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In this video we will be speaking
with gambling author Linda Boyd about
how to find the best paying video poker
machines
Linda is a former mathematics
instructor and author of the bestselling
book the video poker edge
and also writes monthly columns about
video poker for several
gaming magazines. And now here's linda
boyd
A lot of people don't understand the
difference between a
video poker machine and a slot machine.
A slot machine is based on luck
so if you're gonna play a slot machine they're lots of fun
especially the new ones but you'd better bring your lucky
horseshoe with you. On the other hand if
your game is
video poker then it's based on skill
so you need to learn how to play
correctly
and also make sure that you look
for the best machines
so we're going to talk a little bit
about how you can go
into a casino and locate the best
machines
available for video poker within that casino.
If you're comparing a video poker
machine with a slot machine
in terms of the pay schedule that you
can see on the front
of the glass of each of those devices
it's quite different with the video
poker machine
you can see how much they pay for each
of the winning
hands and based on how much they pay for
each of those winning hands along with
the fact
that each symbol -- there are fifty-two of them with the 52 card deck game--
has an equal probability of being selected
on the other hand if your game is slots,
they do not
have an equal probability of being selected So
just because you keep coming close say
two
instead of three 7s on a slot machine does not mean you're really close to winning the
big jackpot
With video poker a lot is based on
game names because the games
are the same if it's the same name with
the exception
of two things on the pay schedule let
me give you an example
jacks or better is a real popular game
in casinos and it's because you
get paid
double for two pair versus single pay
for two pair but not all games of jacks
or better are created equal even though
they have the same name
the pay schedules will differ in terms
of
full house and the flush, respectively. For
example
if your game is 9/6 Jacks or Better
you get paid 9 for each coin bet
when you hit a full house, 6 for each
coin bet when you hit a flush
on the other hand, if your game is 8/5
Jacks or Better you just get a return of
eight coins for each one bet on a full house
and five for each coin bet
on a flush hand.  So essentially
you need to look for a pay schedule that
gives you the best
return with the most coins for the
same given hand
Considering 9/6 Jacks or Better versus 8/5
Jacks or Better
you may want to think about the ER
which is the expected return. The higher
the ER
(expected return) the better it is for you
the player. So if you decide you're gonna play
9/6 instead of 8/5 for each
coin shortfall it's approximately
1.1 percent less on your expected return
Let me use the 8/5 versus 9/6 example
There's one coin less for the full
house
instead of 9 you get 8 back on a full house
and there's one coin shortage on the flush
instead of 6 you would get five back so
one plus one is two so it means
1.1 and 1.1 is approximately
2.2 percent less and if you check
using your tutorial devices at home you
will see
that 9/6 Jacks or Better if you play it
100 percent accurately pays
99.5439 percent
on the other hand you get 2.2 percent
less if you play 8/5 big difference
when you look at the returns on the pay
schedule. People
often wonder is there one best video
poker game to play
and the answer is it depends it depends
on you
the player and it also depends on the
pay schedule
available in your favorite casino. On the
one hand
you can have a high risk quite a high
volatility game
lots of action, lots of adrenaline rush
there
on the other hand if you choose low
volatility
it might be a little like watching paint
dry which you can last a lot longer
on your chosen bankroll. Let me give you
an example of
each. A high volatility game
the highest is double double bonus poker
note in double double bonus poker
and double bonus poker, another high
volatility game,
you only get paid even money for two
pair and that is a high frequency hand.
On the other hand, if you choose a low
volatility game
the best example is probably jacks or
better
Jacks or Better gives you double your wager
whenever you receive
two pair. As I said before it's a frequent
hand
and I might add it may depend on your
goals
as a player if your goal is to get a lot
of the entries
into a drawing for example
and it's based on your play you would
want a low volatility game
you can rack up a lot of points and a
lot of drawing entried
if you're trying for a coveted prize
On the other hand many people myself
included find it boring to sit there
and play and not get any high paying
bonuses unless you get an infrequent
hand
of a royal flush which is approximately
one in forty thousand
or a straight flush which is also an
infrequent hand
and I might add four of a kind if you're playing
a low volatility game may only give you
125 coin return
for a five coin bet, on the other hand
double double bonus if you get four aces
and the kicker
you'll receive a a five hundred dollar
on a quarter machine pay-back so it
really depends on what
the fun factor is for you and what the
goals are as a player
and let me add one other thing just
because the casino that you have chosen
at has 9/6 Jacks or Better a really good
game
full pay jacks or better, does not mean
all of their games
are full pay so you need to consider what
the pay schedule
is. If you're choosing double bonus for
example
you want 10/7 double bonus however
the casino that has 9/6 Jacks or Better
may not have 10/7 double bonus
so you really want to look at the pay
schedule and you want to know the expected
return you want the highest expected
return
possible you want to make certain that
you know what you're doing
you don't wanna go into a casino
blind if you go into casino when you
don't
know how to play a specific game then
you're better off
playing slots than video poker in some cases
Some people wonder if they're an unskilled
player they have not practiced at
home
will it change the payback percentage?
Absolutely
it will change the payback percentage
because
all of the expected returns that you'll
see in my table
or anybody else's table are based on 100
percent
accurate play very few people can do
that
if you're unskilled you will not
over the long run receive the expected
return
indicated and many people will say
oh these machines are rigged for the
holidays they've got these machines
fixed
you can play correctly and have bad luck
over one session
and not get the ER if you're unskilled
however
in the long run you won't get even close
to the expected return you must play
mathematically correctly it order to get
the expected return.
Often people wonder can I use the same
strategy
for every single video poker game and
the answer to that one is
a resounding no way. Each game has its
own
strategy that's why you need to practice
up before you go to the casino
the strategy that you use for full pay
deuces wild for example
will be different than the strategy used
for not so ugly deuces wild
same thing is true for you Jacks or
Better versus
double double bonus the strategy is based
on the payback
for a given winning hand along with the odds of achieving
that given hand. So don't expect to play
every video poker game
using the same strategy. People often
wonder
since each strategy is different
depending on the game
is there a way to learn how to play
mathematically
correctly when you're playing video
poker and thats
a yes. There's several ways you can do that
number one I highly recommend that you
take
software or at least practice before you
go to the casino
using tutorial software. I recommend
Zamzow win poker which is 100
percent
accurate and its very user friendly
there are other very accurate software
programs that are also good
what I state to beginners is to make
certain that has a tutorial function and
it's not just
fun lot whistles and bells. There are
many good books out there
I have a book called the video poker edge there are
publications Midwest gaming and travel
that's a real good one for video poker
players
and there are others on the market you
definitely want to be
armed with information though before you
enter the casino to play video poker
the same way you would want to be armed
before you go to play hold 'em
or any other poker game. What if you're
going to a casino
what can you do as a player to make
sure that you have
the best odds available? Number one I
recommend that you take pay schedules
with you
you will find a pay schedule on the
face or someplace
on any video poker device that you find
in a casino
you can simply push the see pays button
and it will tell you the pay schedule
however it will not tell you the
expected return
and as a player you want to know the
percentage or
the expected return so make certain
you bring cards with you that give the
expected return
for example if you're looking to play
jacks or better
you can look at the face of the machine at
pay schedule that's
on that device and match it with the pay
schedules you bring with you
and you will see 9/6 Jacks or Better
99.5439
percent if you choose 8/5 you'll see
that percentage
and so on. So it's important when you go
to the casino
that you checked the pay schedules
before you find a seat
and that you select the pay schedule
with the highest
ER. I will tell you frequently
you'll find side by side games with
different
pay schedules you may see a 9/6 pay
schedule
right alongside a 9/5 pay schedule
you of course will select the 9/6 pay
schedule
You may want to know if there's any kinda
guarantee
that when you go to the casino and you
find the best
machine in the house that is the
machines with the highest
ER (expected return) does that mean you're
definitely gonna go home a winner?
Unfortunately no regardless of the
casino game
there's always a luck component and
sometimes it's just
not your day you need to stay within the
predetermined confines
of the budget that you've allocated for your gambling venture
when that's gone it may be a terrific
video poker game
but you need to go as well. What's my best
advice?
If I were to give just one tip for video
poker players
that would be be skilled at the game
you select
I would rather play 9/6 Jacks or Better
with a slightly lower ER than full
pay deuces wild
if I know what I'm doing in 9/6 Jacks or
Better
and I don't know what I'm doing in
full pay deuces wild.
So you do need to have the basics for
your selected
game if you want to come close to the
expected return
if you want to know more about me and my
work I've written a book
it's called the video poker edge I also
write for several gaming publications
including Midwest gaming and travel You
can get my book on amazon.com
or through my publishing house square
one publishers
I write for several other publications
as well
Don't forget that you can see more of
our educational gaming videos on our
YouTube channel
just go to youtube.com/americancasinoguide
