Poker Strategy Info And Source:

This video presentation is a 200 hand session of 8/5 Bonus video poker. Note that this is the “raw” version of the video, meaning that all 200 hands will be shown, with no commentary other than to point out any errors made. ** Spoiler Alert ** There were no errors this time. This is how I roll.

The purpose of this channel is not only to teach strategy: think of me as an “Ambassador” of Video Poker. I boast with conviction that ANYONE can win, but I don’t merely make unsubstantiated claims and leave it at that; I prove it by demonstrating how it can be done.

Keep in mind that generally you cannot just walk up to any Video Poker machine and expect to win. The VAST majority of games are losers, and if a play has under a 100% EV it does not matter if you play “perfectly” or not, you will still lose in the long run. Winning is not only about using expert strategy; winning is about finding the right “play” which is a combination of machine EV and casino promotions. Taking a game that is a “small” loser such as Bonus Deuces Wild (99.4%), 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.5%) 16/10 NSU Deuces Wild (99.7%), or Triple Bonus Plus (99.8%) and turning them into a winning proposition is certainly possible, but it is absolutely imperative that you find good promotion to go along with it.

You CANNOT win on “expert strategy” alone; you’re play must have over a 100% EV total in order to win. You cannot win by using a “quit when you’re ahead” strategy. You cannot “hit and run” and expect to win. You cannot win with a “betting system.” You cannot win with “advanced bankroll management techniques.” The simple fact is that if you make plays that have a negative EV you are doomed to failure. Any combination of negative EV bets that you make will lose in the long run; it is a mathematical certainty!

I would say that 8/5 Bonus Poker’s 99.16% EV does not quite “qualify” it to be in the same category as the “small losers” mentioned above. Obviously, it takes a much better promotion to make BP worth playing. But in many casinos BP’s EV is the best available, so it is a good game to be familiar with in case one of these casino’s offers a particularly juicy promotion. For the purposes of this video I am playing the game on a 10x points day. This gives me a modest winning EV of 101.16%.

It is not uncommon to find 8/5 Bonus Poker with a progressive jackpot. A 6000 coin jackpot ($1500 on quarters) makes the game about break even. Now add in some points from a casino club card, and a progressive Jackpot that keeps getting larger and larger as you play; it’s certainly worth a gamble. 7/5 Bonus Poker progressive is fairly common as well; you will need at least an 8000 coin Jackpot ($2000 on quarters) for a break-even play there. A fun variation I have also seen is 7/5 Bonus Poker with progressives on the Royal, the Straight Flush, and the 4 of a Kinds. It might be unreasonably cumbersome to try to figure out EV on a machine with 5 progressives that are constantly changing, but you are certainly safe to play that variation if the Royal is somewhat close to the 8000 coins I mentioned before.

Despite what some so-called “experts” say… ALWAYS play with a casino club card if one is available. You’re just giving away “free money” if you don’t! Many casinos send out special monthly mailers with free goodies and/or promotions to their frequent slot players. Much of the time these juicy promotions will only be available to the players who receive these mailers. So peruse these casino mailers carefully; they definitely should not be looked at as junk mail. You’ll likely find some promotion(s) that offer HUGE advantages (such as an extra $1000 for a Royal)! And every once in a while you might even get a free toaster or waffle iron; who would want to miss out on something like that?

This is what you are looking for: the pay table (in coins) on a standard 5-coin max 8/5 Bonus Poker machine is as follows:

ROYAL FLUSH: 4000
STRAIGHT FLUSH: 250
4 Aces: 400
4 2’s, 3’s, or 4’s: 200
4 5’s thru K’s: 125
FULL HOUSE: 40
FLUSH: 25
STRAIGHT: 20
3 OF A KIND: 15
2 PAIR: 10
JACKS OR BETTER: 5

If your machine has different max coins, just make certain that the ratios are the same. For example, on a 10-coin machine, the payouts should be exactly double.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ARE PLAYING THE PROPER PAY TABLES! Differences that can appear to be trivially small to novice players can cause catastrophic differences to your EV. Also, if you are playing for any casino promotion, make certain that your specific machine qualifies! Sometimes the machines that have the most generous pay tables will be excluded from a specific promotion.

Source: YouTube