Can I Really Win?

Yes. Or rather, yes, but....

Profitable play at video poker first requires you play each and every hand correctly. The edge you might have is, in even the best of games, rather thin, so you cannot afford to make mistakes. That's not to say that you can't miss a pair and draw to a King and Queen every once in a while, but if you make that a habit, you can easily give up your edge. If you learn the proper strategy really well, you'll also begin to play faster and that's the other key to profitable play. If you can play just as accurately at a rate of 600 hands per hour as you can at a rate of 200 hands per hour, it stands to reason that you'll win 3 times as much money in the same period of time. The rewards can be considerable. Since I play mostly Blackjack, I don't spend a lot of time at VP, but recently I began keeping detailed notes of my play. Since October 14th of this year, I've played 58 hours of 25-cent video poker. My profit at this point is $992, which works out to be $17 an hour. Less than half of what I make at Blackjack, but still a decent return, considering that 99.9% of the other people who were there when I was, lost. You don't have to lose at the casino if you don't want to. But, you can't win by hoping, either. You've got to work at it. Here are some things to consider.

Pick a Game

Take a minute to peruse the most recent two articles in The GameMaster's Video Poker Bible. In them, you'll see which games to play and which to avoid. Once you recognize a game which is available in your area, and are SURE that it returns over 100% on long term play, learn that game. You might want to eventually learn two different games (assuming they are available), but I can't recommend any more than that. It's just too confusing, otherwise.

Learning Your Game of Choice

You need GOOD information on how to play the hands and there are several ways to do it. As for me, I have Lenny Frome's book, "Winning Strategies for Video Poker"; Dan Paymar's book, "Video Poker - Precision Play"; I subscribe to Video Poker Times and I have a bunch of 'pocket' strategy cards from Dan and also carry some I've made up on my own. I also own Stanford Wong's video poker software, got the free VP program we mentioned in a front page 'Hot Tip' recently and have several other VP programs. You're reading this on a computer now, but if you don't want to get some of this software, go buy a little hand-held game and use that for practice. It's easier (and cheaper) to practice at home than to try it in the casino, so do that for at least 20 or 30 hours of play before you commit any of your hard-earned $$$ to actual play.

Establishing a Bankroll

The bad thing about playing VP is that you'll lose most of the time, so you can't go at this with a hundred bucks and expect to make a fortune. The reality is that you'll likely lose $1000, $2000 or more (and that's at a quarter game!), but IF, and only if, you play games with a 100+% return, one fine day, the money will start rolling in. So, you should, while you're practicing, start setting aside risk capital for this venture. I say 'risk' capital, because this is no 100% sure thing, unless you've got a $10,000 bankroll and you play perfectly. You can probably do it with less, but the risk is higher if your bankroll is smaller. For example, with a $2400 bankroll committed to quarter games of 10/7 Double Bonus poker, there's a 1 in 30 chance that you'll lose it all. Now that's not all that scary, especially if you have a source of renewable funds (a job), but $2400 is still a lot of dough to throw at a casino. I think a serious VP player needs $6000 set aside to give this venture a fair shot.

Consider a Team or Joint Effort

If you have a friend, spouse or significant other who also likes to play VP, consider splitting the risk between you. As long as you both play equally well, the same amount of money should work, it's just that you'll hit the 'long run' quicker. If it's meant to be that you're going to lose, it'll happen faster, but so will winning. And, if you play beatable games, the odds are you'll win.

Join the Slot Clubs

Most give back cash now, and that adds to your edge over the casino. For example, if the club awards 1 point for each $10 in quarters played and it takes 40 points to get back $1, that club is paying 40 X $10 = $400 X .0025 = $1 or .25%. If you're playing a game with a long term return of 100.7%, with the slot club your return is 100.95%. The cash is great, but so are all the room deals, free dinners, etc. Yes, a good, active 25-cent VP player is a desired patron in almost any casino. They're willing to give it away; you need to get your share.

Have Fun

I really enjoy playing VP and I have fun at it, win or lose. When I lose, I know I'll eventually get my $$$ back and, since my bankroll is separate from my 'real' money, I don't sweat it. Practice when you aren't at the casino; avoid taking 'shots' at the slots and get all the freebies you can from the casino. You'll do just fine.

(Source)