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Contrary to what many people believe video poker can be a highly profitable – and highly entertaining – way to invest both time and money at a casino. Further, by applying the right strategy at the right times there lies a potential to actually realize greater than 100% returns on your investment, meaning that it is one of the few casino games available to gamblers that can actually realize a return over time. In short, this means that video poker is one of the best options available to anyone at a casino – yet only if done correctly.

First and foremost, the primary key to success at video poker lies in selecting the right game. While a number of different game options exist for players the one that has the greatest likelihood of paying out if done correctly is also one of the oldest and most common forms – Jacks or Better. In this game the rules are simple and straight-forward enough to allow casual play while at the same time allowing for specific strategies to be developed and implemented for any combination of hands.

Once you have located a machine – or ideally, a number of machines – that offer Jacks or Better the second step is selecting one with the highest payout possible for each hand. As in video poker, you will be playing against the machine rather than another player any small advantage you can get on the payout ratios is well worth your while. Even something as simple as a difference of 8:1 instead of 9:1 on a Flush could mean the difference between long-term success or failure when playing your rounds. Thankfully most casinos offering video poker machines offer a wide selection of these machines in a single area, so sourcing out the best one and sticking to it is generally a relatively easy and painless process.

After you have selected the right machine, the next step is simple: best the maximum amount possible, and always go for the best hand possible. Since video poker is a game of odds that pays out proportionally larger hands as you receive a better deal it is in your best interest to always try and go for the highest hand possible in order to receive the highest payout possible each round. Further, the “jackpot” payment for a Royal Flush that offers the greatest return on investment is only available for the highest bet possible, so while betting smaller amounts may seem attractive at first due to the fact that it will allow you to continue playing for a longer time on a limited bankroll in terms of actual payout ratios this is a bad move to make as in the long run it will only limit your overall winnings.

Finally, don’t be afraid to give up a weak “guaranteed win” (such as a pair of Jacks) if you feel you have a good shot at getting a better hand – such as a Straight, Flush or Straight Flush. These pay out extremely higher amounts than any weak hand will ever offer and are a better move in the long-run for many reasons.

All around the world there are countless different ways to gamble, with many different casinos offer a large selection of choices for both casual and professional visitors alike to relax, have a good time and potentially win large sums of money. The most popular games around the world right now for all players, however, are iconic and can be found in virtually every corner of the world in some form or another thanks to their timeless qualities and unerring intrigue.

Slots

The top game of choice to be found at any online casino, slots offer players a quick, easy and fun gambling experience that can potentially pay off greatly from time to time. On top of that, the automated nature of slots means that players are never pressured into an action by their peers and can enjoy their time at the machine as much as they would like without needing to worry about affecting those around them.

Video Poker

Similar to slots in the sense that it is computer-controlled and 100% automated, video poker is one machine-based game that if the right strategy is used in the right game can result in the player actually having over a 100% return on investment over time – something that is virtually unheard of in any gambling establishment.

Craps

One of the major iconic games of the casino world, craps has remained a favorite gambling game for players around the world for over 100 years. Before craps even came about dice games used for gambling date back thousands of years, meaning the modern day craps is but a continuation of a long-standing tradition of gamblers dating back as far as ancient Rome.

Roulette

Along with craps roulette has long been one of the most popular gambling games found in modern-day casinos the world over. Originally designed and first used roughly 200 years ago in France it has been a major attractor for both casual and serious gamblers alike ever since its birth due to its simplicity, excitement and reliance more upon luck than anything else for determining the outcome of a spin – making it an excellent option for many aspiring gamblers to being their career on.

Blackjack

The number one card game the world over, blackjack is another one of the few games available in casinos that can offer skilled players the chance at actually earning more than they lose against the House in the long run – something that is an elusive dream for most gamblers due to the fact that virtually all games found in gambling establishments will never let this occur even on the best of days. Simple, easy to learn and easy to enjoy, blackjack has grown to become not just one classic form either but a multitude of different games in the form of various styles that allow slight variations on the rules to help keep people interested and offer additional ways to win that standard blackjack games may not offer (such as Spanish 21, where decks contain no 10s and players may wager on one of their cards matching the dealer’s face-up card for a big win).

Video poker is a worldwide popular game within casinos, online and offline.  Jacks or Better is one of the more popular forms of video poker. This video poker game has payouts that start as low as a pair of Jacks (obviously!) with the payouts increasing as the hand gets larger and better all the way to a royal flush hand, which is the jackpot.  If you learn and utilize strategy for Jacks or Better, then you will have a large edge over the machine.  However, without having the knowledge of proper strategy, you will realize that the game has a much higher edge over you than you could have anticipated.  You can find payout percentages for this game when strategy is used correctly as high as 99%.

As with anything else, it does take time to learn proper strategy.  Moreover, it takes practice to put to use correctly.  You need to learn how to properly handle each hand that comes you way as there is a large range of hands. 

If you are a beginner, you will find some tips below that will help you get started and learn the ropes.  Aside from this information, be sure to learn as much as you can about each of the hands that can come up in Jacks or Better video poker and memorize these hands.

To begin, keep any hand that has a payout unless you could have a royal flush in play.  The reason for this is simply because the royal flush is a very high paying hand and is well worth the surrender of the smaller payout.

Now, let’s say you are dealt a hand that does not have a listed payout.  If you have four cards to either a straight flush or a flush, you should hold.  You should hold three cards to a hand of a royal flush or a straight flush as well as any consecutive four card straight.  If you have two high cards that are of the same suit or are unsuited, they should be held. If you are dealt a Jack Queen, and King of different suits then hold as well as hold a suited Jack, Queen, King, and Ten.  You should hold any pair of low cards, which pertains to a pair of tens or a lower pair, as well as any single high card.

If you don’t see any of the above non-payout scale hands in the game, then you should honestly just draw five brand new cards and see what you get.

The above tips may not seem like much, but they are targeted towards a beginner in Jacks or Better video poker and will enhance the game odds in your favor allowing your current bankroll to last a little bit longer, which means that you will have higher chances of winning the jackpot with a royal flush.

I don’t write an awful lot about Video Poker on the blog so I guess that I had better start. I didn’t realise that Video Poker is as huge as what it really is but its origins go back some way.

I have been doing some research lately on this very fascinating casino activity and I managed to get hold of a copy of “The Ultimate Video Poker Pocket Book” by Chris Newman and as a poker player, I actually found myself getting engrossed in the book.

Although having said that, all gambling books hold my interest…..that’s just the way I am. I would strongly recommend that anyone who plays Video Poker on bwin get themselves a copy of this book.

There is also another book out that I have been trying to get hold of and that is Martin Jensen’s book on the same subject. I first came across Martin Jensen when I read his book on roulette some years ago and I was surprised at the quality of it even though much of the stuff I already knew.

But he does usually write good books so The Big Book of Slots and Video Poker may be a very good read. If you desire to always play the perfect strategy but you are not sure where to start then you could do far worse than purchase these books.

Video Poker strategy can be learned just like blackjack basic strategy so even if you have never played poker before in your life, you can easily learn the rules and then be a very good player in a very short space of time.

The thing is that with video poker, you can have the strategy tables handy at the side of your monitor when you play online and that is a fantastic thing to have at your disposal if you don’t know much about the games and this makes this a fascinating casino game to try.

I must confess that before I started working with bwin, I was unaware as to how big and just how varied their markets really were. Coming to the site is worth it just for the extensive football betting and bwin live betting and streaming service by itself. If all that doesn’t grab your attention then you can get yourself across to their poker room which is one of the best on the net and with some great bonuses to boot.

You can also get access to some great poker material as well on the poker blog section with some great features and news. I think for me personally one of the outstanding features that any gambling site can have is variety and daily content. But there are millions of people who are turning to the online casino experience these days.

In fact I was only having this exact same conversation with a professional colleague of mine the other day. We discussed how land based casinos were starting to veer down the electronic gaming avenue. This is certainly the case in the UK. We have electronic blackjack, electronic roulette and all the rest of the electronic games that are sprouting up like mushrooms.

They are entering dangerous ground in my opinion because what they are starting to offer in a gaming sense is starting to merge with what online casinos offer. So in future, where will the incentive be for punters to leave their own home to gamble on blackjack or roulette etc when everything can all be got from their very own computer? There are always those who fear cyber crime of course by these days sites like bwin employ some of the best experts in the world to thwart these people.

In my mind the threat is no more real than getting mugged outside a casino (which almost happened to me once). I can also say that numerous people have had their cars broken in to whilst being inside a land based casino and I have even heard of big winners being followed home and then robbed at home. Land based casinos are also a haven for thieves and pick pockets so if you think by avoiding online casinos that you are safer then you had better think again.

I really do think that you are safer both physically and financially playing online casino gambling and this is from someone who has done both on numerous occasions.

see you soon

Carl