Venturing to any online casino opens the lobby to a seemingly endless lineup of games. Of course, the latest cutting-edge slots dominate the view and bonuses for that matter. However, thanks to massive technological leaps, video poker is quickly catching up. With so many variants available, including at the latest social casinos, you can implement some strategies to boost and maintain your bankroll.
Always Have a Budget
To the the mass availability of video poker games, it is more easy than you think to slip into gambling addiction. It certainly doesn’t help that there are more iGaming sites than ever that have video poker available 24/7. Factor in the broad appeal of mobile apps, you can take video poker anywhere you go.
Without a budget and the discipline to use it, you might be on a clear path to compulsive gambling. Problem gambling and overspending can have life-altering or even fatal consequences.
How to Setup a Responsible Gaming Budget
- Carefully Craft Your Budget – When putting together your video poker budget, you should only use funds that are 100% disposable income. Taking money from essential life functions and duties is another clear sign of problem gambling.
- Use Responsible Measures – If you’re playing video poker at a retail casino, consider only carrying a cash budget. A cash budget means you can’t spend any more once you lose. When playing online, you have to use a digital payment method. However, the best online casinos allow members to set daily and spending limits as they see fit. For more extreme cases, they can set up cool-off periods or use the self-exclusion list to prevent themselves from playing online permanently from that site.
- Bet Small – Fortunately, most video poker games are easy to play and super affordable. However, as a good practice and to get the most out of your budget, you might consider starting with small bets on one video poker game.
Consider the RTP
Another tremendous advantage of playing most video poker games is the incredible RTP. For those new to casino games, the RTP stands for return to player, and it gauges how much money a player will most likely get back over time. The general rule of thumb is a $100 betting on games like video poker. Luckily, most video poker games begin with at least a 99% RTP.
How to Identify the RTP
- Check the video poker’s game info or summary
- Check the paytable for an accurate RTP percentage
- You can also research on the internet similar video poker games
Example
Timeless video poker games like Jacks or Better have an RTP% of 99%.
Study the Paytable
While playing video poker isn’t a complex experience, it still works wonders to study the pay table. Conventional video poker games play like Five-Card Draw, so you can get an affordable and comfortable education about more competitive poker. However, the biggest reason to study the video poker paytable is for the payouts. As a poker game game, you can win all the popular and traditional video poker-playing hands, including the royal flush.
Example
Also, please keep in mind that different video poker games have different payout amounts even though they offer the same bets. You can find out the payouts by studying video poker paytables.
Beware of Bonus Features
Video poker, primarily online, has come such a long way that many of them now have advanced bonuses. You can even expect a progressive jackpot for the latest video poker variants. Even though these video poker features are appealing with the allure of massive payouts, please keep in mind that these bonuses affect the RTP and the house edge.
The Minimum Bets Matter
Just as important as the RTP for playing video poker is the minimum bets. For bonus video poker, you can expect the minimum bets to shoot up, especially between a quarter and fifty cents. In the case of video poker games with progressive jackpots, the minimum bets usually start at a dollar. Another emerging trend for video poker is live dealer play. Because of the live setting, these types of games might also start between fifty cents and a dollar.
Don’t Pass Up the Bonuses and Promotions
Video poker games have come a long way, which is why the slate of bonuses continues to grow. Except for progressive video poker games, most bonuses fortunately apply to most video poker games, so please take advantage of them to boost and extend your bankroll.
How to Implement This Strategy
- Claim any No Deposit Bonuses – Even the iGaming site supports a no deposit bonus, by all means use it for video poker.
- Claim the Welcome Bonus – The standard welcome bonus is usually the deposit match, a 100% match from the first deposit. These funds also apply to most video poker games.
- Reloads – For existing members, the reload bonuses work similarly to the deposit match bonus. For a nominal deposit, you can also extend your video poker budget.
Example
Most bonuses have wagering requirements, usually up to 25x. These requirements must be met before you are eligible to make withdrawals from any bonus winnings playing video poker. If the requirements are over 30x, you might consider skipping out because they are too high.
Conclusion
As a video poker player, when creating a new online casino account, I immediately set responsible gaming measures, including spending limits to help stay on the straight and arrow. With the rapid advancement in AI tools, new custom video poker variants are constantly coming online. Like any video poker game, study the RTP and the paytable before playing. Start with small bets then move up as your budget increases. Also, don’t chase losses to give yourself the best chance for success.
