The Official Cabdrivers' Guide to Las Vegas video poker!

Warning: No matter what the odds are, gambling always involves risk. Results using our gambling advice will vary. Never wager more than you can afford to lose!

The popularity of video poker is booming in Las Vegas because, unlike the slots, players have strategy options about the outcome. The problem is most players make the wrong choices. They are either choosing the wrong machines, drawing the wrong cards, or both. 

Just choosing the correct machines could save the average quarter video poker player close to $20 per hour over the long haul. (Based on 320 hands per hour, maximum {5} coins played)  Choosing the right "draw" can save up to another $13 per hour.  Together, these mistakes can cost the average quarter player about $30 an hour needlessly. 

The Truth about Video Poker Machines

Before we start on how to choose the best machines and the right drawing options, we need to dispel some myths and tell the truth about how video poker machines (and slot machines, too!) really work. 

First, machines are not "hot" or "cold".  The last time a machine hit is totally irrelevant.  The one and only thing that matters is the exact 1/1000 of a second you signal the random selector. 

This happens when either you load coins into a machine or when you hit the "play" button...depending on the machine. Simply, the random generator works like this: Picture a "wheel of fortune" with 1,000 spots. 

Each spot has a different combination of ten cards, five to be dealt and five more saved for the draw.  This "wheel" spins one revolution in a second, then another wheel with a thousand more combinations spins for a second, then another, and so on... 

These cycles continue for as long as the machine has electricity or until the random selector is activated.  Then and only then is a card hand selected. 

So why not just time the cycle just right?  First, there are millions of the wheels programed into each machine, making it impossible to try to detect a pattern (it can take 100's of programmers just to create one of these programs). 

Even if a pattern could be detected, the wheels spin 300-700 times faster than human reaction time. 

This 1/1,000 of a second is the only thing that matters concerning which cards will be displayed. 

This is how the casinos guarantee their edge.  If someone could predict (including the programmers!) when a machine was hot or cold, they would only play the machine when they knew they would win.  No way could the casinos stay in business. 

So the next time you're having a string of bad luck, just wait 1/1,000 of a second, your luck could change! 

Choosing the Best Video Poker Machine

The fact is , the odds of drawing any particular hand are exactly the same no matter the machine.  The integrity of the machine is protected by state law and nothing changes this (legally). 

What does change is the pay-out for particular hands.  In a standard video poker machine, the pay-out varies on these two hands: the full house and the flush.  By standard, we mean machines with no wild cards or "bonus" machines. 

The different pay-outs and expected returns (per coin played) 

Full House pays	9	8	7	6
Flush pays	6	5	5	5
Expectation	96.7%	94.7%	93.5%	92.3%

The average pay-back is calculated on the maximum 5 coins played.  We very highly recommend only playing 5 coins as this is necessary to achieve the maximum pay-back.  This is due to the bonus for a royal flush with 5 coins played. 

If you can't afford to play the maximum, either drop down to a betting limit that you can afford or don't play at all. (Nickel 9/6 machines are almost non-existent) 

So, if the odds of hitting either a full house or a flush are exactly the same, then why not play only the machines that pay 45 coins for a full house (instead of 30) and 30 coins for a flush (instead of 25)?  If you play quarters with 5 coins, as we recommend, you'll win an extra $3.75 for every full house and $1.25 for every flush.  It does pay to look for the "9/6" machines. 

To tell which machines are the valuable 9/6 machines, just look at the display glass above the viewing screen (some have the pay-out schedule on the screen itself). 

Just by looking for, and playing only 9/6 machines, you're more than half way to a virtually break even video poker game! 

Expected loss per hour (quarter machine, 5 coins played) 

9/6-$13.20

8/5-$21.20

7/5-$26.00

6/5-$30.80

Warning: No matter what the odds are, gambling always involves risk. Results using our gambling advice will vary. Never wager more than you can afford to lose! 

Draw the Right Cards 

A common sight in Las Vegas is ads for video poker machines with a certain payback.  What the ads don't say is that the high payback is with perfect or optimal play.  Did you know that quite often video poker machines programmed to hold 3% actually hold 6% or more, due entirely to player error? 

To easily eliminate these strategic mistakes, simply use the chart below.  To use, just start at the top and continue down until you find the first hand that matches your dealt hand. 

Hold these dealt hands (no draw)-royal flush, straight flush, 4 of a kind, full house, flush, straight.

High=Jacks or better.   Low=10's or lower. 

(Take this chart with you to the machines) 

If you have...keep it...	..and draw
4 cards to a royal flush	1 card
3 of a kind	2 cards
4 to a straight flush	1 card
2 pair	1 card
3 cards to a royal flush	2 cards
High pair (jacks or better)	3 cards
4 cards to a flush	1 card
Open end straight (w/3 high cards)	1 card
Low pair	3 cards
Open end straight	1 card
3 "in a row" to a straight flush	2 cards
2 to a royal flush (w/o a 10)	3 cards
Inside straight (3+ high cards)	1 card
2 to a royal flush (with a 10)	3 cards
3 high cards	2 cards
3 with a "gap" to a straight flush	2 cards
2 high cards	3 cards
1 high card	4 cards
Misc. low cards	5 cards

One final note:  Just because your expected loss is $3-4 dollars per hour doesn't mean you'll only lose $3-4.  For a more detailed look at gambling expectations, be sure to read our "Crash Course in Gambling". 

Warning: No matter what the odds are, gambling always involves risk. Results using our gambling advice will vary. Never wager more than you can afford to lose!

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