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Want to make money playing video poker? Read on to discover how not to lose money at video poker because it's a bit different than poker played at regular casinos. Remember, nothing can replace skill, thus practice these strategies well.

Since most video poker players choose to play at levels other than the expert one, most machines do not pay you the whole sum that you win, but only a percentage of it.

Check out these pointers to be more successful at video poker:

1. Determine exactly how much percentage will you get paid. Generally, these are posted, but if don't find them; ask their customer service for the exact figures. After comparing between video poker machines, choose the one that provides the best deal. Doing this will increase your net profit.
2. Remember that your opponent is a machine. Thus to win you must have one of the posted hands. No other sequence or cards from regular poker will do the job for you. Thus don't waste your chances by keeping back a highly valued card with a pair.
3. The chance you will be dealt a royal flush is about 0.000025. Keeping this in mind, bet at those poker machines that offer big cash wins for a royal flush.
4. If it so happens that you are short of a single card in the middle of four to get a straight, don't bet on it. But go for it if you already have four consecutive cards and are hoping for the missing one. The odds of being dealt a card that fits into four consecutive cards to create a royal flush are much higher than hoping to get a card that fits in the middle.
5. If you get only a pair, don't discard it in the hope of being dealt higher cards. Instead discard the other high cards instead. Extensive research after comparing the odds has found that the odds of getting a triple are higher than the odds of getting any other stronger hand. You have higher odds of getting hold of a triple than any other if you have a pair.
6. Likewise, keep a high pair. Don't look into the possibility of a four-card flush or a three-card royal. Thus you will at least come out even.
7. Similarly, keep the pair even if it turns out to be a low pair. Prefer this over an open end 4-card straight because at video poker a low pair ranks higher than a straight.
8. Because a royal flush offers a large bonus, prefer a three-card royal over a low pair, a 4-card flush or a 4-card open end straight.
9. If after being dealt your first hand, to your dismay you don't even have one high card, draw another five cards. This is the best way to act in such a situation.

Additional Pointers:

1. Retain all your cards if you have four of a kind.
2. If you have a straight, a flush or a full house, don't even think about it; keep all your cards.
3. If you have three cards to a straight or royal flush or if you have a triple - ask the poker machine for two cards.
4. Exchange a card if you have a four-card flush, four cards close to a royal flush, a four-card straight, a pair, or a four-card straight flush.
5. Likewise request for three cards if it turns out that you have two high cards, a low pair or a high pair.
6. Don't fear exchanging four cards if you find out that you have only one high card and no sequence in the making.
7. And finally if your cards do not appear to have any connection among them and if neither of them are high cards, exchange them all.