Click Here to Play Video Poker at Our #1 Online Casino! Basic Strategy Imperative to Learn. Learning the basic strategy of any video poker game that returns at or near 100% is the first step in making a living playing video poker. Our video poker section shows the best play for the types of five-card hands that are dealt in video poker.
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Full-pay Deuces Wild has the best payback percentage at 100.7%. But this video poker game is fast disappearing in today's casinos.
Learn to manage your video poker finances. Manage your bankroll, obtain financial security, save money and control your expenditures.
Video poker has dry spells when the machine doesn't pay out. Full house and flush hit every 90 hands. Play your strategy until the big payoff hits.
- 3 Reasons You Should Never Play Slot Machines Slots have a poor reputation within the casino gambling world, and many longtime players wouldn’t be caught dead spinning the reels. Whether or not the games deserve that level of derision is a matter of perspective of course, but considering the three drawbacks listed below, informed players have.
- Oct 31, 2019 Professional slots play gives you this opportunity. You can hang out in casinos and play different slots for hours while earning a living. Pick up Comps on the Side. The profits that you accumulate from slot machines aren’t the only benefits to this profession. You can also earn rewards on the side of your play.
- Many casinos spread free slot and video poker tournaments for loyal players. These often require a certain level of players card tier or points earned during a specific period. Slot and video poker tournaments pay out in free play. You can redeem this right on your favorite video poker machine.
- After playing in free tournaments at WinPalace and SlotsJungle where you start out with 5,000 credits and bet 100 at a time, I am certain I could never make a living gambling on slot machines. I routinely end a tournament with 1,500 to 3,500 credits. Rarely I have doubled the 5,000 I start out with or tripled it.
You think you're ready to play video poker for money? Well, you can always use a little advice, right? Here are some tips to help you get started.
Tip - Start off with an ample bankroll.
Like a business, video poker needs capital. A big one. You want a bankroll that's at about 3-5 times the royal flush payoff of the game you will be playing. This is relative to the denomination of the machine of course. If the pay table states that a royal flush pays 4,000 for a 5-credit bet, you want to have the equivalent of 12,000-20,000 credits for your bankroll. If it is a .25c machine, that's $3,000-$5,000.
Why so big? Because you will have many losing days before the payoff comes. Even a progressive jackpot machine or a Deuces Wild game will not pay you off immediately. A video poker machine's payback percentage doesn't happen overnight; it takes place over the course of time and you must have the bankroll to sustain your game while you are waiting for it.
Tip - Learn only one game at a time.
There are many video poker games around a new ones are being added all the time. Even the same game can have varying rules and pay tables. One is apt to get confused by these. If you want to prosper in video poker, strive to learn only one game at a time. If you play 9/6 Jacks or Better, stick to that. Not until you have played your chosen game with optimal strategy for 100 hours should you try your hand at something else.
When choosing a game, pick only those with the best payoffs and highest payback percentages. Online video poker games have high returns, and Deuces Wild is always good. Look for 'full pay' tables with 9/6 or better whenever possible. For payback percentage, look for no less than 97%.
Tip - Use simple strategy for beginners.
Professional video poker players make use of strategy cards similar to those used in blackjack. These are charts of correct movements for every possible hand you are dealt. Now you may think there is just one perfect strategy for each video poker game, but there isn't. There are video poker strategy cards for novice, intermediate and advanced players. Generally, the more accurate a strategy is, the more complicated it is to use. To make a strategy easier to use, some accuracy must be sacrificed.
Choosing the most accurate system for your chosen game isn't necessarily the best choice. An advanced strategy can cause you to make more mistakes, thus negating what advantage you'd gain from it. So for starters, choose a basic strategy. Even when you advance, you may not find it necessary to use the most complex strategy cards that only the top experts care about.
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Most routes to becoming a pro gambler are well known. Daily fantasy sports (DFS), card counting, poker, and sports betting are all common forms of professional gambling.
Slot machines, on the other hand, seem like the last type of gaming that would offer an opportunity to become a professional. Aren’t these the games that people mindlessly play for hours and lose lots of money? Yes, to a degree.
However, slot machines can offer a chance to win profits under the right circumstances. That said, I’ll discuss different ways to win with slots and if this career choice is ultimately worth the effort.
What Are the Different Ways to Beat Slots?
You might think the only way to beat a slot machine is by praying to the heavens. If so, you’ll be surprised to find there are actually three different ways to win with slots.
Banking Slot Machines
A banking (a.k.a. accumulator) slot machine features a bonus meter that gradually fills as one collects special symbols. A bonus feature will be triggered once the meter reaches the top.
The premise behind these games is that they entice gamblers to play longer in order to unlock bonuses. But some players don’t manage to trigger the bonus, because they either run out of time or money.
Assuming they leave, you can swoop in and take advantage. You can theoretically gain an edge with accumulator slot machines when the meter is nearly full.
What’s more is that many gamblers continue playing so that they can earn the bonus. In these cases, you may need to build up the nerve to persuade a gambler off their slot machine beforehand.
Those who engage in this practice are often referred to as slots “vultures.” They hang around games and do anything possible to get a seat when the bonus is set to come.
Therefore, you not only need the time to find nearly full meters, but also need the nerve to talk somebody off a slot.
Mystery Jackpots
A mystery slot machine offers a progressive jackpot that pays out at a specific point. For example, a game may deliver its top prize at exactly $250.
Much like with accumulator slots, some gamblers leave a mystery jackpot slot machine before it’s set to pay out. This creates another opportunity where you can gain an edge by stepping in at the right moment.
The biggest challenge in getting this advantage is knowing when to play a mystery jackpot slot. Here’s a formula via Michael “The Wizard of Odds” Shackleford for calculating a mystery game’s most-profitable point.
- Formula: t = m × (h + r) / (h + 2r)
- t = Target point
- m = Max jackpot
- r = Rise of meter (percentage of each bet that goes into the jackpot; e.g. 2%)
- h = House edge (including average value of progressive jackpot)
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This formula isn’t perfect. After all, you may not know the house edge and/or jackpot contribution for the game you’re playing.
But you can at least guess these variables and come up with a reasonable target point. For example, most games see around 2% of every bet go towards funding the progressive jackpot.
Here’s an example for using these variables to determine when you’ll have an edge:
- Formula: $250 jackpot x (0.05 + 0.02 rise in meter) / (0.05 + 0.02×2) = $194.44
- You should begin playing when the jackpot reaches $194.44.
Progressive Jackpots
Progressive jackpots play a huge role in the popularity of slot machines. After all, some of these prizes can be worth seven or even eight figures.
For example, somebody won a jackpot of $21 million through Microgaming’s Mega Moolah in 2019. This prize is an exception to the norm, but it shows just how large slots jackpots can get.
You definitely can’t expect to win profits on a game with 88% payback. This RTP is as bad as it gets in the slots world.
However, Mega Moolah’s payback grows along with the jackpot. At a certain point, this slot, or any other progressive game, can feature such a large jackpot that the game itself offers over 100% payback.
Assuming you play progressive slot machines at this point, you’re theoretically earning profits. But this is a huge “theoretical,” because you’d have to actually win the jackpot at some point to eventually be profitable.
The odds of winning the biggest slots jackpots can be 1 in 10 million, or even greater. You certainly don’t have any guarantees with these games.
Why You Should Chase Slots Profits
You can see from the above description that slots winnings aren’t easy to come by. However, you may still find this pursuit worth the effort for a few different reasons.
Make Money With Entertaining Games
Millions of people around the globe play slot machines on a daily basis for the entertainment value alone. Now, just imagine if you could also make a living while enjoying these games.
Professional slots play gives you this opportunity. You can hang out in casinos and play different slots for hours while earning a living.
Pick up Comps on the Side
The profits that you accumulate from slot machines aren’t the only benefits to this profession. You can also earn rewards on the side of your play.
You simply need to sign up for a slots club card at any casino where you gamble. From here, your bets will be comped based on each casino’s formula.
Generally speaking, you often receive 0.01% of your total bets as rewards. Remember, this money is on top of the profits that you’re already making.
Make Your Own Hours
Many people dream of working a job where they can make their own hours. Professional slots play offers this very chance.
You decide when to visit the casino and how long you want to play. You can also choose which holidays to work and which ones to enjoy.
Of course, you may have to play at the busiest hours to truly capitalize on these opportunities. But you always have the choice of when to gamble.
Visit Different Casinos
If you want to be a professional slots player, chances are that you’ll have to move to Las Vegas to do it. After all, Sin City offers the most accumulator slot machines, mystery jackpots, and progressive jackpots in the world.
Assuming you enjoy visiting different casinos anyway, then you’ll love this aspect of being a slots pro. Vegas, for example, offers well over 100 different casinos.
Not all these gaming establishments offer great opportunities to make profits. But you may include over a dozen different casinos in your rotation.
Why You Shouldn’t Try to Be a Slots Pro
Professional slots players aren’t very common. One reason why is because there are a number of downsides to this job, including the following.
Inconsistent Income
Even if you have an advantage with slot machines, you’re never guaranteed profits on a given day. You’ll have a very small edge in any game and must rely on the luck of the draw in some cases.
If you’re playing an accumulator slot with a nearly full meter, for example, you still need to collect the one to two required symbols to trigger the bonus. Sometimes, you’ll get the required symbols very quickly. Other times, you’ll have to wait and lose money in the process.
Assuming you keep playing slot machines with an advantage, then you’re going to make profits. But you never know how much you’ll earn during each day or even week.
Limited Opportunities
Accumulator slot machines used to be more common over a decade ago. However, many casinos found out that these slots caused major problems.
As covered before, vultures try to persuade gamblers off of machines with nearly full meters. Fistfights sometimes break out when vultures are too persistent or even downright rude.
Mystery jackpot games aren’t heavily prevalent in casinos either. They’re just not as popular as standard progressive jackpot slots.
Deal With Slots Vultures
Slot machine vultures are one of the ugliest parts of the trade. If you pursue accumulator bonuses, or even mystery jackpots, then you’ll be competing with these very same players.
They may harass you for infringing on their turf. Furthermore, they’ll try beating you to the punch when a favorable opportunity exists.
You may have no problem with this competition. But more competitors mean you’ll have a tougher time making profits.
You May Become a Vulture Yourself
In the end, you might discover that the only way to earn consistent profits is to become a vulture. Are you prepared to try and trick gamblers off of slot machines just so you can profit?
If the allure of being a professional slots player is that great, then you may answer “yes” to this question. On the other hand, you might hate the idea of bothering other players just to get their seat.
Conclusion
Slot machines aren’t my favorite route for trying to win gambling profits. Nevertheless, they can be beaten under the right conditions.
Banking slots, mystery jackpot machines, and progressive jackpot games can all offer an advantage. You just need to go about playing them in the correct manner.
Accumulator slot machines have meters that trigger a bonus when filled. If you continually play these games right before the meter fills, then you’ll have a long-term advantage.
Mystery jackpot games pay their top prizes at a specific point. When you play these slot machines near the payout point, then you can boost your chances of winning.
That said, accumulator slot machines and mystery progressive jackpots are the most feasible paths to winning. But they also have their downsides.
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Both types of games are available in limited supply. With banking slots, you also have to worry about vultures swooping in to steal profitable opportunities.
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In summary, becoming a slots pro is far from easy. But you may still consider this path if you really love slot machines and want to profit from them full time.