Can I Become a Professional Video Poker Player?

We have explained in past articles that video poker is the single game at an online casino that has the return top player rate closest to 100%. The difference between winning at video poker and losing is usually a combination of mistakes players make plus a run of some bad luck. If you make the correct play all the time and have a run of some good luck, you will indeed win at video poker more often than you’ll lose.

Springbok Casino Springs into Action

One way we at Springbok try to help you become a winner at video poker is by publishing these tips articles. Video poker, like every game we offer, is a winnable game. The difference between video poker and slots is that slots are a pure game of chance whilst in video poker you can genuinely affect the outcome.

Another way we help you become better at video poker, or at any other game we offer, is by being the premier no deposit casino in South Africa. With our no deposit bonus, you can play video poker for a very long stretch of time and develop some expertise at the game.

Can I Become a Video Poker Pro?

The answer is a resounding yes. However, you have to understand what it means to be a professional player. As in any other profession, you have to practice constantly. Singers do their scales every day even though they know the scales perfectly. It’s very easy for a professional singer to lose that professional edge.

The same is true in other areas of music. Pianists practice the piano; violinists practice the violin and so on. In sports, coaches look at film and study tendencies in their players and in opposing players.

In short, to be a professional at anything, from ventriloquism to video poker, is a full time job.

Practice, Practice, Practice

One way you can use the facilities at Springbok to enhance your video poker expertise is by playing in our free play mode. Some players ask us from time to time why we offer unlimited free play. The simple answer is that it’s good business.

Even a dedicated video poker player will need some time off from clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts and will try his or her hand at another game we offer. So, even though there is a good chance that a player will win at any given game on any given day, the small edge remains with the house.

What Do Video Poker Pros Do?

Here are a few dos and don’ts from the world of professional video poker.

Play video poker in sync with other promotions. For example, if a casino offers double comp points on Thursday, then it might very well be your chance to cash in on that Thursday.
Casinos run many promotions that may or may not help you add a couple of percent to your side of the ledger. So, always follow the promotions.
Here is another out of the box piece of advice from Springbok: We know that most players these days play on our instant play platform and thus have quick access to other casinos. Well, we advise you to take advantage of their promotions as well as ours!
Video poker players never play 8-5 video poker. You can always find a 9-6 game. Secondly, video poker pros know that the money they win one day has to pay the bills and the money they lose another day is just the cost of “doing business”. So…
Video Poker pros always bet the maximum bet for that game. That means that when they hit the rare Royal Flush, they will score an extra bonus. They have enough confidence to know that they are not risking their rent money to play at the maximum stakes so they can allow themselves to play for the biggest available payout.
Video poker pros play only the video poker variants that they know literally in their sleep. You don’t take a professional attitude to a game that you don’t know inside and out.

Be an Amateur First

Let’s face it: in any field, only a very few become the top experts. Most people are going to be good or great but not super great. It is okay to be an amateur video poker player instead of devoting your career to becoming a professional video poker player.

Always keep in mind that amateur video poker players who study the game and knew the hands and the permutations can win a lot more often than they lose; they just can’t support themselves on their winnings.

In other words, just as actors in Los Angeles or Manhattan are always told to “keep their day jobs” so video poker players should in almost all cases keep their day jobs and supplement their income by playing video poker at a very high level.

Video Poker Strategy

We and many others have covered basic video per strategy in other articles. Basic strategy is very sound. At the highest level of strategy, you get into much more complicated analyses. If you want to become a true professional, you’ll have to learn the most complex strategy. If you want to play at a high level then solid basic strategy is enough.

Just as it takes thousands of hours to become extremely proficient at medicine or music, it takes thousands of hours to become expert at video poker. Most players just want to have some fun. So, we advise the vast majority of our players to do these following things to help them win at video poker:

Follow all of our bonus offers. You can get very good using our money at decision-based games like video poker.
Study one video poker variation and learn it very well before you play another variation. If you just want to check out other variations, do so either in free play mode or for the minimum bet.
Play as often as you can even if that means playing for less time and with a smaller bankroll. The reason is that our brains continue to process information even after we have finished an activity. The Eureka moment often comes to us in our sleep. There may not be a Eureka moment in video poker but there will come the moment that a lot of practice suddenly comes together.