Advanced Holdem

Progressive Video Poker

Before you start playing progressive video poker, you should be aware of a few things.   In this article I will discuss what a progressive jackpot is, where to find the best online casino bonus listings, how you can win a progressive jackpot and what are the common kinds of progressive video poker.  These pieces of information are useful when you go for the jackpot, so read them carefully!

Before I write about the jackpot, you should know some things about progressive video poker machines. When you want to play in a land based casino, you should know that many machines offer the progressive jackpot, usually machines are linked together, and they share the jackpot. The number of linked machines is around ten in case of land based casinos, but when we talk about online casinos, the number rises. In online video poker games it is very common that the jackpot is shared across an entire software network.

Progressive jackpot is a special, large jackpot offered for a big hand, usually for the royal flush.  The jackpot grows as people play; a percentage of the money bet by the players is added to the total prize.  The more people play, the bigger the poker jackpot gets.  Now you might say that it is all right in land based casinos where ten machines are linked together, because you might see who is playing on the other machines and you might count the players. But you can not do that while you play online.  In online video poker an entire software network shares the progressive jackpot, so the amount won can rise to incredible heights.  Yes, you might have smaller chances, but if you manage to win the progressive jackpot, you will win an amount of money which sets you for life.  For this, you should choose a machine with a good pay out table and always aim for the progressive jackpot.

How to aim for the jackpot every time you play?  There are a few strategies which can help you win it, do not forget that video poker is a skill based game, but you need some luck in order to win. Hitting the royal flush is difficult, some players might never hit it, but it is possible. In order to win the jackpot, you should always play the maximum amount of coins allowed per hand.  If you are not playing the maximum amount per hand and you hit a royal flush, you will win only a regular payout, not the progressive jackpot.  Yes, the regular payout for a royal flush is good, but it is small compared to the progressive jackpot payout.  So pay attention and always play the maximum amount of money!

Here are some other useful tips: you should play 9/6 Jacks or better, because this game has the best payback percentage. You can find the exact number a few lines later in this article. Do not forget that the ace is not the best card in the game; it is the jack, because it gives you more opportunities. If you can, always go for the royal flush! There are some situations when you can choose, for example: you can draw four cards for a four of a kind, or three cards if you want to go for the royal flush. In these cases do not hesitate, go for the royal flush! You should already know why: the royal flush might win you the progressive jackpot! Never draw five cards if you have a jack or something better. And lastly, you should play progressive video poker for free (most of the online casinos offer it) in order to develop your gaming skills.

Then there is the break-even point. This means that in the long run you can reach a break-even point where the machine becomes one of positive expectation. How does that happen? Since the jackpot is consistently growing as you play, it can grow bigger than the break-even point. Before reaching the break-even point, there is a house edge (usually somewhere between 2-3 %), but after the progressive jackpot is more than the break-even point the machine becomes one of a positive expectation. Many players know about this break-even point, but it is hard to calculate, although you can find several methods over the internet. If you find a machine which offers a payback percentage higher that 100%, it is your time to play, because your chances to hit the progressive jackpot just got higher!

Let us see a few kinds of progressive video poker games offered by online casinos! One of the most common games is 8/5 Jacks or Better. This game offers a payback percentage of 97.3%, but as I already said the percentage increases as the jackpot gets higher. Other common games are: 9/6 Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, 6/5 Jacks or Better. You should avoid playing this last kind of progressive video poker, since the jackpot needs to be really big in order to hit the break-even point. You can find detailed strategy charts on the internet for every progressive video poker game. You can use these charts when you play online, but if you want to play in a land based casino, you will have to memorize them. And do not forget, video poker is a skill based game, but you need some luck to win the progressive jackpot, so the charts can help you, but they are not foolproof.

By now you know almost everything you need to know about progressive video poker. All you have to do now is to start practicing in order to acquire the skills, then start playing for real money! Always choose a game with a good payback percentage and always use a strategy developed for that specific poker type! Good luck playing!