The game begins with each player making an 'ante' which is an initial bet. The dealer will deal 3 cards to each player faced down. Then comes the betting round, the options are: -

• Call - If you "call" it means that you do not want to raise anymore and that you have paid enough to stay in the game.
• Raise - If you "raise" then it means that you raise the bet by so much, a table can have a betting limit, but some do not. If you raise say $10, then everyone else on the table has to raise $10 also. If someone has raised before you then you must raise that amount before you raise any further. For instance Bob raised $50 before you, you put $80 in the pot, so therefore you have raised $30, Bob must put in $30 to stay in the game. Bob still may want to raise you even further if he is confident that he has a good enough hand.
• Fold - When you "fold" then you drop out of the game whatsoever. In the case of 3 Card Poker, you will lose your PairPlus bet aswell as your Ante And Up bet.

If you raise you go against the dealers hand, bare in mind that the dealer's hand needs to contain at least 1 queen or above to continue. Below are all the possible outcomes: -• Dealer Doesn't Qualify - 1:1.
• Dealer Qualifies And Player Wins - Both games (PairPlus and Ante And Play) win 1:1.
• Dealer Qualifies And Beats Player - Lose Everything.
• Dealer Qualifies And Player And Dealer Draw - Push.

Also, Ante And Play has a feature like PairPlush that does not depend on the dealers hand, here are the odds: -

• Straight - 1:1.
• Three Of A Kind - 4:1.
• Straight Flush - 5:1.

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.

Some people think that they have better chances if they play certain slot machine games such as those in the entrance, those that haven't paid off for a long time, or ones that have been paying off a lot. Don't waste your time trying to find a "hot" machine or a machine that is "due" to payoff, it's a myth. The slot machines are programmed at the manufacturing site to be random, each play on each machine has the same odds no matter how often or how long ago it paid off.There is some truth that the higher denomination machine payoff slightly more often than the smaller denomination machines. The nickel and quarter machines usually pay the least, while the $100.00 machines pay off the most often.It is also true that if you are a regular player, and play a lot the casino may consider you a preferred customer. These preferred customers may be given rewards by the casino in an attempt to keep their business. So it may be to your advantage to stay with only one casino and do all of your gaming at the same place.Simple Slots : for simple slot machines where you simply bet one coin and pull the lever there is no strategy, you simply play for fun. Just remember to play at a level you can afford. Take your wins when you get them, accept your losses, and enjoy yourself.Multiple-Coin slots are slot machines that allow for multiple coins to be played. There are two different types:

1. On some, you can increase your odds of winning by increasing the number of payout lines. Each coin played adds another payout line up to a maximum of five, three horizontal lines and two diagonal lines. The machine will pay out on winning sequences on all lines you've bet on.
2. On others, you can increase the payout on winning depending on your bet. For example, if one coin is played a payout might be 200 coins, 500 coins for two coins played and 1000 coins if a third coin is played. The best strategy for these machines is to play the maximum numbers of coins, because assuming you win the same number of times the additional payout percentage makes you more money. Think about stepping down a level if you want to limit your wagers, it is smarter to play a quarter machine using maximum coins rather than to play a dollar machine using one coin.