Video Poker Strategy: Always Play Highest-Paying Paytable

by Bodog Casino | Nov 19 2008

You’ve gotten the tip from every steady casino player and every gambler that’s won (and lost) some coin on slots and video poker: “play the maximum bet, it’s better in the long run.”

Sure, you practice what they preach because they’ve lived in casino rooms longer than their own apartment. But monetarily, is the risk really worth the reward?

You can go “big” and bet on the lottery every week but in the end the odds of hitting a Powerball is more unlikely than hooking up with Jessica Alba. Is it the same with going big with video poker?

Not in our eyes. We give our reasons why:

Royal Flush Payouts: Go from 0 to 60
When you enter an online casino you’re not there to win enough cash to go shopping on the McDonalds dollar menu. You’re looking to rake in enough to at least take care of your Christmas list. Honestly, unless you plan on buying your mother-in-law a double cheeseburger, you need to play five-coins – the highest amount you can play on a one-hand video poker machine – per spin.

The difference in payouts on a video poker machine like Jacks or Better isn’t felt if you simply get a pair of queens. Either way, whether you play one coin or five you’ll simply have your wager returned. But when it comes to the jackpot in royal flush, going one credit to five is like going from a minivan to a Ferrari: A royal flush with one credit is a 250 credit win, 500 with two coins, 750 with three coins, 1,000 with four coins – and then leaps to an astounding 4,000 credits.

More Pay in Multi-Hand Poker, More Returns
Multi-hand video poker can be costly even if you play one hand at a time, but you’ll be costing yourself so much more if you don’t bet five credits per spin.

A game like 100-hand Joker Poker can pay a player huge if you max out your wagers. Imagine you place a max bet and hit five of a kind (at 750-to-1 odds) and 20 hands flip in your favor? For a $500 bet you could walk away with up to $15,000! If you bet one coin your win would be five times less.

The Odds are in Your Favor
It’s true, compared to other casino games of course. Maximizing your bets and sticking to the optimal strategy can win you 99.54 of your wagers. That means the house has an edge of only 0.46 percent. That’s better than popular games like Roulette, Craps, Blackjack and Caribbean Stud Poker.
 
If you were going to max bet on any online casino game, video poker is one of the best bets.

Play online video poker at the Bodog Casino.