50 Hand Video Poker
Went back in to see how the casino tournament was going a few hours before the end of the Multi-Hand Blackjack tournament and I was sitting in 7th position. The two players above me were obviously playing the same game and had stopped a few chips above me so I played two hands with no risk of losing position, as the next player was a fair bit behind. I won them both and was catapulted back into forth slot.
Whilst there and passing some time so that I could check the tournament rankings in a while, I decided to play some Video Poker.
Video Poker isn't my favourite game in the casino but I don't mind playing some tens or better every now and again. As I'm trying to sample as many different games as possible though, this time I opted for a game of 50 Hand Deuces Wild Video Poker.
To be honest, I thought it would be a case of a few plays at the lowest level and I'd be out of there. As I said, video poker games aren't my favourite but the 50 hand game was better than I had first thought and I stuck around for a while.
I had set myself a losing limit of £5 and was betting a whole penny a hand, so in total, each game was costing 50 pence. The fiver lasted a lot longer than I thought it would and provided me with 30 minutes of playing time before running out.
I think getting 30 minutes for a game I don't play much and although I certainly know the basics, essentially how rank a poker hand, I haven't really an in depth knowledge of the strategy that should be involved in getting the best win rates.
For those who have never tried video poker, you can check out the basic Video Poker Rules, I also wrote an article titled “Starting Video Poker” a while back, that you may find of use. Stick to the single hand video poker games for a while though until you get the feel for the game and a little understanding of how best to play.
It's also worth remembering that different variants of video poker pay out differing amounts and have different levels of hand value for any payout. As an example, a Tens or Better Video Poker game will pay out even money for a pair of tens but the 50 Hand Video Poker game I was playing tonight won't pay a single penny for anything under 3 of a kind. This differs the style of play and strategy to adopt when playing so keep your bets small and understand the payout structure before attempting a real game.
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