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 We assume you already know how to play poker, or you would not be interested in video poker! Actually, video poker can help to sharpen up your general poker skills. Video poker is fun, and also makes you think about “how likely” it is to complete a certain hand. Here is our playing strategy advice.
Watching out for the flush draw in video poker. If you have 4 cards the same suit, then your chance of a fifth card of that suit is rather good - about 1 in 4, as you know. In video poker, a flush draw always has a good payout potential.
Going for the outside straight in video poker. This a good play, but not as good as going for a flush.
A straight does not pay as well as a flush, and a straight is much more difficult to complete. To complete an outside straight, there are 2 cards out of 13 that will work, or in other words, your chances = about 1 in 6.
Never go for an inside straight in video poker - just as in any poker game - unless you have almost no other option. Note that it is better to keep 3-of-a-suit (= about 1 in 16 chances for a flush) than to keep an inside straight (= about 1 in 13 chances for a straight) if the payout for a flush is much better, which generally it is.
Going for 3-of-a-kind in video poker. Often you will be dealt a pair in video poker. Your chances to get a third card of that rank are only 2 in 47 (=1 in 23) if there is no Joker, and with a Joker it is 3 in 47 (=1 in 16). If the pair is \\\"Jacks or better\\\" - make sure there is a payout for \\\"Jacks or better\\\" in this game--and if so, this already is a win, so keep it. Otherwise however, if it is a low pair that does not pay, keep it only if both of the following are true:
- You do not have a flush draw (4 of a suit).
- You do not have an outside straight.
Going for Jacks or better in video poker. If you “have nothing” except 1 or 2 face cards--and if your video poker game pays for “Jacks or better”--then throw out everything except the 1 or 2 face cards. If you have 3 face cards:
- Keep any 2 or 3 if they can be all the same suit.
- Keep all 3 if they are all different suits and there is no Ace. Discard the Ace in an all-different-suit, 3-face-card situation, to improve the chances for a straight.
- The 2-card royal flush exception. If you have only 1 face card--or 2 face cards of the same suit--and if you have a 10 of that same suit--then also keep the 10. You just might get a flush that in addition someday might be a royal flush.
Never keep a kicker in video poker. If you have a pair and are going for 3-of-a-kind, discard all 3 other cards. If you have only 1 face card and are going for Jacks-or-Better, discard all 4 other cards. (Unless you have a 10 of the same suit - see the 2-card royal flush exception above.) There is no value for a “kicker” in video poker.
Keeping 3 cards of the same suit. If you have nothing, not even a face card for a possible “Jacks or better” payout - then in video poker you should try to keep any 3 cards of the same suit. Otherwise you might as well discard everything.
Sacrificing for a royal flush in video poker. If you are dealt from the start a “made pair” or a “made flush” or a “made straight” - you should not break this up for a non-royal straight flush - but you should sacrifice this minor win, if necessary, if you are only 1 card away from a royal flush in video poker. In fact, this is what video poker is all about! Think about it: if you keep the made flush, this makes you happy for a minute - but just how long is that money going to last…? So every time you are dealt a “fantastic hand” at the start - look carefully. A “more fantastic hand” always just might be possible in video poker. | 
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