Play Better Online Poker

Finding a weakness in your opponent and then exploiting it is the very definition of poker.

The best way to develop your skill is to play poker, as many live games as you can. If you need help, we have a lot of online poker tips, strategies on how to play poker and even a poker dictionary that will help you better understand poker hands and what terms like hole cards, wild cards or full house means. Finding the Best Free Video Poker for You Whichever exciting online video poker game you play, you will always get a thrill. Don’t miss out - play at the best online video poker casinos in 2021. Video poker is one of the top gaming choices of many casino fans. The game is a great alternative to table game action and it offers a heads up gaming experience between a player and machine. Thanks to its popularity, there are many different variants of video poker.One popular variant is 10’s or Better. Money Is More Valuable to Online Players. Online players are much younger on average.

When you come up against a player who calls when he or she does not have the requisite odds to do so, be it implied or pot odds, is defined as a weakness.

These players are called Calling Stations, and here is a little bit of advice on how to approach them during sessions on popular poker sites like 888.

Firstly, as the name implies these types of players are not going to be folding often, meaning they are not prime candidates for bluffing.

Make sure you have a solid hand range and only bet for value. When you are betting for value, they are the prime candidates to over bet with your strong hands.

Not only are you going to garner more chips, but the other players seated around the table will see that you are capable of over betting the pot, something that can be used to your advantage, later in the tournament.

Over betting the pot is a great technique against calling stations but you do need to keep an eye on their stack size.

The shorter the stack becomes, the more likely they are to fold, thus losing you value.

This is because tournament preservation will be priority in their minds. So, when dealing with the short-stacked calling station, bet sufficiently enough to leave them with around 25% of their stack.

Last but not least, always try and exploit these players in the early stages of an 888 tournament because they are not likely to be around long!

A monotone board is a board where each card contains the same suit, and they can be a little tricky to play. The board can mean flop, turn or river and it is a term used in relation to where you are in the hand.

Imagine you are the pre flop raiser in a 888poker event and you receive one caller. The flop is [Qs] [8s] [Ts], you bet and are raised. What thought process should you apply in this spot?

It is more likely that your opponent called with a suited hand than a non-suited hand, as it is optimal game theory (suited hands give you more post flop equity). So players are not raising that often with their one-spade hands. It’s true that your mind will often trick you into believing this is the case, but the maths just don’t stand up to scrutiny.

Your opponent is very likely to have great equity. Unless you are involved in some sort of levelling war, players generally steer clear of bluff raising on these types of boards.

Players often get their thinking skewed in these types of spots. They think that because there are more draws than flush hands that they should call the raise, but they are not taking equity into consideration.

Look at it a different way, from the perspective of the 888 poker blog, Imagine we have flopped ace-queen on the same type of board (with no spade) and we face a raise.

We need to be right a large percentage of the time in order to call, and we just aren’t going to find what we are looking for. Monotone boards are tricky, and always remember there is a hand waiting just around the corner. If you get raised, then fold, and wait for a better spot.

Jacks or Better is one of the most popular video poker formats. This has been the go-to version of the game since video poker terminals hit casinos and bars. It is based on draw poker, when you get a single draw and aim to hit jack-jack or better to win.

You’ll get to choose whether to hold or discard any or all of your five cards. The best payout in Jacks or Better is for a Royal Flush, which pays 800 coins (or in some casinos, a progressive jackpot prize).

Jacks or Better can be played in regulated states both at online and live casinos. This page details exactly how the game works, the best payouts you should look for and the optimal strategies behind playing the game.

Jacks or Better – Look for a full pay table, otherwise known as 9/6

There are two important considerations when you first play Jacks or Better. The first is the pay table, to ensure you are gaining the best odds possible. The second is the number of coins in play, which also has a large effect on the odds.

The first thing you should look at in the pay table are the prizes for a full house and a flush. You’ll want to ensure that the payout for the full house is 9 coins and that the payoff for a flush is 6 coins.

In some variations of the game, these payouts can be lowered to 8 and 5 coins respectively. While these differences might seem minor, the house edge increases from around 0.5% to 2.5% in the lower paid version. This is a 5x difference in the house edge. Take a quick glance at the pay table, and ensure you are playing the higher paying games (there are plenty of variations to choose from, especially online).

Number of Coins in Play

This is another serious consideration, as you should always opt for the 5-coin option. The payout for a Royal Flush betting one coin is 250 coins. If you bet 2, 3 or 4 coins, the payout increases to 500, 750 and 1,000 coins respectively.

However, if you play for the maximum 5 coins, the Royal Flush payout jumps to 2,000 coins (instead of the expected 1,250 coins).

Therefore, if you were to play a game with a total stake of $5 for example, you should always play 5 coins for $1, instead of 1 coin for $5. If you don’t play for 5 coins you are missing out on expected value.

How Jacks or Better Works

To start the game, you’ll hit the ‘Deal’ button which will deal you five cards. You’ll now get to choose how many of those 5 cards you want to hold or discard. Any of the cards you discard (which when playing the best strategy will usually be most of them) will now be replaced by new cards. You now have your final hand and you’ll be paid if you do indeed have Jacks or Better.

Here is an example payout for Jacks or Better (with the 9/6 pays for the full house and flush).

• Royal Flush: 800
• Straight Flush: 50
• 4 of a Kind: 25
• Full House: 9
• Flush: 6
• Straight: 4
• 3 of a kind: 3
• 2 Pair: 2
• Jacks or Better: 1

Strategy for Playing Jacks or Better

Much of the strategy around playing Jacks or Better is seemingly common sense, especially if you are dealt a series of big cards. However, things can get a little tricky when you have two potential ways to go (such as five cards that include a pair and the potential of a straight).

Here are some key pointers you can use in your strategy:

If you are dealt a royal flush, a straight flush, four of a kind, a full house and a flush, these hands play themselves and you should hold all cards. If you have four to a Royal Flush, hold those above a full house and a flush.

Play Better Online Poker

Pairs are all-important in Jacks or Better. If you receive a single high pair (Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces) within your five cards, these should be held instead of four cards of the same suit or even three of the five cards that make up a Royal Flush.

Even holding a low pair is deemed the best strategy over a number of deals. For example, if you are dealt a pair of 3’s in a hand that includes 7, 8 and 9 that are suited, you should hold those 3’s and discard the straight flush opportunity.

Poker Online Game

If you have a hand with just two high cards (with no other possibilities such as flushes and straights), or even just a single high card, you should simply hold them and discard the others. You’ll hold those high cards to give you a better possibility of hitting those high pairs.

Remember, when you are playing Jacks or Better, a high card is considered to be any picture card or an ace.

Jacks or Better Cheat Sheet

This strategy chart (cheat sheet) outlines what you should do in the event you are met with the following conditions.

• 2 Pairs: Unless you’re drawing to a four card royal flush, you should always keep any two pair combination.
• 4 card straight flush: You’ll want to keep any 4 card straight flush.
• Jacks or better: Hold if you have a pair of jacks or better (any).
• 3 cards to a royal flush: Hold if you have three cards to a royal flush.
• 4 cards to a flush: Hold if you have four cards to a flush
• Pair lower than J’s: Hold if you have a pair lower than J’s.
• Open straight draw: Hold if you have any four card open straight draw.
• AKQJ: Hold if you have unsuited AKQJ in your hand.
• 2 suited high cards: Hold if you have any two high cards (suited).
• 3 cards to a straight flush: Hold if you have three cards drawing to a straight flush.
• KQJ: Hold if you have any KQJ (unsuited).
• Unsuited high cards: Hold if you have any two high cards (unsuited).
• K, Q, J + 10 of same suit: Hold if you have any K, Q, or J, but only if you’re holding a 10 of the same suit.
• High card: Hold if you have any single high card.
• None of the above: Draw five new cards

Learn To Play Poker Free

Jackpot Variations of Jacks or Better

Occasionally, you can come across jackpot versions of this popular game, with the maximum prize for the Royal Flush awarding you a progressive jackpot. If the jackpot prize is much larger than the standard payout for the Royal Flush, this can change your strategy slightly, especially in situations where you have three cards to the hand (at this point you should prioritize the Royal Flush more).

Wrapping Up – Is there a ‘Better’ Video Poker Variation than Jacks or Better?

Jacks or Better can be considered one of the classic video poker games. With no wilds thrown into the mix, the big hands can be hard to land. While this sounds like a bad thing, it’s actually the opposite – due to that difficulty, the payouts are that much bigger in Jacks or Better.

Likewise, if you can find a full pay table, you can decrease the house edge significantly. Correct play,

The game can now be enjoyed online, as well as in the live casinos. Online casinos in NJ, Pennsylvania, MI and WV are regulating online casinos, giving you the chance to play the game if you are located within the state lines. Check out Jacks or Better and many other video poker formats online.