Progressive Video Poker Games Offer Attractive Jackpots
For most Canadians, being able to reduce the house edge associated with anything going on in a casino to less than 2% is an excellent feat. However, when it comes to online games like progressive video poker, the ability to reduce that edge down to nothing in the blink of an eye is incredibly appealing.
Progressive vs. Non-Progressive
It's possible to enjoy this casino title in a non-progressive sense, too, but there's a problem with that. See, no matter what an individual does or how perfect his or her strategy might be, reducing the house edge to less than 1% is still impossible. Of course, when one takes perks and bonuses and drawings and such into consideration, the overall average may still make it seem as if individuals are getting a great deal. The truth is that in a progressive video poker game, the payout for the royal flush continues to climb, making people adjust their strategies in an effort to win. It's all about the odds; the jackpot climbs as the odds start to turn away from the house.
How the Jackpot is Paid
In progressive video poker, the jackpot is comprised of a part of each wager that is made on the title and is added to the total possible payout for the royal flush. Now, mathematically speaking, in a game in which there are no wild cards, only one in every 40,000 hands is going to produce a royal flush. This may sound incredibly discouraging since no one is really going to sit through 40,000 hands, and there's nothing that says someone won't play through 100,000 without ever hitting the jackpot, either. So, what is one to do? What's the best way to hit this jackpot? The answer is simple - wait until the jackpot is quite high. This shows that there have already been several thousand - perhaps even tens of thousands - of hands played into it and that it could be ready to win at any time.
Determining the Break Even Point
Something else that individuals truly need to consider when it comes to this type of offering is the chosen machine's break-even point. This may sound confusing (and in all actuality, it is somewhat since it's almost impossible to calculate) but it still should be noted that enjoying a machine with such a jackpot while it is still below the break-even point is just a waste of time. A good rule of thumb here is to just scout the various machines for a while, take a look at the average amount of the jackpots, and then look for the ones with current totals that are close or above that average. In this manner, it can be assumed that the console is 'volatile' at this point and just waiting to dole out cash to a lucky winner.
Determining the Meter
Some people have likely heard the term 'meter' used when hearing descriptions of progressive video poker, but few know what it actually signifies. This can best be explained with an analysis of a 1% meter rise (though it should be understood that not all have a 1% rise). For every $1 someone wagers, a penny of that goes to the rising jackpot. For those who want to determine on their own how much the meter rise actually is, this can be accomplished by simply depositing $10 and seeing what happens. It should be evident on the screen since most are shown to players in both dollars and cents; a deposit of $10 should make the meter come up at least a little.
Just Have Fun
Of course, no matter what happens, how high the jackpot is, or how long someone has been trying to collect the ever-elusive royal flush, the best way to make it happen is just to relax and enjoy. No matter how hard anyone tries to reduce that house edge, it will always be tilted slightly in their favor. As such, no one should ever go into a session expecting a win, and no one should ever stay at a machine all night just because the jackpot has climbed exponentially. Some days, Lady Luck just isn't on our side.