Video Poker Strategy

Shockwave Video Poker is a unique style of Jacks or Better video poker. There are two different modes of play – normal and Shockwave. The normal mode is exactly what it sounds like – normal Jacks or Better play. It accounts for well over 90 percent of play. The game operates in normal mode until a four-of-a-kind hit.

Golfing legend Arnold Palmer once quipped, “It’s a funny thing, the more I practice the luckier I get.” There is a whole lot of truth to what he said. Practice is important in developing and honing any skill.

Those who play video poker with any regularity generally have one or two favorite games they play. It may be some of my favorites such as Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, or Double Bonus Poker – games which have a high payback and low variance.

Let's have a little straight talk about straights - specifically, one-card draws that attempt to complete straights in video poker.

Most video poker games have a fixed pay table, meaning the pays for each winning hand never change.

Getting the most out of video poker requires learning to recognize the best possible draw on every hand.

The very popular Jacks or Better video poker game has been around for a long time. The reason is the high return and relatively low variance of the game.

The double up feature has been around for decades. In fact, it was much more prevalent years ago than it is currently. The following true story could be the reason why.

Video poker tournaments are either limited to a certain number of hands or a specific amount of time. Sometimes the tournament has both a time limit and a limit to the number of hands.

If you are like most video poker players, you do not expect a lot when you are dealt nothing but a low pair for your initial hand. It seems like these hands never turn into winners. But, is that really the case?

Earlier in 2017 I attended the Blackjack Ball, an invitation-only gathering of 96 Blackjack Pros from around the world.  Now you might be thinking what does this have to do with video poker; stay with me and I&rsquo

Video poker tournaments have been around almost from video poker’s beginnings. They are still popular events today. Many tournaments are free, or they require only a nominal fee to participate.