As a general rule, new variations in Video Poker games the last 20 years or so have not offered the player a better chance of success than the original-style Jacks or Better games. Video Poker games which offer you multiple chances to place ever-more obscure bets are simply there to entice the player into making greater numbers of wagers with the odds stacked heavily against them.
A good analogy can be found on the Blackjack tables: this game if played sensibly can be made almost an even-money proposition, and with a little skill even a positive expectation casino game for the player. As a result most land-based and internet casinos have introduced side bets which increases the house edge considerably. The same principle applies for Poker games.
Our advice to you is to stick to the original casino games and to follow the guidelines we’ve given you, and you will truly enjoy your Video Poker play.
Double or Nothing Feature
Since the introduction of Video Poker to the casino gaming world many varieties have offered punters an extra gambling opportunity to make a winning hand: a simple double or nothing option. If you decide to take this option, the screen clears and five new cards are dealt. The card to the left is face up; whilst the remaining four cards are face down. You can choose any one of the four hidden cards and, if the card you selected is higher than the one showing, you double your money, if it is lower than the card showing you forfeit you lose some cash.
On almost every video poker game Aces are played as high, 2s are low. Therefore, if the card showing is a 2 you cannot lose, if the card showing is an Ace, you cannot win. If the card showing and the card you select are the same value, it is a push, and you are invited to wager again, or to collect the original prize.
Most Video Poker games offer you the chance to continue gambling, doubling your money right up to the point that if you won, you would exceed the video poker game’s natural jackpot. Some games only offer you the chance to double three times, or five times, or to a pre-set limit. This limitation seems to appear more at internet casinos than at land-based casinos.
Some players simply love this feature and claim it is the only way to win some decent cash, whilst others never use it since they believe it has nothing to do with the game. According to the software developers of the game, this gamble feature is a genuine even-money proposition, based on a random visible card and randomly dealt hidden cards. It is also completely separate from the standard Poker game, which is dealt from a different virtual pack.
Personally we have experienced much success using this double or nothing feature at the internet casinos we’ve wagered at, and to be honest we like it. Our initial impression is that it is not random and that if you gamble and lose repeatedly, at some point your chances of winning increases. Since we have only played very few hands, this is not a suggested fact but merely an observation. Nonetheless, the double or nothing feature adds excitement to a game where the prizes are generally small in relation to the stake placed.
