Last updated: January 01, 2024
Video Poker machines are one the most popular casino games, both online and offline, and for good reason: part of the fun is knowing how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit!
While video poker machines involve both luck and skill, it still means that there’s no exact science in how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit, there are some things you can do to try and guess correctly, and increase your chances.
The easiest way to know how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit is by choosing games with the highest possible payout. One of these is Jacks or Better, which has an average Return to Player percentage of 97%, compared to other casino games which average around 90-96% at best.
By going for higher percentage possibilities, you’re minimizing the house edge, having a positive mindset and so increasing your chances of winning.
The key part of how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit is by having a basic grasp of video poker strategy, and strategy in general. This is a very long topic indeed (and one which we’ve written about many times before), but by having that winning edge with you always (and even keeping it with you particularly if you’re playing video poker online, or memorizing it) so you can double-check your moves, will really help you in knowing how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit.
It’s tempting to want to put all your budget into a game in order to increase your chances of getting a payout, but even with games of pure skill, this is a terrible idea. That’s because there are a few factors in a video poker game that are out of your hands: namely, your cards and the other players’ cards. Add into the mix that you might not be an expert in strategy, or know the exact rules of the game you’re playing, and you’ve got a winning mix for losing a lot of money, very quickly!
Instead, take your time. Start off by betting slowly, and then it should become clearer (over the long term of your playing time) how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit because you’ll get to know the machine much better.
Although you can’t really know how or when a progressive jackpot game will payout, you can increase your chances that it will hit, by playing it in the first place.
Not only because that jackpot has to blow at one point, but also because you can win it even on a non-winning spin. Yes, you read that correctly. Although you can’t really tell when and how the game will hit, you can be certain that you’ll have a lot of fun, and you’ll be in the running for potentially life-changing money.
This is a tricky one. While on the one hand, you’re playing against the computer, so knowing how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit is not going to happen.
On the other hand, studying how the computer you’re playing against you can pay off in several ways. For one thing, you’ll be able to see if the computer program does certain moves repeatedly (for example, how it reacts if it has two pairs), and then learn from it. After all, studying for our opponent to know how to up your game is always a good idea, in any casino game, or even in life!
That depends on the type of poker game you’re playing, but we’d advise you to check out Deuces Wild or Jack or Better variants, which are both fun to play, easy to learn and have great return to player odds.
While cheating at any casino game is always a possibility, you’ll find it much harder to cheat at online games, poker especially. And, in the slim chance that you do succeed, you’ll be banned from playing quicker than you can understand what’s happening, and have your winnings confiscated. We say don’t try it.
As we explained in the above sections, you can’t ever really know, but there are some tactics you can use to ensure you’re moving in the right direction of getting a video poker payout. The best advice we can give you is to learn basic poker strategy, and play variants with the best odds.
Technically yes, but this is a bad idea in practice. Even if you had the highly sophisticated skills necessary to hack a video poker machine and know exactly how to tell if a video poker machine is going to hit, you’ll be banned super quickly from that online casino, and possibly others, if you actually tried it.
You can never really tell if a video poker machine is going to hit, but: there are some things you can do to help your winning chances!
Keep a clear overview of basic video poker strategy with you at all times if you’re playing online, and make sure you choose the right games with the best potential payouts (we really recommend Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild variants for this reason).
Marilyn Chavez is an associate researcher at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where she studied the mathematical probabilities and aspects of casino games like slot machines. She’s written several case studies which have been published by multiple problem-gaming institutions to help spread awareness about the dangers of online gambling and gambling addiction. She also presented a 2019 Ted talk on the topic of gambling among minors.
