Q1: Is it possible to gain an advantage at Video Poker?

A1: The video poker strategy discussed here is for the common "8/5" machines. They are called 8/5 because of the 8-for-1 payoff for a full house and 5-for-1 payoff for a flush. "Joker's Wild" and "Deuces Wild" machines will require a much different strategy.

In order to have an advantage over the house, you must find a machine with a progressive jackpot that is larger than about 1750 maximum bets. ($8750 for $1 machines, $2200 for $.25 machines, $440 for $.05 machines) This level only makes the game even with the house. The jackpot must be higher than this in order to gain an advantage. The player's edge increases by about 1% for each addition of 350 maximum bets into the progressive jackpot.

Q2: Is playing five coins always better than playing one coin?

A2: Not necessarily. In fact, you’re usually better off playing one coin than playing five. The ratio of coins returned for winning hands is the same whether you play one coin or five, except when you hit a royal. For example, if a machine returns one coin for a pair of Jacks with one coin in, it will pay two for two coins, three for three, four for four, and five for max-coin play. This 1:1 ratio remains constant. Usually, though, a royal flush will return 250 coins for one coin, 500 for two, 750 for three, and 1,000 for four, then jump to 4,000 for five, which raises the per-coin ratio from 250:1 to 800:1. The shot at the bonus jackpot explains the popular advice to always play the maximum five coins.

Q3: When the cards are dealt, are the next five cards already lined up behind the first cards?

A3: No, they’re not lined up behind the first cards, but they have already been selected. When the random number generator selects the cards for a hand, it actually takes ten cards, not five.

Q4: What is the best video poker game to play?

A4: This answer depends on the denomination of coin you want to play with. You must learn to distinguish between good and bad pay schedules and play only the good. Furthermore, another factor in deciding which game to play is the game which you know how to play the best. Playing video poker well requires a high degree of skill, so if you don’t know how to play Deuces Wild, but you do know how to play Jacks or Better, then you are better off sticking with Jacks or Better. But it's always a good idea to learn the strategy of the other games, as the more games you learn, the more options you’ll have.

Q5: How big a bankroll do you need to play video poker?

A5: A bankroll is an amount of money set aside for gambling. If you’re going to play on a full-time basis, we recommend having at least a three-royal-flush bankroll. For casual players, we recommend a more psychological approach as there will be days where you’ll lose half a royal, or more. If losing just $500 scares you, you do not have the psychological bankroll for playing quarters. If losing $2,000 makes you late for the rent, forget about playing for dollars.

Q6: What's the best way to learn how to play successfully?

A6: You have to work at it. Video poker is a game where every hand has one best play and the strategies are complicated. Learning what these are takes time and effort. And the time and effort is rewarded by better results when you play.

As per normal poker rules - playing and betting proceeds in a clockwise direction.

All Players must first ante before they receive their initial cards, except the $0.50/$1 game which has no ante.

There are five betting rounds in a complete game of Seven-Card Stud, not including the ante.

On the first round of betting, the Player with the lowest value door card "brings-in" and starts the betting - equal to at least half the minimum bet for the game. In proceeding rounds, the Player with the highest hand initiates the betting. If hands tie, the Player to the left of the dealer acts first.

Betting increments in the game determine the bets. In a game of $2 and $4 betting increments, the first two rounds of betting and raising are set at the lower level of $2, the other three rounds of betting and raising are set at the higher level of $4.

The exception to this rule is if any Player displays a pair with their 2 face-up cards on 4th Street. In this circumstance, all Players have the option to bet either the lower limit or the higher limit. If a Player bets the higher limit, then all subsequent raises must be made at the higher limit.

The maximum allowable number of bets per Player during any betting round is four. This includes a (1) bet, (2) raise, (3) re-raise, and (4) cap. The term cap is used to describe the 3rd raise in a round since betting is then capped and can't be raised further. Once capped, Players will have only the option of calling or folding.

In betting rounds where Players have folded, the first active Player left of the Disc/Dealer is first to act.

Craps is the well known casino game of dice, it is developed from Hazard, a game from the 14th century, that was once popular between high-stakes patrons in English gambling houses. The name "Craps" comes from the nickname "Crabs", which is a roll of 1-1 in Hazard.

The modern game of Craps was developed by black Mississippi riverboat gamblers in the 19th century, borrowing heavily from the rules of Hazard.

Craps is fast, exciting and immensely popular, and the game has long been a favorite target of anti-gambling forces. Craps undoubtedly is responsible for many fortunes changing hands at dice tables in glitzy casinos, back rooms and alleys. It may even be guilty of something a little more serious: the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Popular history names Mrs. O'Leary's cow as the culprit, having kicked over a lantern in the barn, sparking the conflagration which destroyed much of Chicago. A Chicago businessman named Louis Cohn claimed, years later, to have knocked over the lantern himself during an especially exciting game of Craps, then laid the blame on the heifer. He was particularly remorseful, he said, because "I was winning."

At first glance, Craps can be intimidating. There are numerous bets that can be made, and some of the terminology seems complicated, but the small amount of effort it takes to learn the game is well worth it. Many casino patrons consider Craps to be the game. Nothing in a casino generates as much excitement as a hot roll at the Craps tables.

The game of craps has a long, colorful history and is still going strong.