Player Stories
Video poker in stealth mode
Not every casino-floor observation is about a spectacular jackpot.
THE DRAW JOURNAL
130 STORIESLatest stories.
News and archive readings, ordered by their original publication dates.
Strategy
Two straight draws that deserve separate decisions
Hands that share the word straight do not necessarily share the same value.
Strategy
Understanding the open straight draw
An open-ended four-card sequence has potential completion ranks at both ends.
Industry
Slammin' Multipliers joins IGT's G2E 2025 showcase
Video poker was part of a broader gaming and financial-technology presentation planned for the Las Vegas expo.
Strategy
Questions that sharpen a video poker strategy
Close decisions make useful practice because the competing holds can each look plausible.
Strategy
Choosing a game is more than choosing a name
A player may prefer one variant for its familiar decisions and another for its pattern of awards.
Strategy
Four to a flush, or three to a royal?
This familiar conflict pits a more complete ordinary draw against a less complete premium one.
Strategy
The details hidden in a pay table
A familiar game label can sit above an unfamiliar set of awards.
Casino Floor
Where does video poker fit in a casino promotion?
A promotion's headline can obscure the rules that apply to particular games.
Strategy
Approaching a low-return pay table
A weaker schedule changes the mathematical comparison even when the machine looks familiar.
Strategy
How many cards are missing from the royal?
The chance of completing a royal depends on what is already held and what has been discarded.
Strategy
The holds that do not look intuitive
Some of the most useful strategy lessons are the exceptions to an easy visual rule.