How To Win The Jackpot On Video Poker - Progressive Jackpot


THE BASICS

Always, always, always play the maximum amount of coins in a video poker machine. If you don't, you are being too generous to the casino. Increasing the house edge by as much as 2%.

If you can't afford to play maximum coins, change to a different machine with a lower denomination.

A nickel machine takes up as much floor space and requires about the same maintenance as a quarter machine. This results in the payoffs generally being lower. Using this logic, you would think that the Big Bertha or Giant type machines would offer the best payoffs. Not true. It is adjusted down because of the size of the payoffs.

Best bet is the dollar and quarter machines.

Now that you have the denomination figured out, you need to find the right machine in your playing range. Typical machines are; 9/6 machine, 8/5 machine, 7/5 machine, 6/5 machine and two-pair machine. They are called this because of their payoffs. A 9/6 machine pays 9 to 1 for a full house and 6 to 1 for a flush. The difference?

MACHINE HOUSE EDGE (APPROX)

9/6 - 2.3 %
8/5 - 4.3 %
7/5 - 5.4 %
6/5 - 6.6 %
Two Pair - 7.4 %

This assumes that you play correctly and with perfect strategy.

It is obviously in your favor to find a 9/6 machine. Not always easy to do. 8/5 machines are much more common. Some places (riverboats etc.) you may not have a choice. But in casinos etc., it is a must that you shop around.

Ignore the two pair and "wild" machines. Joker or deuce wild machines have their payouts adjusted because of odds differences. You get slightly better odds, less money paid out. Stick to a 9/6 or, more likely an 8/5 machine. These are usually "jacks or better" machines.

For an 8/5 machine you would use the following strategy;

Only play progressive jackpot machines. These are machines that are electronically tied together. A slight percentage of each bet is pooled into a jackpot that will be paid to the first person who hits a royal flush on one of those machines. Shop the casinos. There will often be several different progressive jackpot carousels in one casino. They are sometimes even connected from one casino to another.

If you want to gain an advantage over the house you have to find a progressive jackpot machine with a progressive jackpot that is larger than about 1,750 times the maximum bet.

MACHINE MINIMUM DOLLAR AMOUNT IN JACKPOT

$1.00 $12,500.00
$.25 $3,125.00
$.05 $440.00

The above jackpot amounts will give you and the house about an even chance against each other. As a player, your edge will increase about 1% for each addition of 350 maximum bets into the progressive jackpot. Look for the highest available jackpot for the denomination of machine you will be playing. This is why it also pays to shop around. It may be worth standing around until a machine is available.

Always discard the following cards since a draw of 5 new cards will give a greater expected gain.

4 card inside straight, no face cards 3 card flush, no face cards 3 card straight, no face cards

THE CATCH

Of course there's a catch, otherwise it wouldn't be gambling. Here it is. It takes an average of about 60 hours of rapid play to hit a royal flush. And, it takes a sizable bankroll to keep playing until you hit. And, during this time the casino enjoys about a 5% advantage. You can expect a straight flush about every 6 hours, a four-of-a-kind about every hour. Statistically.

It could take days for you to hit that jackpot, or you could hit it in a matter of minutes. Remember, the machine doesn't remember from one hand to the next whether it paid out or not. Each deal is pure random probability. A machine is not "due" if it hasn't hit in a long time. All you are doing is increasing your edge by improving your payout if you do hit. Meanwhile, the casino enjoys an edge of about oh, say, 30%!

Looks like you might be trashing your money again huh? But if you like to play video poker, there is nothing quite like that moment when you do hit a "Royal" on a progressive machine.

Imagine being down about $500.00 and all of a sudden those cards come up, the lights flash and this grin begins to spread from ear to ear as you realize you just hit for ten grand!

Nice rush.


Notes

Don't ignore this part. Always check your machine before you discard cards. Sometimes your "holds" don't always register. Just be sure and look at your screen to double check what you are holding and discarding. You can sometimes get a little screen numb after playing for a while. Guard against this with short breaks. Make it a point to look away from the video screen every few minutes to rest and refocus your eyes. Focus on something distant for a few seconds. Stand up once in awhile and stretch a little. It's important to keep from getting too fatigued.