Although it is true that the odds of any given hand will vary from game to game, in general the overall house edge for Video Poker games is essentially small. There are even some cases where it might be even 0%.

The way video poker gains its edge is from players who do not follow the optimal strategy. If all to you are doing is trying to get through any one particular game but you do not have any clear understanding of Poker, you will definitely lose money.

Each Video Poker variation is distinctive when it comes down to designing the best player strategy or the odds. In the following sections you will find a simple guide to the most popular games.

It would actually take pages to provide a detailed strategy guides. For the intelligent player video poker can provide good experience.

1. Poker Strategy for Jacks Or Better/Tens or Better
Any hand that has already paid out should be held on to. Here are some potential exceptions to this:

In order to make Straights or Flushes you should hold four card Royal Flushes.

Four card straight flushes, whether inside or outside, should be held.

High ranking card pairs should be held.

Three card Royal Flushes should be held.

Four card Flushes should be held.

When you are trying to build Three Of A Kind you should hold Low Pairs.

Four card Flushes should be held.

Four card Straights should be held. Inside Straights should be held, but only when you are also holding three or more high cards (J, Q, K, A).

When you are holding very little, you can try this overall strategy, according to preference:

Any two suited cards should be held, while discarding high cards that are unsuited.

Hold Four mixed-suited cards that are high cards:
-hold onto any three suited, but throw away the unsuited.
-otherwise, keep them all.

Hold onto Three unsuited high cards:
-with K-Q-J keep all three.
-when you are holding a A-K-J or A-Q-J, throw away the A.

Hold onto any two unsuited high cards.

When the game you are playing is Tens or better then you should follow the exact same strategy as you would for Jacks Or Better but at this point 10 is a high card.

2. Strategy for Deuces Wild Video Poker
Here is the overall general strategy that includes, the best options first:

If you are holding any 5 Of A Kind or a Royal Flush, then keep them.

Aside from this, if you are holding four two's: keep them.

Aside from this, if you are holding three two's:
-if you have any that can make five Of A Kind or a Royal Flush, hold on to them.
-aside from this, keep the two's and get rid of the rest.

Aside from this  if you are holding 2 two's:
-keep any that will give you a Straight, Five Of A Kind or a Royal Flush.
-keep any four of a Kind.
-keep any four toward a Royal Flush.
-otherwise, keep the two's and discard the rest.

Aside from this, if you are holding a single 2, hold any hand that is made EXCEPT:
-hold a four-card Royal Flush over a made Straight, Flush and a Straight Flush.
-hold onto any kind of four-card Straight Flush.
-hold onto three-card Royal Flushes .
-pairs: if you have two pair, then keep the one, but don't keep both of them.
- hold onto a four-card Flush.
- hold onto a four-card Straight.
- hold onto a three-card Straight Flush, along with gaps.
- hold onto a four-card inside Straight.
- hold onto a two-card Queen or Jack high Straight Flush.
-discard a two-card Royal Flush.
-if you have made it to this point in the list, then you need to throw away everything and give it another trys.

Even though many players will hesitate to throw away five cards, this is still a very important strategy. You need to allow yourself ample room for additional card(s) even though they might include a deuce(s). It is a bad idea to hold on to an ace or king if the next available hand might be four or five sevens.

People who routinely play Jacks or Better will only throw away an entire hand – all 5 cards, about 3% of the time. But people who play Deuces Wild will throw away an entire hand almost 20% of the time. That means almost every fifth hand.

You should hold inside straights if you are affording the best possible return from the first five cards that are dealt. What this means is that a 6, 8, 9, or 10 hand will be able to produce a 7 or a wild card in this video poker game. The odds of getting four deuces are one in 5000 hands – and this offers a secondary jackpot. With this secondary jackpot you can stay you in the game or you can keep some of the winnings.

3. Strategy for Jokers Wild Video Poker
Only the King and Ace are high cards in this game: this means it is a Kings or Better game.

Overall strategy:

If you receive a joker, keep it. On the average the joker appears once in 10 hands.

If you make the decision to not hold the joker then you need to keep three cards toward a royal over a pair of aces or kings. This is because of the higher. It's possible that you might catch another ace or king and still get paid.

Don't hold on to an inside Straight.

To Get The Higher Payback, if you hold 3 consecutive cards toward a straight flush, as an example, the 6, 7, and 8 of hearts, then even if you have a small pair, you should discard the other cards. Keep the small pair if they are not consecutive.

Straight Flushes pay very well and they tend to occur much more frequently than you would occur in a game like Jacks or Better

4. Strategy for All American Video Poker
Since Straights and Flushes have a good payout in this game it important to tip the usual strategy in their favor:

Inside Straights should be looked for in favor of one or two high cards.

Four-card Straights and four-card Flushes should sought after in favor of pairs, and that means even high pairs.

Hold any three cards you may have toward a Flush.