Video poker is a single-player poker game played against the computer, and it’s a great choice to play for casino players – it’s pretty easy to understand, players have the chance to influence the outcome, and it has one of the best house edges and payout ratios of all casino games where wins can be huge!
There’s no way for players to ever get bored by video poker as dozens of variants of video poker games are offered at land-based and online casinos. The most popular video poker games include Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Bonus Poker.
Video poker machines with single hand variants can be found in online casinos in games like Game King video poker, while multi hand video poker variants include Five Play Draw Poker and Ten Play Draw Poker.
Why Play Online Video Poker Games?
Video poker is hugely popular for a number of reasons. Being a game of skill, players have the chance to apply a poker strategy and influence the outcome.
It’s also one of the games at online casinos with the highest return to player (RTP) payout rate, and lowest house edge. Players can expect payouts of 99% to over 100% when playing with a little basic strategy. Max cash payouts can be won simply by wagering on the max bet and landing the right hand.
Games like Deuces Wild and Joker Poker include wild cards which add an extra element of unpredictability and excitement to the game. Wilds in these online video poker games like 2s or joker cards allow players more opportunities to form winning hands by substituting for other cards.
Another thing players love about real money online video poker is the chance to play multiple hands at the same time, which gives more chances to win. Five, ten or even 100 hands can be played simultaneously, and online casinos offer many real money video poker variants to play from the same game, without the need to leave one video poker machine and enter another.
How to Play Online Video Poker
There are dozens of variants of video poker and in each one the objective is to make the best five-card hand from a 52-card pack, based on the game’s payable.
- Place your wager by choosing the number of coins you wish to bet.
- Press the “Deal” button and you’ll be dealt five face-up cards.
- Choose the cards you want to keep by tapping on them, and the rest will be discarded. (You’ll want to apply some strategy here – so keep reading for our best tips)
- Press the “Draw” button to replace your discarded cards with new cards.
- Your hand wins if it’s listed on the game’s pay table. The winning hands vary from game to game with higher-value hands like a Royal Flush or Straight Flush awarding bigger payouts than lower-value hands like two pairs.
Multi-Hand Video Poker
Some video poker game modes involve playing multiple poker hands at once. Multi-hand video poker variants include five multi-hands in Five Play Draw Poker, or ten hands in Ten Play Draw Poker. In these games, multiple five-card hands are shown face down, which turn over to reveal the cards you’ve selected to keep, for many chances to win.
In multi-hand video poker, the house edge tends to be the same as in single-hand video poker, but because more hands can be played at the same time, it’s possible to win more money in a shorter space of time.
Things to Know in Online Video Poker
While there are similarities between video poker and many other types of poker, there are a number of important differences players should be aware of too.
Pay table
The payouts for each winning hand are listed in the game’s pay table, which can be viewed from within the game as you play. Each game has different payouts depending on the five-card hand formed. The chance to win real money can be huge in video poker with payouts up to 4,000x your stake for the highest ranking hand of a natural royal flush.
Minimum paying hand
This is the minimum hand players need in order to receive a payout. Each poker variant has its own minimum paying hand, with some paying out for a pair of 10s or Jacks or higher, whereas other variants require a minimum of two pairs for a payout.
Hand ranking
Video poker generally uses the same hand-ranking guidelines as regular Texas Hold’em poker and other popular types of poker, although there are some differences depending on the poker variant played. In video poker, one pair is generally not worth anything, as they are in other poker games, but a pair can be used to form strong hands like three of a kind, four of a kind or a full house.
Wild cards
Some variants of video poker include wild cards like 2s (deuce) or a joker, which substitute for other cards to help players create a winning hand. Wilds in video poker work similarly to the way they do in slots, where a wild on the reels helps to form winning combinations of symbols.
Video Poker Hand Rankings
Hands are ranked the same as all other poker games, with the exception of pairs not paying out in some variations. The payouts for each hand varies depending on the video poker game played.
- Royal Flush – Five cards of the same suit in consecutive order from ace to 10
- Straight Flush – Five cards of the same suit in consecutive order
- Four-of-a-Kind – Four cards that have the same value
- Full House – Three-of-a-Kind plus a Pair
- Flush – Five cards of the same suit
- Straight – Five cards of different suits in consecutive order
- Three-of-a-Kind – Three cards that have the same value
- Two Pairs – Where the hand includes any two pairs
- Pair – The hand includes one pair (only payable in some types of video poker)
Best Video Poker Strategy
Although we can’t exactly tell you how to win each and every video poker hand, we do have a few tried and tested tips and strategies to help you win more often. Remember, the most important consideration when playing video poker is which cards to keep, and which to throw away.
Top Tips on How to Win at Video Poker Online
Here are some of our favorite online video poker strategies to help you improve your chances of winning:
Understand the rules
Each type of video poker game has its own rules and payouts, so it’s important to understand how to play, which hands can win, and how much each payout is worth.
Hunt down the best payouts
Different video poker games have different payouts, so find one with a low house edge, paying out between 97-100% RTP (Return to Player payout).
Start off with Jacks or Better
This is one of the top video poker games that’s ideal for beginners as it has a low house edge so you’re likely to win more money on it, plus the rules are fairly simple and straight forward too.
Don’t rely on guessing
The worst mistake a poker player can make is to guess which cards are worth keeping and which are worth discarding. In all types of poker, it’s important to understand how likely it is to form certain hands with the cards you already have. Learning a bit about poker strategy and hand probabilities will give you the upper hand in the game.
Avoid chasing straights and flushes
A surefire tactic to keep in mind is not to bother holding onto three cards in the hope of hitting a straight or flush, because the chances of the next two cards being the two you need are very slim.
Stick with winning cards
Even if the five cards you’re initially dealt are not amazing, hold onto any pairs or high cards like an Ace or King because the next couple of cards you’re dealt could turn them into a winning hand.
Play maximum coins
In a real money game of video poker with jackpot payouts for a royal flush, players are recommended to bet maximum coins as this is the only way to be in with a chance of winning the top payout. Video poker machines always offer a bonus payout for the highest hand when five coins are wagered.
Opt for Jacks or Better with a 9/6 pay chart
This way a full house pays on nine coins and a flush pays on six coins (better than the 8/5 payout offered on some others). Playing on a pay table offering less than 9/6 indicates a high house edge and lower odds of receiving a payout.
Avoid the kicker
When playing Jacks or Better video poker, avoid the mistake of holding onto a kicker. Many players make the mistake of thinking that having a kicker gives them a better chance of a higher payout. If after the first deal you have a three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind or two pairs, discard the fifth card that you don’t need in the hope that a new fifth card will help you form an even better hand.
Always hold…
Hold onto a royal flush, straight flush, four-of-a-kind, flush, full house, three-of-a-kind and two pairs and don’t discard them. When holding three-of-a-kind, be sure to hold onto those three cards but toss away the remaining two. Hold onto low pairs instead of trying to make one high card work.
Popular Video Poker Game Variations
There are dozens of types of popular video poker games and these real money games can be played in single-hand or multi-hand form. Some consider the most authentic video poker to be Jacks or Better or Deuces Wild, but many other games are also offered on gambling sites and mobile casinos with varying rules, payouts and house edges. In real money video poker, games like Game King, Five Play and Ten Play Video Poker offer multiple types of online video poker variants, including the following and more:
Jacks or Better
This is one of the most popular variants of video poker because it’s easy to play and has a high return to player rate of 99.54%. The game is named as such because a pair of Jacks (or better) makes up a minimum winning hand.
Deuces Wild Video Poker
In Deuces Wild, twos are wild and can act as a substitute for any other card to help make a better hand. The house edge can be as high as 100.76% if the game is played with maximum bets.
Bonus Poker
Similar to Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker has higher payouts for hands with four-of-a-kind. The full pay version of Bonus Poker pays a return of 99.17%.
Double Bonus Poker
A poker variant where the winnings for all four-of-a-kind hands are worth twice as much as in Double Bonus Poker, with an expected return to player of 100.17%.
Joker Poker
In Joker Poker, a joker is added to the deck to substitute for other cards for more ways to win. In some versions, hands of Kings or Better (pair of kings or aces) have a payout and a game RTP of 100.64%, and five-of-a-kind hands can be formed using the joker, which is second in ranking to a natural royal flush.
Progressive Jackpot Video Poker
In this variation, progressive jackpots accumulate and instead of one of the winning hands paying out a fixed amount of money, the jackpot can be won and huge cash prizes paid out.
Play Video Poker Games At PlayStar
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