Video Poker Swinging for the Fences

Do you really want to win money playing online video poker? If you answer yes, then you better learn to swing for the fences. To have any chance at overcoming the house edge in video poker you must try and hit the jackpots, and it is not as simple as you might think.

Let’s say you are playing a Jacks or Better video poker machine. Let’s say you are dealt an Ace of Diamonds, 10 of Diamonds, 3 of Diamonds, 5 of Hearts, and 9 of Hearts. If you look at this example you will see that most of the time players will hold the ace and discard the rest.

The other option though is to hold the ace and the 10 and go for the royal. If you hold the ace and the 10 you are going to hit the royal flush 1 in 16,215 times. Those are very long odds and don’t look very good. Most players will hold the ace and look to hit other things like two pair, three of a kind, flushes, straights, etc. That will definitely happen more often if they hold only the ace.

The problem with doing what looks right is that you will not hit the royal that way. The odds of hitting the royal when holding a single ace are so long that it is not even worth considering. They are astronomical. A lot of people would say 1 in 16,215 is ridiculous too, but any chance is better than none and that is how you must play video poker if you want to hit the jackpot and win money in the long haul.

You must always go for the big score. It is swinging for the fences. You will strikeout almost every time but your goal is the home run and that is all that matters.

How To Play Caribbean Stud Poker?

Caribbean stud poker is a casino game based on five-card stud poker with a progressive jackpot and is played on a blackjack-like table with seven spots. The game is played against a dealer and not against each other.

There will be three betting spots in front of you. The first one is the BET, the other is the ANTE and then there is a slot for the progressive jackpot. Place a mandatory bet in the Ante box before play begins. If you want to take a stab at the progressive jackpot, be sure to place an optional bet in the Progressive Jackpot drop slot for $1. When you place a chip in the Progressive Jackpot drop slot, a red light goes on, so make sure the light is on before the dealer starts to deal the cards.

The dealer will then deal five cards with the dealer also getting five cards. Look at your cards and decide whether to call or fold to the dealer. Place a bet equal in size to double the ante if you want to continue play. You can forfeit the ante if you want to fold. Place your cards facedown on the table and watch the dealer collect the antes of those who have folded their four other cards. See if the dealer qualifies by getting an ACE-KING or higher and if your hand qualifies for the progressive jackpot if you placed the coin in the progressive slot before the hand.

Online, you play this game with the dealer and you don't even have to be playing with others. This is a definite advantage to online play because the game goes faster when you're not waiting for other players. If the dealer qualifies while you have a qualifying hand, you'll get the pay and the raise according to the table below:

Hand Pays:

• Royal flush 100 to 1
• Straight flush 50 to 1
• Four of a kind 20 to 1
• Full house 7 to 1
• Flush 5 to 1
• Straight 4 to 1
• Three of a kind 3 to 1
• Two pair 2 to 1
• All other 1 to 1

If the dealer qualifies and beats the player, both the bet and ante will lose. Its good to follow these basic rules. Always raise with a pair or higher and always fold with less than the dealer's qualifying hand (ace/king).