Video poker: Skill, not luck
What's the difference between video poker and slot machines?
"A slot machine is a game of luck; video poker is a game of skill," says Steve Bourie, of Hollywood. That's because in video poker, the player makes decisions about what cards to throw away and what cards to keep.
Bourie of Hollywood is known for two things: 1.) His American Casino Guide and 2.) His love for video poker.
He has put together a 10-minute video about video poker, free via the internet.
Two big tips from Bourie:
Check the pay tables on video poker. That's the board right above the display screen. In the Jacks or Better version of video poker, there are often discrepencies on what a machine will pay for a full house or a flush. The best machines pay 9 for 1 for a full house, 6 for 1 for a flush. If you're sitting at one of those machines and play with optimal strategy, your return rate for the game is 99.54 percent.
There's always one best way to play a hand. Video poker is about the math. For example, drawing to an inside straight is statistically wrong. Your chance of hitting the straight is 11 to 1, but the most you'll be paid is 6 to 1.
To find optimal strategy and to see the video, go to target="new"AmericanCasinoGuide.com.
NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, moved on to "night baseball" and "pass the trash" during a Dr. Pepper-infused midnight game in the 1980s at the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, and now play in a regular neighborhood Hold 'Em game in Plantation. I have been given the assignment of writing about the gambling life in South Florida casinos for the Sun-Sentinel...which means sitting around watching poker on TV now counts as research.
