Video Poker Playing Speed

24 June 2023

By Jerry Stickman

From Jeff:

Hi Stickman,

I enjoy your articles on video poker.

I have been practicing video poker strategy on my computer and am getting pretty good at it. I find I am able to play very quickly and still get almost every hand right. When I go to a casino and play for real how fast should I play? I can play almost 1000 hands per hour with only about 10 mistakes. I suspect I will get good comps for playing this many hands.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Jeff from Winnipeg

Hi Jeff,

Congratulations on properly preparing for play in the casino. I am also glad that you find my articles enjoyable.

It sounds like you are planning on playing quite a bit of video poker. You seem to be training well for it.

Before I answer your question about how fast you should play, I need a little more information. You did not mention which game you are playing, nor did you mention the pay table.

The reason this information is important is it determines the return from your play. At one time, more than a decade ago, there generally were several good paying video poker games and pay tables available. Sadly, that is rarely the case today.

In my opinion and experience, there are very few times when very rapid play does much good. Some that come to mind are:

• a positive (over 100 percent) return from the game

• a timed tournament where more hands played means a better chance for a royal and the resultant high score

• a promotion requiring a certain amount of play during some time period and you have a limited time to play

• building enough slot club points for free rooms, or other comps – also with a limited time to play

Let’s look more closely at each of these situations.

There are virtually no video poker games available today that offer more than a 100 percent return. When available, they are a good candidate for rapid play.

Timed tournaments are still offered. Speedy play gives players an edge by playing more hands in the allotted time.

Depending on the promotion being offered, speedy play might be a good idea – if the prize is large enough to make the speedy play worthwhile. Remember that mistakes are much more likely to happen when playing rapidly.

Similar to promotions, building credits for other comps have to be weighed against the mistakes that can be made by playing rapidly.

For both of the last two situations, make sure the prize is worth the amount of play. If the game has a negative expectation, you are losing money (on average) with each additional hand played.

Jeff, you are going at it the proper way. Practicing at home before heading to the casino puts you way ahead of most video poker players. If you happen to find a positive expectation game, by all means, have at it. Assuming you make very few mistakes, the more you play, the more you will win (again, on average).

If you are playing a negative expectation game, make sure the “brass ring” you are seeking is worth the price.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of "Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker!" You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com