Six full decks are shuffled together and the players sit according to a collective decision. The first player sits to the croupier's right arm and the other players are sitting beside him in a circular order by the predetermined resolution.The croupier shuffles the cards, hand them to the next player, who shuffles again and hand it to the next player and so on till the cards are back to the croupier, who then hands them to the player to his left. The player cuts the cards, hand them back to the croupier, he take a fair amount of the cards for later rounds and hands the rest to the player sitting to his right. When this amount of cards are depleted after a round or more he then put the first cards in the "basket", which is located in the center of the table, and he takes fresh cards from the ones left.The player holding the cards is the "banker". Notice that in Chemin de Fer the casinos do not interfere with the game, the croupier is managing the conduct of the game but otherwise he does not intervene. The banker is responsible for the amount he wins or loses. It is up to the banker to accept or decline wagers from the players, also he is responsible to distribute the winnings or to claim the pot in case he wins. The player with the highest stakes gets to play against the bank. If too players have equal stakes then the player who sits first respectively to the rotation plays.The banker deals two cards to himself and to the player, if one of them reaches a total of nine or eight he declares it out loud and the round stops and the bankers pay the punters' gains or claim the pot, if it was him who won. In Chemin de Fer a tie is neither a loss nor a win, the pot remains for the next round. If the banker lost the cards are moved to the next player in order, making him the banker, though he can decline his status and the cards move to the next player.If none declares the banker offers a third card and the round proceeds as following:
If the initial total of the player is 0-4 he "must" accept a third card by saying "card" or "yes". If the initial sum is 5 he has the option to claim or decline a third card. If the initial total is six or seven he "must" refuse a third card. At any point the player can do as he wants, thus the "must", but if he avoids these traditional lines he faces the wrath of the lot, and it is up to him to compensate any loses of the other players.The banker is not under such rules and he can devise any move depending on his initial cards. The banker cannot extract any sum from the pot, if he wishes to dismiss himself from his status he declares "I pass the deal". He must leave the exact sum which was present in the pot when he commenced his duty as the banker. The initial bank is decided in the first round by the croupier. The pot moves to the next player in the rotation, who is free to put any sum at his disposal.Notice that casinos charge a 5% commission on winning bets, this way the game is profitable for casinos but leaves the players in control of the game. Chemin de Fer is game more suitable for dynamic players who would like to have more cardsoptions.

• Low pair and low pair: Split unless holding a king or better, then play two pair in the back.
• Low pair and medium pair: Split unless holding a king or better, then play two pair in the back.
• Low pair and high pair: Split unless holding an ace, then play two pair in the back.
• Medium pair and medium pair: Split unless holding an ace, then play two pair in the back.
• Medium pair and high pair: Always split.
• High pair and high pair: Always split.
• Pair of aces and any other pair: Always split.

• Three pair: Always play highest pair in front.
• Three of a kind: Always play three of a kind in back unless they are aces, then play a pair of aces in back and one ace in front.
• Three of a kind twice: Always play highest pair in front.
• Straights, flushes, straight flushes, and royal flush:
  • With no pair: When choosing whether to play a straight, flush, or straight flush play the category which will allow the highest two cards in front.
  • With 6th or 7th card: Play the lower straight or flush in the back to place the highest cards in front.
  • With one pair: Play pair in the front only if a straight, flush, or straight can be played in the back.
  • With two pair: Use two pair rule.
  • With three pair: Use three pair rule.
  • With three of a kind: Play pair in front.
  • With full house: Use full house rule.
• Full house: Always split unless the pair is twos and you have an ace and a king to play in the front.
• Full house with three of a kind and two pairs: Play the highest pair in front.
• Full house with three of a kind twice: Always play the highest pair in front.
• Play according to the rank of the four of a kind:
  • 2 through 6: Always keep together.
  • 7 through 10: Split unless a king or better can be played in front.
  • Jack through king: Split unless an ace can be played in front.
  • Aces: Always split.
• Four of a kind and a pair: Play pair in front.
• Four of a kind and three of a kind: Play pair in front from the three of a kind.
• Five aces: Split aces and play three aces in back and two aces in front unless you have a pair of kings, then play five aces in back and kings in front.

Video Poker has remained a favorite of gamblers for years. Combining elements of both poker and slots, video poker is one of the few games in the casino where you can actually find a positive expectation of winning. In contrast to "pure luck" games such as slots or roulette, video poker combines the elements of luck and strategy. With enough practice, you can learn how to play video poker like a professional.

Luck - Outcomes are governed by a random number generator, hereafter known as an RNG. The RNG cycles through random numbers at about 1000 per second when the machine is sitting idle. At the moment you signal the machine to deal, the RNG gives the machine a number that corresponds to a card combination to display, as well as replacement cards. The available combinations in the RNG match those that could be dealt by a 52 card deck, with the same probabilities you would find in a poker game. The odds of receiving a particular hand from the start are fixed. For instance, the chance of receiving a royal flush without drawing is 1 in every 649,740 hands.

Strategy - Because you are allowed to discard, strategy comes into play. The key is to discard in a manner that gives you the the highest expectation of winning. Using such a strategy will give you the best chances of winning in the long run. Optimal strategy will change depending on the rules of the video poker game you are playing. Optimal strategy may also change with different pay tables. Often, you must play maximum credits in order to take advantage of the highest expectation.

We welcome you to look around the site and explore the possibility of playing better video poker.