Can you really use strategy and game planning with video poker machines? This is a question that many people ask, and for a reason. The common thought is that video poker, just like slots, is a game of pure chance, and even if you have the ability to discard the cards that you don't want in your hand, is it still up to the random card generator in the machine to decide whether you'll win or lose.

Like in regular poker, the main idea behind video poker is to get the best possible poker hand. If you know how to play basic poker, you'll have no problems to handle a video poker game. There are, however, differences between standard video poker and most of the stud or draw poker variations: In video poker there is always only one round of betting unlike regular poker that has usually more than one round of betting. Another difference is that in video poker you usually get all your cards when you press the 'deal' button and in regular poker there are usually community cards and pocket cards.

Another important thing that helps players to win in a regular poker game, and you cannot use in video poker is bluffing. The machine cannot see you if you try to bluff. You have to bet and then to discard or to hold your cards and this is the only options that you may use in the game. Bluffing cannot help you in video poker, so one of the biggest elements of poker strategy is lost. You must remember that you're not playing against other players so you don't have to bluff or outthink them. The computer doesn't really care about your behavior strategies, so you cannot use all the tips that most poker guides offer the players.

So what kind of tips can we provide you with? Mostly advices that deal with specific situations that you might encounter when you play in video. We can advice you to carry your coins in a bucket in order to manage your bankroll in a smarter way. We can also advice you to read the pay schedules before you start playing. You have to know the differences between full-pay and short-pay machines, you'll have to know the optimum strategy for each type of video poker machines. We can also advice you not to play in progressive video poker machines if the jackpot isn't very high and ready to hit. Other good recommendations will be to ask the casino employees about the best video poker machines, because sometimes they know better than you. You'll also need to know which machines are the best for novice players (Jacks or better) and how to use wild cards.

The most important tip we can give you is to use reason and logic when you play, and mostly to enjoy this game, because after all, luck is the most important factor and since you cannot change it (unless you're using unorthodox and magical methods of course), the enjoyment you gain from the game becomes your most important profit from playing video poker.