Although the casinos have always had the home court advantage, that hasn’t stopped the near-do-wells from attempting to cheat the house. In the past, panels of one-way glass were installed in the ceilings over the casino floor. Surveillance people, often referred to as, “the eye in the sky,” would tread back and forth on narrow catwalks while looking down at the games. With binoculars in hand, they monitored both the players and the dealers for any signs of cheating. They maneuvered through spider webs and around posts and rafters in the dark. Today's modern casinos are outfitted with hundreds of cameras that can rotate, pivot and zoom in on a pinhead. These cameras are housed in those half-spherical bubbles that you see, mounted from the ceiling. They send video signals that are fed into dozens of monitors with videotapes rolling. Not all of the cameras’ signals can be shown on a monitor at all times. Just because the camera is on doesn’t mean that someone is watching it. The video can later be reviewed, but the cheat or thief may be long gone. The surveillance crew must switch back and forth between cameras, focusing more on the busy-betting areas and the cashiers’ cages. If the pit is suspicious of a cheat or if a high roller steps into the game, the boss will call up to surveillance to make sure they are watching the action at that table. Eventually, the whole system will be computerized. A network of several hundred tiny digital cameras will be mounted throughout the casino. As these cameras sense movement, they will begin processing a digital signal to a computer. Surveillance software will interpret any actions it senses and the most questionable of those will appear on one of several main monitors where a small surveillance crew will be stationed. Because the footage is digital and fully indexed, it can be immediately accessed and cross-referenced with other footage taken, even if it happened six months earlier. There would be no archived tapes to search through, no hours and hours of rewinding and playing of videotapes. Everything will be stored in one central database.

In order to become a master video poker player, there are a few things you need to know. The first is how to read a payout schedule, so you know the difference between short, partial play and full-pay versions. And second, you need to know the strategies for all the kinds of video poker games.

First we will discuss Pay Schedules, and once we’ve established everything you need to know about that topic, we’ll move onto Strategies for two challenging games, Deuces Wild and Joker's Wild.

PAY SCHEDULES

Typically, a 9/6 video poker game will hit the royal flush every 40,000 hands played, which is equivalent to approximately 80 to 100 hours of game time. Other games, such as the 8/5 will hit the royal flush every 45,000 hands, the 7/5's will hit each 50,000 hands, and the 6/5's will hit approximately every 70,000 hands played.

You should always bet the maximum number of coins that are allowed. For example, if you bet 5 coins, all winning hands are paid out multiplied by a factor of 5, except for the royal flush.

DEUCES WILD STRATEGIES

Full-pay Deuces Wild Versions will be 9/5's 9 coins for a straight flush and 5 coins for 4-of-a-kind.

You should not be reluctant to throw away your five cards. You want to make room for additional cards that could be deuces, and holding that Ace or King is not going to help you if the next hand coming up could be four or five sevens. This is why…

Most Jacks or Better players will throw away complete hands-5 cards only 3% of the time, while Deuces Wild players almost 20% of the time, which is approximately every fifth hand.

You should not keep two pairs. You should select one or the other, as 3-of-a-kind is the minimum scheduled payout. Inside straights should be held only if they present the best possible return from your initial five cards dealt. Therefore, a 5, 6, 8, 9 hand can produce a 7 or wild card in this video poker version.

Strategies for this game are determined by the number of deuces or absence of deuces that are dealt in your initial hand, and approximately every 5000 hands will hit four deuces. This is a secondary jackpot that will keep you in the game or allow you to pocket some winnings.

The excitement of all or nothing in Deuces makes it an awesome game to play. You can go for hours without seeing one Deuce, but then hit a Royal with Deuces, and four-of-a-kind is easy to get.

JOKER's WILD STRATEGIES

The full-pay Joker's Wild pay schedule will be 7/5 machines, 7 coins for a full house and 5 coins for a flush. There are two versions of the game out there: one returns money on a pair of Kings or better, while the other requires at least two pairs before there is a payout. This first game is obviously the more desirable full-pay version.

These strategies for Jokers, unlike Jacks, reflect the wild card, a 53-card deck, and the different payouts. If you do not hold the Joker, keep three cards to a royal over a pair of Aces or Kings because of the higher payout. You could catch another Ace or King and still be paid.

If three cards are consecutive cards for a straight flush, for example, the 5, 6, and 7 of hearts, discard other cards for the higher payback. If not consecutive, keep the small pair.

Don't be afraid to hold the Joker alone. More than 3% of the time, you won't be able to connect with a straight, flush, straight flush, or a high pair; however, holding the Joker only can give you four new cards, and a win.