Video Poker Playing Speed

27 November 2012

By Jerry Stickman

Jerry,

My playing partner has a theory that the speed of play on VP affects the RNG results for draw hands. He says if I play slower, my chances of winning or hitting a RF will be better. I say it is what it is, and that timing has little to do with the outcome of each hand.

Thanks,
Sandy


Dear Sandy,

Both your playing partner and you are at least partially correct. The exact instant you hit the play button determines what hand will be dealt. So if you hit the button a bit faster than you previously would have, you will get different results. Different – not better or worse. You will not win more or less by playing faster (or slower), but you will get different hands.

For most current Video Poker machines, you have about a 1 in 40,000 chance of snagging a Royal Flush. Fast or slow it is about 1 in 40,000 hands. So, while the speed of play might change the specific hands you get, it will not change the win (or loss) amount per hand – on average.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and tiny.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack, video poker and advantage slot machine play. You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanGTC@aol.com