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Video Poker Gonna Try Video Poker in March

Discussion in 'Video Poker' started by dsmoov12, Feb 13, 2013.

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  1. dsmoov12

    dsmoov12 Tourist

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    I'm fairly new to the board but not to Vegas. I am going back in March for the hoops tourney and want to play some video poker. I've been reading some of the threads about it but am a bit of a novice when it comes to the games. I see lots of abbreviations, can someone give me a quick summary of the games please.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. ams722

    ams722 Side Bet Shunner

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    I'd start with the Wizard's site first: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/

    If you're a total newb, Jacks or Better (JoB) is a good game to start with. Learn the strategy. Practice online. Once you become familiar with JoB, it's easy to learn various other strategies for other games because some of them are very similar and require very few modifications to the strategy. At least, that's how I started.
     
  3. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    Further to the Wizard's site here are two good ones with intros for newbies:
    http://www.videopokerinfo.com/
    http://www.videopoker.com/learn/

    You'll pick up the abbreviations without even trying. The main thing is to practice playing. ams is right, start with Jacks or Better (JoB). The strategy is fairly easy to learn and the basis of most games. Get a trainer for your iPad or smartphone or just on your computer. There are a lot of free ones and a couple of paid apps I've tried that were worth the money. Not only is it important to learn the strategy (which is best done by practicing, not just memorizing off a chart) but its important to get a taste of the volatility. If you're traditionally a table player it may be hard to gauge what denomination VP you should play. So getting a sense of what you can lose and how quickly is important.

    And of course....always look for the best possible paytable. Preferably 9/6 for JoB which means for a single credit bet it pays 9 on a full house and 6 on a flush (i.e. 45/30 at max-coin). Depending on the denomination and where you play this may not be possible so look for the closest thing (e.g. 9/5, 8/6, 8/5, etc).
     
  4. Iu25

    Iu25 High-Roller

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    also if you have an iphone, ipod touch, ipad, there is a great app on there that teaches you the proper strategy while playing. Im fairly new to it as well and I have learned alot from the app. It is called video poker wizard, it is a bit pricey though. I think I payed 9.99 for it, but it is well worth it, love it!!
     
  5. dsmoov12

    dsmoov12 Tourist

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    Thanks for the feedback. I'll start practicing
     
  6. win4me

    win4me VIP Whale

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    I have a great one on my iPhone called WinPoker. I think it was $9.99 also. It is a great trainer!
     
  7. Jersey_Bill

    Jersey_Bill High-Roller

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    The best app I have seen is WinPoker - available for iPhone and iPad (and probably other platforms) by a company called Zamzone.

    As you play, it tells you when you make a mistake and why and rates your accuracy. You can also use it to input a hand and it will give you the suggested play - which I use right at the machine when stumped by a tough hand.

    It has pretty much all variations of VP as well as multiple-line VP and you can even "custom enter" your own variations.

    Once you spend two or three weeks playing with it, you will see your play improving greatly. I always use it in the weeks before a Vegas trip to brush up and get ready for my usually long and intense sessions.

    The person who mentioned volatility hit on a good point - JoB and Deuces Wild are fairly low volatility games meaning that you tend to get a lot of smaller wins, keeping your total losses or gains from getting too out of control at any point in time. Of course, when you hit the royal, that's a big gain with any game. Other games like Double Double Bonus Poker (DDB) are my personal brand of crack cocaine. They are highly volatile meaning you may not be "refilling the coffers" as regularly with hits - the hits come more infrequently with larger wins. Thus, you need a larger bankroll and sometimes a longer session to manage your way through the ups and downs - but the thrill of a "quick hit" on Quad Aces with a kicker (four aces and a 2,3,4) is like nothing you can imagine... I hit that for $2000 on a dollar machine last summer, which recovered my whole trip in one hit.

    JZB
     
  8. Iu25

    Iu25 High-Roller

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    Ive not tried winpoker, but it sounds very similar to the one I use. Wizard of Odds games makes the video poker wizard app, which also has about every variation I have ever seen and also tells you when you are making the wrong play. Keeps all theo and actual stats as well. I will chekc out winpoker though, always like to try others! thanks Jersey
     
  9. Jersey_Bill

    Jersey_Bill High-Roller

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    Great thing about WinPoker is that you have it right on your iPhone sitting at the machine and can program in a hand you are stumped on and get its advice... Done that a few times.

    Now there's a gambling regulation somewhere that you are not supposed to use "mechanical or electronic aids" when gambling at any machine or table - so technically this is not allowed - but I see it as the same thing as using a blackjack "basic strategy" card at the table which is allowed pretty much everywhere.

    Good luck !

    JZB
     
  10. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    I also use Winpoker for the iPhone. I haven't looked at the Wizard's app, but I'm sure it's good.
     
  11. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    I've been waiting and waiting for WinPoker for the Android. I haven't liked anything I've found for the droid yet. Any recommendations?
     
  12. Iu25

    Iu25 High-Roller

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    Thats what I liked about the wizard app, you can type in a hand to analyze and see what you shoudl do with it if confused at the machine.

    Sonya, I have an iPhone, but check for the Video Poker Wizard app, it might be on Android by now. I think both winPoker and VP Wiz are both $9.99 in app store so they would be similar on android if available!
     
  13. Jersey_Bill

    Jersey_Bill High-Roller

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    Gee, didn't realize that Wizard of Odds had an app out there... I thought the only way you could practice was from their website. Thanks !

    I downloaded the Wizard app and will check it out next to the WinPoker one. Seems like they have a lot of overlap.

    JZB
     
  14. warpdrvr

    warpdrvr Low-Roller

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    Another vote for WinPoker for the iPhone. I keep it next to me at the machine and use the "Analyze Hand" for when I'm stumped as to what to keep/discard. Word of warning though: Make sure you set the game you would play first so it analyzes the hands correctly. My wife got it on her phone and we forgot to set the game correctly and it was telling us what to do for the JOB and we were playing DDB..
     
  15. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    I have both WinPoker and Video Poker Wizard on my iPhone and iPad. You can't go wrong with either one. They're mostly the same but WinPoker allows you to play multi-hand games if you like (3,5,10 play)...VP Wizard doesn't. VP Wizard has a much more detailed game analysis feature but you don't really need that except to satisfy your curiosity if you're a numbers person.

    I like that VP Wizards hand analysis works in landscape mode which is easier to deal with while you're in a casino so you don't need to scroll left and right to pick your cards but it requires you to hit the "analyze" button when you're done while WinPoker automatically shows you the right play after picking the 5 cards so its one less keystroke.

    Winpoker also has better user statistics (e.g. play history) information. But for some reason it crashes a lot on both my devices whenever I'm in the game and try going back to the menu.

    A fun free one to download for the iPad (not iPhone) is the videopoker.com app. If you play on the site you know how it offers pretty much all the games you find in the casino. The iPad app allows you to play all the popular ones like Super Times Pay, Ultimate X, Build A Wheel, Spin Poker, and so many others. The free version just allows the JoB version for each game and you can pay to unlock the other versions for each game. The graphics are beautiful, exactly the same as the casino version. It also has a trainer you can pay to unlock, it comes with a very basic version for free which simply keeps track of whether you made the right decision or not but nothing else. No hand analyzer but by far the most "fun" video poker app since it offers all the funky variations/bonus games in the casino.
     
  16. JDinTN

    JDinTN MIA

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    This is why I've cut down on video poker a lot over the years. It used to account for at least half my play -- now its an occasional thing. You can lose a lot really fast if you don't hit any big hands. My main advice to new players is to play at a denomination lower than you think you can afford even if it means worse paytables for a while. When you lose a hundy in the blink of an eye playing quarters you might think twice about playing $1 or $5 machines even if you're used to buying in for thousands at a bj or craps table.
     
  17. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    The Wizard is such an honest guy that he said on Gambling with an Edge that if you already own Winpoker you don't need his app.

    I almost wish I didn't have Winpoker just to support him!
     
  18. Jersey_Bill

    Jersey_Bill High-Roller

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    I have noticed some ranking differences between the WinPoker and the Wizard apps - but I need to sit down and catalog them when I have the time.

    Seems that when I have a queen and a 10 of the same suit (nothing else interesting), WinPoker wants me to hold only the queen while Wizard wants me to hold both (as a 2 to a royal?)

    I need to research this further but I am suspecting that they don't both score your play identically....

    JZB
     
  19. johnvic

    johnvic VIP Whale

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    Is this JoB? In Winpoker they say hold both.
     
  20. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    I have this app on my iPad and paid to unlock the analyzer on the Game King. It's my favorite app for practicing strategy and tracking my % of correct play.

    That being said, I bought the win poker app just for the hand analyzer, which will come in very handy when I am playing live and don't have something popping up telling me when I am about to make the wrong play.
     
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