If you are going to choose between video poker and slots, play video poker. Even poor play on a video poker machine will have a better payback than most “reel” slot machines.

Here’s why there is such a big difference. Slots are programmed by the manufacturer to pay back a certain percentage, but video poker is based on a random deal from a 52-card deck a true mathematical probability that you can determine in advance of playing.

By standing front and center in front of a video poker looking at its paytable, you can easily distinguish a good video poker machine from a bad one, and can calculate precisely the true payback for each.

All you need to do is learn what paytables to look for, learn proper playing strategy -- basically which cards to hold or discard -- and you can play against the house almost dead even. Compare that to playing a slot machine, which can be gobbling up to 20 cents of every dollar inserted, and hopefully you can now appreciate the distinct difference.