7 Tips for Winning a Big Video Poker Jackpot

Standard video poker games already offer large top payouts. You can win 4,000 coins for a royal flush when betting five credits per hand.

However, you can actually win much more than this through progressive jackpot games. Certain video poker machines offer progressive prizes that can be worth four, five, or even six figures.

If you’re interested in playing for the biggest money that video poker can offer, then the following seven tips will help you out.

1 – Look for Progressive Jackpot Games

Again, you can already win fairly large payouts at standard real money video poker. However, you can increase the win potential much more by targeting progressive games.

A progressive video poker machine offers the standard 4,000-coin payout for a royal on five-coin wager. However, it also boasts a jackpot that increases with every wager that’s made.

Such machines take a small percentage out of each bet. Assuming enough gamblers play a game without the jackpot being won, the top prize can increase to a significant amount.

Some jackpots have even reached mid-six figures. For example, poker player Huck Seed once collected a video poker jackpot worth $670,665 in 2011.

An anonymous gambler won a $400,000 payout at the Cosmopolitan casino (Las Vegas) in 2017. This gambler was rumored to be former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.

Of course, most video poker prizes don’t reach $400k or $670k. But you can still find plenty of worthwhile jackpots through progressive machines.

2 – Play for High Stakes (If You Can Afford It)

I left out one important detail about Seed’s win above. He wasn’t playing your average quarter Jacks or Better game when he won well over a half million dollars. Instead, the 1996 World Series of Poker Main Event champion was betting $500 per round on a 100-line machine ($5 per hand).

The biggest video poker jackpots aren’t reserved for low rollers. Instead, they’re featured on high stakes machines in Las Vegas.

You can still win some decent progressive jackpots on quarter machines. Again, though, the largest prizes are only available through high stakes.

You may need to play 100-line machines that require anywhere from $2.50 ($0.50 coin) to $5 ($1 coin) per line or hand. Furthermore, you’ll need lots of money to survive for any amount of time on these games.

Luckily, video poker is more generous than slot machines regarding consistent payouts. Even still, risking between $250 and $500 per round takes plenty of commitment.

3 – Try Sequential Royal Flush Games (Good for Low Rollers)

The one exception to the tip above is machines that feature sequential royal flushes. The latter entails a royal flush that’s in perfect order. For example, A-K-Q-J-10 full of hearts would be sequential.

Some machines only deliver their progressive jackpots on these rare hands. The same games don’t usually require you to bet as much when playing for huge prizes.

The catch, though, is that your odds of getting a sequential royal flush are much lower than a royal of any order. You stand 1 and 2.4 million odds of receiving a sequential royal, while you have 1 and 40,000 odds of getting a standard royal.

Considering the long odds, sequential royal flushes don’t pay their jackpots very often. Therefore, you can enjoy these games without having to bet much.

The downside, though, is that you’ll probably be waiting a very long time before getting the necessary jackpot hand. Here’s an example on how long it might take you to land a sequential royal:

• A sequential royal flush comes in once in every 2.4 million hands
• You play 800 hands per hour (a fast rate)
• 2,400,000 / 800 = 3,000 hours
• You play 6 hours per day
• 3,000 / 6 = 500 days to get a royal

4 – Always Bet Five Coins on Each Hand

You may very well know this next tip that I’m going to discuss. If you’re newer to video poker, though, I’d like to mention that you need to risk five coins on every hand.

Everything from standard to jackpot video poker requires the max hand bet to earn the top prize. Wager four coins or fewer and you’ll be playing for a much smaller top payout.

Of course, you may not always feel like risking five coins on every hand. After all, video poker can punish your bankroll, especially during cold streaks.

Just imagine how sick you’d feel if you got a royal flush and didn’t make the maximum wager. You’d miss out on a 4,000-coin payout in standard video poker and a progressive jackpot in other cases.

The royal flush makes up around 2% of overall RTP in a standard game. It can represent much more of the RTP on a progressive machine. So, you stand to gain more in the long run when placing maximum five-coin wagers.

5 – Study Video Poker Strategy

Video poker is one of the most complicated casino games in terms of strategy. Every decision that you make in a hand impacts the RTP.

As a result, some gamblers are intimidated by strategy. They may even convince themselves that relying on instincts works better when spending time studying the game.

But you should definitely consider learning video poker strategy. This way, you can win back more money from your bets and last longer when chasing jackpots.

8/5 Bonus Poker offers 99.17% RTP with perfect play. However, you may only attain 98% payback if you’re not a good player.

This extra 1.17% may not sound like much, but it definitely has an impact on your long-term results. You’re missing out on $117 in theoretical winnings by not learning strategy in this case.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of materials to learn from. You can use video poker trainers, strategy charts, or even free online games to learn.

I suggest grabbing a strategy chart if you can find one for the progressive machine that you’re playing. But a trainer makes for a nice fill-in in lieu of a chart.

6 – Pay Attention to Your Bankroll

Chasing video poker jackpots can you take a huge toll on your bankroll. This is especially true if you’re playing one of the aforementioned high-stakes games.

Even sequential royal flush machines with quarter denominations can be expensive in the long run. After all, you’ll be waiting quite a while to land a royal.

In any case, you want to be well-funded when seeking a progressive jackpot. The more funds you hold, the better the opportunity you have of eventually scoring a huge prize.

Your starting bankroll will all depend upon the stakes and how long you wish to last. Generally speaking, though, I recommend having enough funds to cover 500 hands.

Here’s an example:

• You’re going to play a 100-line machine with a $0.50 coin denomination
• You must bet five coins on every line/hand ($250 total) to play
• Therefore, you’ll be risking $2.50 per hand
• You want enough money to survive at least 500 hands’ worth of losses (or five rounds in this case)
• 500 x 2.5 = $1,250 starting bankroll

I’m not suggesting that $1,250 guarantees you’ll last for any significant amount of time. But with the wins you’ll be booking on many lines, you should be able to stay in the game for quite a while.

Under ideal circumstances, you’ll have enough money to cover anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 hands. But being able to cover at least 500 hands or lines is adequate for a start.

7 – Take Advantage of VIP Rewards

You definitely don’t want to miss out on opportunities to earn free money on the side of your play. With that said, you should always sign up for a VIP program wherever you’re playing.

You’ll typically be comped on around 0.1% of your wagers. In this case, you’ll receive $1 cash back for every $1,000 wagered.

This exchange rate doesn’t seem overly exciting. However, it can pay dividends when you’re trying to sustain your bankroll while chasing jackpots.

Online casinos go one step further by also offering deposit bonuses. If you’re playing for online video poker jackpots, then you might as well take advantage of these bonuses, too.

In some cases, you can earn hundreds of dollars through a video poker bonus. You just have to satisfy terms and conditions for cashing the money out.

Conclusion

You shouldn’t expect to win a huge video poker jackpot any time soon. But with preparation, you can at least boost your chances of winning a progressive prize at some point.

The first step involves finding progressive machines that offer large jackpots. These games are usually available in Las Vegas and call on you to either play high stakes or get a sequential royal flush.

From here, you just need to use good strategy and bankroll management. As long as you make the right plays and mind your bankroll, you can stay in the game and, hopefully, win big.