Many video poker games are rated at 99.5 to 101 percent payback, and some even higher, but unlike the "no brainer" reel slots where no meaningful decisions are possible, the video poker player must always choose the correct cards to hold in order to achieve the maximum payback. It is just this challenge that makes video poker attractive to so many avid devotees. It is this same requirement, however, that results in a casino win rate averaging about two percent more than it would get if everyone played perfect strategy.

The vast majority of players pay little or no attention to the payoff schedule. Many of their plays are correct simply because they are so obvious, such as holding a high pair when none of the other cards bear any relation to each other, but when there is a choice between two or more possible draws they play mostly by guesses and hunches. It is their errors that give the casino that extra two percent. Here are a few of the most common errors:

Playing a short pay machine.

This is clearly the most common error since the majority of games offer much less than 100% payback, yet they get plenty of action even where better games are available. I often see someone playing a short pay game when a nearby machine is full pay yet sits idle. I even see people playing on one bank of machines with a progressive jackpot when another identical bank of machines has a higher jackpot. Learn to recognize the best payoff schedules, and avoid the low payback games. Of course many casinos have no full pay games, in which case the only logical answer is to go elsewhere. If more people would vote with their legs, the casinos would have to offer more attractive games to be competitive.

Playing fewer than maximum coins.

Most games allow playing one to five coins or credits, but the maximum jackpot is paid only if you play five coins. Typically, the royal flush pays only 250-for-1 with short coin play, but a five-coin royal pays 4,000 coins which is 800-for-1. On regular 9/6 Jacks-or-Better, short coin play reduces your payback by about 1.4%, although this can be reduced to "only" a 1.2% loss with certain strategy adjustments. But why give up even one percent? If you can't afford to play five coins then look for a lower denomination machine with the same payoff schedule. (But even so it's usually better to play one coin than to switch to a lower denomination machine with a worse payoff schedule.)

Always holding something.

This is probably the most common and costliest playing error, especially in wild card games. It may seem like a waste throwing away all five cards, but if none of the available card combinations is listed in the strategy chart then your best play is a five-card redraw. Just do it.

Holding a "kicker."

In live draw poker it's sometimes correct to hold an ace or other high card when drawing to a pair or to three of a kind, but in video poker it's a very costly error. Two pair pays the same no matter what the card ranks, and holding that kicker just reduces the chances of improving the hand. In Deuces Wild, remember that each card held means one less chance of drawing a wild card.

Drawing to a three-card flush or an inside straight.

This is tempting when dealt a garbage hand with no high cards, but it's better to draw five cards. (Surprisingly, however, it's sometimes correct to draw to an inside straight in Deuces Wild and Double Bonus Poker, and drawing to a little three-card flush is sometimes correct in Double Bonus Poker and 9/7 Jacks-of-Better.) The point is that no one strategy is correct for all games. You need to learn a strategy that is specific for the game you want to play.

Breaking a made pay to draw to a three-card royal.

Granted this is very tempting, and it will occasionally yield an extra royal, but in the long run it's a costly error except when there is a high progressive jackpot on the royal. (The necessary jackpot to make this correct depends upon the game and the pay that is being broken.)

Overlooking some viable draws.

Perhaps the most often missed is a double inside straight flush draw. Learn a complete strategy, and avoid the hunch plays.

Playing too fast.

It's easy to overlook some playable draws when playing over your optimum speed. Also, some machines have sticky or dirty buttons. Be sure the "hold" shows on the screen for the cards you want to hold.

Playing too slow.

If you are playing a game with over 100% return you obviously can increase your expected win rate by playing faster, but don't play so fast that you make strategy errors. Find your optimum speed.

Not joining the slot club.

Most casinos have a slot club, and membership is free. In some cases the cash rebate may be very small or even nonexistent, but you often get additional comps and/or special offers in the mail that make your play much more profitable.

You can be a long term winner at video poker simply by understanding and avoiding these errors. It's not hard to recognize the good games and learn the correct strategy for your games of choice. The moral is to play only the games that offer high payback, follow an optimum strategy, and always use your slot card. My Precision Play method make it easy to learn a winning strategy for some of the most attractive games. You can cut your loss rate to almost nothing, or even turn it into an expected win.