All About Video Poker

Video poker is a casino game that has much in common with slot machines, but it is a slot machine game combined with the rules of five card draw poker in a very specific manner. Video poker is often considered by many experienced gamblers to be vastly superior to slot machines because of the effect that skilled play has on the potential payback of the machine. While slot machines are programmed to pay back a certain percentage of the money that is fed into the machine, video poker pays back a percentage that can be affected by perfect strategic play.

Video poker games first appeared in the 1970's, but didn't start enjoying widespread popularity until the 1980's, when slot machine manufacturer IGT became involved in the production of video poker games. Many people in casinos who are nervous or intimidated by table games find video poker to be a lot more "friendly" than blackjack or live poker. This is probably because video poker combines the strategic thinking of a table game like blackjack with the solitary playing experience of a slot machine.

Video poker games are easily played. The player wages 1 or more coins in order to get dealt five virtual cards on a computer screen. (A smart player always plays the max bet, usually 5 coins, since the max bet triggers the bigger payoffs on the higher ranked hands.) The player chooses which cards to hold and then draws cards to replace his discarded cards. The final hand pays out based on the payout table for the particular video game.

Popular video poker games include deuces wild and jacks or better, both of which are often played either as single hands or in a multi-hand version, where the player gets to play 3, 5, 10, 50 or even 100 hands of video poker at the same time.

Depending on the payout schedule for the different poker hands on a certain machine, the payback percentage on a video poker can be very good indeed. Jacks or better with a "full pay", or the highest standard payback schedule, pays back at 99.5% with perfect play. A full pay deuces wild machine pays back at 100.7% with perfect play. In actual practice, players who don't play perfectly and make mistakes reduce the practical payback percentage on those machines by 6% or more, making video poker one of the most profitable games in the casino, especially since many video poker players play upwards of 500 hands per hour.

Learning how to play video poker with perfect strategy is not terribly hard to do. There are numerous video poker strategy guides available for sale, and Bob Dancer's excellent tutorials and software teach video poker strategy through a series of both charts and lists of principles that will work effectively for different learning styles.

Practicing has become much easier also, now that free video poker games have become so prevalent online. Games like these allow you to play online with no download and no cost, and they're played using the same rules as the video poker games found in traditional land-based casinos.

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Blackjack, Card Counting, and Why the 5's are the Most Iimportant Cards in the Deck

Counting cards in blackjack is a way to increase your chances of winning. If you're good at it, you can actually take the odds and put them in your favor. This works because card counters raise their bets when a deck rich in cards that are advantageous to the player comes around. As a general rule of thumb, a deck rich in 10's is better for the player, because the dealer will bust more often, and the player will hit a blackjack more often.

Most card counters keep track of the ratio of high cards, or 10's, by counting them as a +1 or a -1, and then gives the opposite +1 or -1 to the low cards in the deck. Some systems use a balanced count where the number of low cards is the same as the number of 10's.

But the most interesting card to me, mathematically, is the 5. There were card counting systems back in the day that involved doing nothing more than counting the number of fives that had left the deck, and when the 5's were gone, the player had a big advantage and would raise his bets.

A good basic strategy player is getting a 99.5% payback percentage from the casino. Every 5 that's come out of the deck adds 0.67% to the player's expected return. (In a single deck game, anyway.) That means that, all other things being equal, having one 5 gone from the deck gives a player a small advantage over the house.

Having two or three 5's gone from the deck will actually give the player a pretty significant edge over the casino, and this is when a card counter will usually raise his bet. The problem with counting 5's and nothing else is that a deck low in 5's happens pretty rarely, so gaining a big advantage and making a profit from that situation only comes on rare occasions.

Any card between 2 and 8 that comes out of the deck increases the player's expectation. And all 9's. 10's, and aces increase the casino's expectation. But 8's and 9's have very small effects on the outcome. (An 8 only adds 0.01% to the player's expectation, so it's generally not even counted. A 9 only has 0.15% affect in the other direction, so it's not counted either.)

Understanding the effects the low and high cards have on your expected return on a bet is the first step in learning to count cards and play blackjack as a winner.

The author runs several websites with information on blackjack. Please be sure to visit his new online blackjack site, or play the free blackjack games on his other site. Another good resource from the author's collection of articles is his blackjack tips article.

Blackjack Mistakes

All blackjack players make mistakes, even experienced card-counters. But there are some innocent mistakes that rookies seem to make on a regular basis that it's better not to make, especially if you're playing for the first time at an actual land-based casino.

The blackjack mistake I'm most guilty of is sitting down and trying to play at a higher limit table than I have a bankroll for. It probably happens consistently all night long that players sit down and try to make $5 or $20 bets at a $100 minimum table. The dealers and other players get understandably frustrated when this happens. The solution to preventing this mistake? Just have a look at the little sign on each table stating the table limits, and make sure it's the right stakes table before you sit down.

Another common mistake is throwing chips haphazardly into the betting circle. Your chips should always be in a single stack, so the dealer doesn't have to get confused about whether or not you've doubled down. Related to this mistake is handling your bet after you've placed it. Dealers will snap at you over touching your bet, because they need to make sure you're not adding chips to your bet when you have a good hand, or removing bets when you've got a bad hand.

Don't touch the cards in a face up blackjack game. Cheaters will often try to mark the cards with a sharp fingernail, and the rule for not touching the cards prevents this. Be careful when handling the cards in a face down game too, because if you're careless with the cards, you can expect correction from the dealer rather quickly.

Playing live blackjack is a lot of fun, but it's a lot more fun when you avoid these common and sometimes embarassing rookie blackjack mistakes.

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Blackjack Odds

Blackjack is one of the few casino games which you can affect the odds through sound playing. With foolish play, you can screw up in most any game of chance. But the decisions you make in games like craps and roulette don't necessarily change the odds. In blackjack, you decide when to hit or when to stand, as well as how much to bet and when, so you have control over the
house edge. Quite simply, your odds will not be the same as the poor sap standing next to you.

You will often hear the words "basic strategy" when you read about blackjack. This is an important term to take note of...and an important guide to follow. When you follow basic strategy, you follow where the hard science of mathematics points. Following basic strategy, the house edge can shrink to 0.5%. Reckless players will see the house edge notch up to somewhere between 3% to 5%. That means they are wasting the opportunities they have to win at
blackjack.

Keep in mind several things when considering blackjack odds and basic strategy. First, keep in mind the number of decks being used, as well as whether the dealer hits on a Soft-17. Basically, the fewer decks, the easier it is to tell which card might next come up. Also, dealers who stand on the Soft-17 are better for you.

Second, figure out the rules on doubling down. Do not play at a table where doubling down is not allowed. Double anytime the charts call for it. Find out whether you can double on a split, or whether you can surrender. You want to have these options, which help your payout odds.

Third, remember to keep a handle on your bankroll. If you win early, pocket most of your winnings. That way, you either walk out with big winnings, or have minimal losses. If you lose early, make it a hard-and-fast rule that you don¹t bet again when you get past your limit.

Generally, it is wise not to double bets when you are on a losing streak. This might not be conventionally sound, but it keeps you from doubling your bets to recover from your losses quickly. It is when you aren¹t thinking clearly that you can hurt yourself in a casino.

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Online Video Poker

Playing video poker isn't hard. Winning at video poker, though, is another story. If you want to master the rules and begin collecting the knowledge needed to win, you might want to try online video poker.

Online video poker is in many ways better than casino video poker. It is somewhat the same as home video games are compared to old arcades. Once, the big game machines were best, but now the home computer has caught up and in some ways surpass the machine experience. Online video poker on a home computer is often as colorful and exciting as the casino experience. The online video poker experience comes closest to capturing the casino experience of any online gambling versions on the internet.

Online video poker allows you to see a lot of hands from the comfort of your own home. The "own home" part may be most important. You are able to sit and relax at home, concentrate on the strategy of the game, away from the hustle and bustle of the casino. You can go at your own pace, while listening your favorite music and drinking a Pepsi...or whatever it is you drink these days. Whether you like deuces wild or jacks or better, whether you like to play one hand at a time or multihand, there is some kind of online casino offering the game you want to play.

Just like a casino, you must pay per hand in online video poker. You get the same payouts, though sometimes there are bonus offers online. The competition for costumers is fierce, because it is a world full of potential casino affiliates, so you will find great deals at the online casinos. Almost all online casinos offer play money, free video poker games. These allow you to practice and (sometimes) win special prizes.

There are literally thousands of online video poker games these days, so you should not have any trouble finding the game suited for you. Shop around, have a look at the many options. I recommend any casino powere by Microgaming, Playtech, or Realtime Gaming software for online video poker. For the beginning simply wanting to look at hands, you can look at a thousand hands a week if you are willing to play online video poker just ten hours a week. And let's face it, most of us play that much poker in a week in our sleep.

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How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack gets more attention on television than any other casino game (with the exception of poker). Every other week on The History Channel, Breaking Vegas features one cunning blackjack player after another manipulating the system to beat the house edge in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Besides taking months to learn card counting, though, blackjack offers other techniques to allow a player to reduce the house advantage. So it is no surprise that new players would look at blackjack as a natural casino game with which to begin. Learning how to play blackjack is a reasonably straightforward process.

Contrary to popular belief, the object of blackjack is NOT to get as close as you can to 21 without going over. The object is to beat the dealer. To beat the dealer, you either need to be involved in the hand and have closer to 21 than the dealer does, or still be playing when the dealer busts. This distinction might seem minor, but as you learn to play blackjack, you'll realize that it has a crucial effect on your strategy decisions.

The first thing you do when approaching the blackjack table is to let the dealer know you want in the game. You'll usually have no problem getting his or her attention. If you need to turn your cash into chips, the dealer can usually accommodate you. The dealer normally holds the money up to the overhead camera, shows the money to the pit boss, or does both. Don't get nervous that they're taking such interest in your cash; it is standard operating procedure to show everything is on the up-and-up.

The dealer deals clockwise around the table one card at a time. Each player gets two cards in his hand. Then you have the choice of asking for more cards or not. If you want another card, you say "hit me" and tap on the table once or twice as if you were checking in poker. If you do not want another card, that is called standing. To do this, simply wave your hand over the table in a negative motion. It is proper etiquette to verbalize either "hit me" or "I stand", so there is no confusion about your intentions.

Your bets go where bets are indicated on the felt. This is usually self-evident. When you make your bet, place it out for both the dealer and the cameras to see. When you are deciding whether to stand or be hit, you can also decide whether to double or split (if either is appropriate).

Doubling down is normally only allowed when you have an 11, but rules vary from casino to casino, and some casinos offer doubling down options on other hands as well. This is a big plus for the player. To double down, you place an additional bet the same size as your initial bet on the felt and tell the dealer you're doubling down. You will receive 1 and exactly 1 more card at this point, and the game moves on. (The dealer is always last to act unless he has a blackjack.)

Splitting cards is only done when you have two cards of the same rank. To split cards, you put an additional bet on the table, and the two cards become the first cards in two more hands of blackjack. Traditional wisdom is that you always split aces and eights, and you never split 4's, 5's, or 10's.

The dealer than continues to deal cards until you stand or go bust. Those who win are paid off by the dealer, while the dealer collects money from those who lose. Never touch your money after it has been bet, until the game is over and you've won. If there is a tie between you and the dealer, neither side wins. This is called a push, and you get to keep your money. You move on to the next hand.

(About dealer play: The dealer must play by certain rules and doesn't get to make decisions about whether or not to hit or stand. The dealer stands on 17 or better and hits a 16 or worse. The dealer never splits his hand. This also affects your strategy, because you'll stand more often when the dealer has a 6 showing than you will if the dealer has a 10 showing. )

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Casino War, Tossing Coins, & Expectation

If you're going to gamble at a casino, online or land-based, it's important to know how the casino makes its money from you. Casinos make money from the players because they don't pay out at the real odds for the game. Expectation is what you can expect to win or lose long term on a given bet if you make it over and over again.

If you flip a coin, you have a 50% chance of it landing on heads, and you have a 50% chance of it landing on tails. If you paid someone $1 every time you were wrong, and they paid you a dollar every time you were right, you'd be making an even money bet (also known as an even odds proposition). Your long term expectation would be 0. You would break even.

The way a casino would pay out in this situation would vary from the actual odds of the game so that they could make a profit. They might pay you 95 cents every time you were right, and you would pay them $1 every time you were wrong. This would create a positive expectation for the casino, and a negative expectation for you. Half the time you would lose $1, and the other half of the time you would win 95 cents. Instead of breaking even, you would lose 2.5 cents per bet over time. (Because half the time you would win.) If you stated this in percentage terms, the house would be said to have a 2.5% advantage in this game.

This might sound like an oversimplification, but it's really not at all. One of the newer casino games in Las Vegas is casino war, which is a gambling version of the card game War that you used to play as a kid. You and the dealer each get dealt a playing card. If your card's value is higher than the dealer's, you win, and vice-versa, just like when you were playing as a kid.

Here's where the casino changes the expectation in their favor though: If your card is the SAME as the dealer's card, you can either surrender (in which case you lose half your bet), or you can go to war, which means you have to make another bet the same size as your original bet. When you go to war, three cards are burned and you each get another card. If you win the "war", you ONLY get paid out on the original bet. If you lose, the house gets both bets.

So you're facing even odds unless you go to war. If you go to war, the house has an advantage, because if you win, you only get paid $1 for every $2 you've wagered. The casino could just as easily create a game called "casino coin toss war", with very similar rules, and it wouldn't be too different from the coin-tossing game I described earlier. The single difference would be that the casino would have an almost 3% edge over you.

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