You don't need to be a computer programmer to know how to do well on video poker, it's real simple. Just have to remember there's no bluffing, you're just playing odds and trying to maximize your hand with the draw portion. If your hand has "something" dump everthing but that something and the highest "junk" card. If your hand has nothing dump everything but your highest two junk cards. This stragey will clean up with almost any video/ computer poker, and will empty your wallet playing against people.
Actually, this is a pretty non-optimal strategy. The correct strategy, which changes for each machine (which is why its a pain in the @ss, which is also why the casinos don't mind too much since they know most people won't be bothered to learn), is very non-intuitive. For example, when do go for the straight or flush? What if you have 4 to a royal, but also a pair of kings? In assuming a basic Jacks or Better machine, if you get 5 garbage cards all less than a jack, you draw 5 new cards but what if you have a J-Q-A, or a J-Q-K or a J-K-A? The strategy may call for keeping the 2 non-A cards only.
And even then, unless you hit the royal, its still a loser.
For curiosity sake, I looked into this years ago but its way too much effort for me. Even in favorable conditions, spending a 100 hrs to hit the royal may only get you $10 per hour. What a waste.