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VIDEO POKER MYTHS
As with most games offered by casinos, many myths and part-truths are passed from player to player. If you are not careful, you can become susceptible to these ideas and begin to deviate from correct playing strategy. This, in turn, will greatly affect your long-term expectation. So before discussing the various video poker games, let's examine some of the false notions that pervade this popular pastime.
Myth No. 1: Progressive machines automatically provide an edge. If a progressive jackpot becomes large enough, an expert player can have an advantage over the house. However, although this occasionally happens, most progressive jackpots are not big enough to give anyone - even an expert - an edge.
Myth No. 2: Low-paying machines produce more winning hands. All video poker machines contain a random number generator, which produces the cards that appear on the screen. This means that no matter what the payout schedule is, any particular hand is as likely to appear on one machine as on any other machine of the same type. Consequently, you are just as likely to make a full house whether your machine pays 8-for-1 or 9-for-1 on this hand.
Myth No. 3: The higher the jackpot, the more likely it is to be hit. Because every hand produced on a video poker machine is created by a random number generator, the chances of making any particular hand - including a royal flush - do not change, no matter what the jackpot might be. Of course, not all players will use the same strategy, which means that the jackpot frequency will vary from player to player. But as long as the strategy remains constant, the size of the jackpot has no bearing on how often a royal flush is made. (Expert players often will adjust their strategy as the jackpot grows, so they are more likely to make a royal. However, a discussion of these strategy changes is beyond the scope of this booklet.)
Myth No. 4: Since most jackpots are hit before they become really large, it is better to play on machines that have small jackpots. This fallacy is similar to the one just given. Although it's true that most royal flushes are made before the jackpot grows very large, this has nothing to do with the likelihood that a royal will be made. Remember, because of the random number generator, as long as your strategy stays constant, the size of the jackpot has no bearing on the probability that a royal will be made.
Myth No. 5: When doing poorly, you should deviate from correct strategy to improve your luck. Because of the random number generator, there is always a best strategy for you to follow. And regardless of whether your recent history on a particular machine has been poor, correct play is still correct play. So don't deviate from proper strategy. If you make this mistake, your expectation is to do worse than you would otherwise.
