Video Poker What To Hold
Video poker is a bit like slots. The player is dealt five cards. The objective is to obtain as a poker hand ranking as possible. In the endeavor the player is allowed to hold any of the dealt cards and replace the others. In the normal mode the player clicks on the cards he wants to hold, thereby freezing them. Then he clicks on the 'draw' button to replace the remaining cards. Based on the variant of the video poker game being played and the payout table provided there is an optimal strategy that dictates which cards should be put on hold in a given situation. If the player knows and employs the optimal strategy then he will increase his chances of winning. With optimal strategies the average payout ratio for most video poker variants is between 98% and 99%. If optimal strategy is not employed the average payout ratio will be lower.
All players do not have the inclination to learn the optimal strategy. The issue is compounded by the fact that there are so many variants of video poker and each of them has a different optimal strategy. To overcome this problem many online gaming software providers have built in the optimal strategies into the computer software. Based on the strategy the software automatically puts the desired cards on hold. Therefore the player automatically plays according to the optimal strategy. This feature is known as Auto Hold. Since the online casino is helping the player it takes a bit back. Games with the Auto Hold feature are played on a second payout table that offers a slightly lower average payout ratio. Online casinos give players the choice whether they want to play with the Auto Hold feature activated or in the normal mode.
You can use the mouse to click on cards to hold, or you may find it easier to use the keyboard: 1 - 5 = Hold/Cancel Space or Enter = Deal/Draw T = Trainer on/warn/off. Video Poker Trainer. Playing video poker can get frustrating once you see your bankroll is headed south due to the wrong cards you discard and hold. Fortunately, you can easily find a trainer of video poker online that will help you master your skills and become comfortable in choosing which cards to hold in order to form a high-ranked hand.
The question therefore arises whether a player should opt for the Auto Hold feature or not. If the player knows the optimal strategy for the particular variant of video poker he is playing perfectly then he should not play with the Auto Hold activated but should take advantage of the more favorable payout table. However most players would not be well versed in the optimal strategy. They should play with the Auto Hold activated because they will lose much more through incorrect play than through the second payout table. Another use of Auto Hold is with the Auto Play feature. The Auto Play feature plays a large preset number of games without manual intervention. This can be done only because of the Auto Hold feature.
The Viper software from Microgaming offers the Auto Hold feature in the Power Poker versions of video poker. In the normal state the Auto Hold feature is turned off. The player should use the Games Menu after opening the game. In the Games menu he should select Options and click on Auto Hold in order to activate it.
Comments
Add CommentI like most people do take advantage of the auto-hold feature and have to agree I don't think that I've ever seen an online casino that alters the payout schedule in their games based on whether the auto-hold feature is actually used. This would be a huge rip off and I don't think that players would or should play games that do this as it's really wrong of the casinos to have games like this.
I like the auto-hold feature in video poker I find that it's convenient and leaves you not really thinking about what you have to do. Even if you're a savvy poker player you can still miss things from time to time. It's just as simple to deactivate cards that are auto-held so I think that opting for and keeping the feature on is always a good move!
It would be really crazy for online casinos to alter payouts based on whether a game is set to use auto-hold or not. If a player wanted to they could simply use an external application and run each hand though such an application based on the game type to spit out the best possible hand that can be made the odds, etc... and make the most appropriate recommendations based on those facts.
We just received an e-mail from a user who read this article and it was brought to our attention that some of the information in this article may not be entirely correct.
The users comments were as follows:
I just read the article about the Auto Hold feature in Microgaming's Video Poker software. I take issue with the statement that if you use Auto Hold you are playing a slightly worse paytable. I play at 32 Red and have played both with and without Auto Hold and the paytable never changes. Microgaming do not offer Auto Hold on All Aces because its such a close to break even game with perfect play but other than that I see no difference in the games using Auto Hold.
Just for clarification sake as far as we know online casinos including Microgaming and other software providers do not alter their payout tables based on the usage of the 'Auto-Hold' feature. It's been clarified now that this feature would be more found in land based casinos vs. those played online. So you need not worry if you're playing and would like to make use of the 'Auto-Hold' feature the payouts will be the same with or without the use of said feature.
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You must be signed-in to add a comment: - Sign-in- RegisterVideo poker is one of the few casino games where the player's input has a major effect on the outcome of the game. Every time you push Deal you receive five new cards and have a total of thirty-two ways to play the hand. To be a successful video poker player, you have to make the best choice out of those thirty-two options as often as possible.
Since computers can mathematically analyze all thirty-two ways to play any given hand, it is possible to figure out the absolutely correct decision for every hand you receive. However, most players don't carry around high powered computers when they are in the casino, so how is this useful?
Well, fortunately for us, some video poker experts have taken it upon themselves to analyze every single hand that can come off the deck, and assemble their findings into easy to read charts that teach players how to play. Below we have strategy charts for the most common video poker games:
Where to Play Video Poker Online
| Rank | Casino | Sign Up Bonus | Visit Site |
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| #1 | 888 Casino | up to $/€/£888 | Play Now! |
| #2 | Spin Palace Casino | up to $/€/£1000 | Play Now! |
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Most of our pages above list just an expert-level strategy chart that will get you to within 0.1% of the maximum payout percentage for the respective game. Some of the pages also list a beginner-level strategy chart that isn't as accurate, but is easier to follow. If you want to play video poker on your PC check out our guide here. Alternatively, you can also have a look at this site's list of ipad video poker app for real money.
How to Use a Video Poker Strategy Chart
The strategy charts on our site are actually very simple to understand, but to a beginner they may be a bit overwhelming at the start. To use a chart you follow these steps:
- Analyze your hand. Make sure you look at all five of your cards before looking at the chart.
- Start at the top of the chart and work down. You are looking for any spots on the chart where your hand matches up. For example, if you had four hearts in your hand as well as a pair of Kings, it would match up with 'Four to a Flush' as well as 'High Pair'.
- Once you find a couple matches for your hand, observe which one is highest on the chart. Hold the cards indicated by the highest match.
If you still are a little confused, check out the below example to clear things up:
An Example Hand Analysis
Video Poker Texas Hold'em 2018
Imagine you are playing a normal Deuces Wild video poker machine. You push 'Draw', and are dealt the hand below:
Ok, so what do we have here as far as options? Well, first of all, we have a Pat Straight, Seven to Jack - a made hand. We also have four clubs, so we have Four to a Flush. If we look at the chart below (a condensed strategy chart for Deuces Wild), we can see that a Pat Straight is just above Four to a Flush, so the Pat Straight is the better hand of the two.
Video Poker What To Hold Someone
| Hand | Expected Return | Example |
| Pat Royal Flush | 800.0000 | Th-Jh-Qh-Kh-Ah |
| Royal Flush Draw | 19.5957 | Th-Jh-Qh-Kh-4h |
| Pat Straight Flush | 10.0000 | 6h-7h-8h-9h-Th |
| Four of a Kind | 6.2128 | Ac-Ad-As-Ah-5c |
| Pat Full House | 4.0000 | Ac-Ad-As-Js-Jc |
| Pat Flush | 3.0000 | Ac-Jc-6c-5c-4c |
| Three of a Kind | 2.0176 | Ac-Ad-As-Js-Tc |
| Four to a Straight Flush | 1.5745 | 4c-5c-6c-7c-Js |
| Three to a Royal | 1.3053 | Ks-Qs-Js-9c-4c |
| Pat Straight | 1.0000 | 4c-5s-6h-7h-8h |
| Four to a Flush | 0.7660 | Ac-Jc-6c-5c-4h |
But wait! Since all we need for a straight flush is the nine of clubs, we also have Four to a Straight Flush. Because Four to a Straight Flush is higher on the chart than both a Pat Straight and Four to a Flush, the correct play here is to hold the four clubs and discard the nine of spades in hopes of hitting the Straight Flush.
See - it really isn't bad at all, as long as you pay attention to all the cards in your hand.
How Accurate are Strategy Charts?
Another intelligent question to ask is how accurate are these charts? If you find a game that returns 100.5%, but your chart has 0.6% error in it, then you are actually only playing at a 99.9% return - also known as a losing gamble.
Well, the charts on our site are on roughly accurate to within 0.1% of perfect play. So, if you find that game that returns 100.5%, you would be actually earning about 100.4% with our charts - not too bad. Not many charts get much closer than 0.1% because they would have to be extremely long and complicated to explain the subtle differences in rare hands.
Video Poker Strategy Software
Video Poker What To Hold Forever
There are quite a few programs out there than can develop custom strategy charts for all kinds of games with various pay tables. We have reviewed quite a few of these programs, here are links to our reviews: