play 9/6 Jacks or Better
with a slightly lower ER than full pay deuces wild
if I know what I'm doing in 9/6 Jacks or Better
and I don't know what I'm doing in full pay deuces wild.
So you do need to have the basics for your selected
game if you want to come close to the expected return
if you want to know more about me and my work I've written a book
it's called the video poker edge I also write for several gaming publications
including Midwest gaming and travel You can get my book on amazon.com
or through my publishing house square one publishers
I write for several other publications as well
Don't forget that you can see more of our educational gaming videos on our
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