5 Common Video Poker Myths Debunked!

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Nov 22, 2023 5 min read Last updated Dec 21, 2023

For professional gamblers, superstition is synonymous with stupidity when it comes to approaching video poker strategy.

Regardless of some of the crazy and unfounded beliefs circulating in the casino community, many of these superstitions are accepted as truths. When it comes to video poker, and any programmed casino game for that matter, the concept of algorithms and probability befuddle many prospective players.

The only way to win a game is to understand the odds and what you can do as a player to maximize your advantage. Likewise, the only way to debunk a myth is to replace foggy superstition with cold, hard facts. While washing your hands to get rid of a losing streak is an obvious tall tale, some myths are very difficult to distinguish from fact.

By the end of this article, you will stop blowing your wad on video poker machines if you haven’t realized that it doesn’t work already.

Myth 1: The Deck is only Shuffled When You Hit Deal

With a return rate that comes close to 100%, video poker is incredibly popular among players who enjoy games of skill but lack the expertise and experience to win big at table poker.

When it comes to differentiating between fact and fiction, a pretty tricky aspect of video poker that many people do not understand is the way cards are shuffled. While traditional poker involves a 52-card deck, which is shuffled before each hand (or 53 if you are playing Joker Poker), video poker games work differently. Like the best slots games, the outcomes of the deck depend on a Random Number Generator (RNG).

This program is constantly shuffling the deck of cards whether you are hitting deal or not. It is difficult to imagine, but the RNG of a virtual video slot or land-based machine is shuffling 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hitting deal or draw does not activate a shuffle but rather stops the program at whatever shuffle combination it has at that moment. Therefore, there is no pattern and not even the slightest possible way of guessing what the next hand will be.

Myth 2: Video Poker Machines can be Hot or Cold

Now that the concept of an RNG has been made clear, the concept of hot or cold video poker machines should seem ludicrous. Thanks to the diligent shuffling of the RNG programming of video poker games, there are 2.6 million possible card combinations, all of which are drawn totally at random. This concept of leaving a machine when it’s hot or playing longer if it’s cold stems from the next common misconception that the games follow a pattern. Because the deck is constantly shuffled, it is impossible to guess what cards will be dealt.

Myth 3: I Keep Losing, the Game Must be Rigged

Have you ever played a slots or video poker game and felt that it was just wired to make you lose? On the flip side, if you have ever played a game so well that you were convinced you could not lose, the unfortunate truth is that this is all in your head.

Contrary to what we like to believe about ourselves, especially when betting, human beings are creatures driven by emotion rather than logic. Considering this, it is important to note that there are no streaks, and machines that are mistakenly referred to as cold do not have a big win coming up soon, thanks to the game’s RNG.

Myth 4: Triple-Play Poker and Single-Hand Poker Strategies Should Differ

Many video poker players mistakenly believe that the more hands you play, the higher your odds at winning become. Whatever increase in odds this would give you is offset by the increase in risk that playing multiple games would cause. Moreover, some video poker fans believe that if you play multiple hands, then your chance of being dealt a winning hand increases.

Video poker games do not work like this, as each hand has its own deck. Therefore, there is no special multiple-hand strategy, and you should play each hand the same way you would in a single-hand game. The only real advantage from a video poker strategy perspective is that if you have reached a level of skill where playing one hand at a time bores you, you have the option to entertain yourself with several hands all at once.

Myth 5: Some Online Casinos are Tighter than Others

Superstitions are not limited to the predictability of online games but also extend to false ideas about online casinos. Some online bettors believe that certain casinos are tighter or looser than others. This suggests that certain online casinos tend to pay out their customers more frequently. While, in a sense, you can distinguish differences in payout rates between various online casinos, this has nothing to do with the casinos themselves but rather the games they offer.

Some games have a higher return to player RTP rate, meaning that if a certain casino has a higher percentage of slots games with low payout margins versus video poker games (which have significantly better odds), then that online casino may seem less favorable. Therefore, it is a myth to evaluate casinos in terms of their overall payout since the best way to determine what your odds are is to find an online casino that offers more games with higher RTP and hit frequency.

So, What Are the Facts?

Now that you know what not to believe, is there any sound advice on how to improve your chances while playing video poker online? The answer, of course, is yes. There are quite a few surefire ways to significantly improve your odds despite the RNG programming, the most important one being your choice of game.

As mentioned earlier, some games simply pay better than others. Full-pay games, for example, are ideal for players looking to maximize their wins. The key is to look for pay tables with a 9:6 scheme, meaning that the game will pay out 9 to 1 for a full house and 6 to 1 for a flush. You do need to keep an eye out as certain games have full pay and standard versions. These usually have an 8:5 payout scheme, which may not seem that much lower but will significantly increase the house’s odds against yours.

One of the best, if not the top, full-pay versions of online video poker is Jacks or Better, with 99.54 percent RTP rate, an 800:1 prize for Royal Flush, 50:1 for a Straight Flush and a grand prize of 4000 coins for players who get a Royal Flush with a five-coin wager. When playing Jacks or Better, you are expected to have at least a pair of jacks or higher to be at even odds.

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