Don't let Video Poker Machines wind you up

Dear Mark, Does a video poker machine in any way think like an opposing player? I ask because sometimes the machine is sneering at my play. For example: giving me the card I needed on the last hand, as the first one dealt on the next. Dave D.
If you are you asking, Dave, whether or not your competition is a "2001 HAL-like" thinking antagonist, the answer is no. The video poker machine, although also a computer, is not programmed to think of mischievous ways of emptying your wallet. Poor play will accomplish that. A video poker machine, Dave, is designed to do just one task: deal you cards and let you make the mistakes. Its internal programming simulates the shuffling of the deck, deals five random cards to the screen, then lets the player discard any of those cards, replacing those cards with random draws. Then a chip within examines the hand to determine if it is a winner. The machine then pays off according to the pay schedule on the front of the machine. When the one-eyed Jack you needed on the last hand comes winking out at you on the next, it¹s pure coincidence, though admittedly a frustrating one. If you¹d like to sneer at the machine, Dave, read on. What I personally like best about this indifferent video adversary, is that you not only have the probability of a decent payoff, but you truly are in control of the game by virtue of your skillful decisions. A good basic strategy player who can identify decent paying machines, can virtually eliminate the house advantage, bringing it down to goose egg, and in some cases, giving the adroit player a slight edge. Those machines I¹m speaking of are 9/6 Jacks or Better, full-pay Deuces Wild and 10/7 Double Bonus. By playing these three machines and using perfect strategy, and playing the maximum amount of coins, you can achieve the following payback percentages: 99.5% on 9/6 Jacks or Better, 100.7% on full-pay Deuces Wild and 100.1% on 10/7 Double Bonus.