Video Poker Facts And Fiction

Whether you're playing video poker in the casino or at home online it's worth being able to differentiate between video poker myth and video poker truth. There are a bunch of things that have over the last few years been sworn as true with regard to video poker - here are some of the most common misconceptions.

First of all, video poker machines, like slot machines do not have a 'right time' for pay out. They simply don't work like that! It's been long believed that if you watch a machine and note that it hasn't paid out for a while then it is 'due' for a pay out. Really? You think that these complex gaming machines work on the "oh, I'm full" approach? Be serious! Equally, a machine being opened or closed doesn't effect the payout of it, it also doesn't effect what you're going to be dealt next - there is no, "give the next guy a good hand" button!

Secondly, the cards you're dealt come from a random number generator - a particular flash of lights, or the timing of your button pushing has no effect on what these cards are going to be.

Thirdly, the amount you bet doesn't effect the cards you're dealt. Sometime in the 1990's it became 'common knowledge' that if you bet higher you would get worse cards. Obviously this is ridiculous. The system that takes your money, is completely independent of the RNG that gives you your cards; the RNG doesn't know if you bet 5c or $50.

Finally, it makes no difference whether you insert coins or notes. It's been argued that coins will result in a faster pay out: I refer you again to the stupidity of the "oh, I'm full" logic. Also, following the same track, higher denomination machines are no looser than lower denomination ones - they are set to their percentage pay out, it has nothing to do with the amounts accepted.

Having said all of that, some of those 'urban myths' about video poker are actually true. For instance... You can figure out the likelihood of a machine's payout, but from the odds not the weight of money inserted. However, you must bear in mind, that the odds of the machine are over its life time; if it has a 99% payout that doesn't apply to your games, but rather to all of its games.

Video poker, like a roulette wheel, provides mutually exclusive events each time. This means that that guy who told you he got 3 royal straight flushes in a row may not have been lying - because each deal is independent of the last one such a result would be possible - unlikely, but possible.

The video poker random number generator deals each combination from a regular deck, so your chance of being dealt a specific card is 1 in 52; the odds are the same as with a physical deck. I'm sure this isn't all of them - if you've heard any other wacky and wonderful ideas, true or not, please share; I would love to hear them.