Fans of poker had plenty of video poker machines they could play in brick-and-mortar casinos. The popularity of these machines as a strategic alternative to slots made them famous across the globe. As such, video poker was always fated to be successful when it swapped to online. Given how many developers made their versions of video poker, the game lived up to high expectations!
If you have never played video poker before, it can seem like a daunting game to pick up. Not to worry; we are here to help! This article will go over everything you need to know to play online video poker. We discuss video poker rules, how its played, and the different video poker versions available to players in online casinos.
VIDEO POKER RULES
The core of video poker draws inspiration from a card game known as Five-Card Draw. In that game, you receive five cards on the deal. You then choose what cards to keep and what to discard. Discarded cards are removed from the table while the host draws new ones to replace discarded ones. The goal is to form the best five-card poker hand.
Five-Card Draw is a multiplayer game played against other people. However, that is not the case with video poker. Online video poker is a purely single-player experience. That means players do not need to factor in bluffing in their strategy. All you need to do is form the best five-card poker hand. The game’s paytable tells you what kind of rewards you can expect.
PLAYING VIDEO POKER: A GUIDE
Before playing video poker, you need to set up your wagers. Almost all video poker games have a multi-tiered paytable which depends on your coin level. A higher coin level means betting more each round, but it also means better payouts when you land a win. That is why we always recommend playing on the maximum possible coin value. You can then adjust your actual bet to suit your budget.
Another thing worth remembering is that online video poker uses a random number generator to determine results. Because of that, you cannot count cards to give yourself an advantage. With the power of computers, video pokers can shuffle the deck for every round. That makes the results of every game truly random and impossible to predict.
Casino members receive a reward depending on the strength of their poker hand. Different video poker games may prioritize different card combinations. These are the hands you will want to form to score a win, ranked from least to most valuable.
- Pair of Jacks or Better
- Two Pair
- Three-of-a-kind
- Straight (five consecutive-ranked cards, such as 4-5-6-7-8)
- Flush (five cards with the same suit, such as hearts or spades)
- Full House (Two pair and three-of-a-kind in the same hand)
- Four-of-a-kind
- Straight Flush (Straight with five cards of the same suit)
- Royal Flush (Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit)
When choosing what cards to discard and keep, you want to keep poker hand combinations in mind. Are you one card off from getting a solid win? In that case, opting for that hand is an easy decision. However, the decision is not as simple if you are choosing between several combinations. At that point, it becomes a matter of risk versus reward. Do you go for a riskier hand in hopes of winning big? Do you play it safe to get a smaller win that keeps you playing longer? It all depends on your playstyle and your goals.
VIDEO POKER VARIANTS
One of the things we like most about video pokers is that the software provider offers many different versions. All of these games preserve the core gameplay loop we described above. However, it changes the card combinations you will chase and their payouts. The most popular video poker is Jacks or Better, which we used as a baseline to describe video poker above.
Another popular version of video poker is Bonus Poker. Off-shoots of this game are Double Bonus Poker and Double Double Bonus Poker. Keep in mind that these games still follow the rules of Jacks or Better video poker. The differences come from bonus payouts for specific hands. The overall payout percentage is lower, but valuable poker hands pay even better. This is mainly reflected in the four-of-a-kind win.
Double Bonus Poker adds extra payouts depending on what kind of four-of-a-kind hand you win. A four-of-a-kind with 5’s to K’s pays the lowest, followed by a four-of-a-kind with 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s. The most valuable addition is a four-of-a-kind with four aces.
Double Double Bonus poker adds two more payouts two consider. 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s with the fifth card being between A-4, or four aces with the fifth card being a 2, 3, or 4.
For something a little different, we recommend checking out Deuces Wild. In this video poker, all two cards are Wild. That allows them to substitute for any card’s rank and suit, making forming wins easier. You can see the easier wins reflected in the payouts of these games, as they usually pay less than Jacks or Better. The minimum winning hand in Deuces Wild is three-of-a-kind.
Finally, casino members can look forward to Joker’s Wild. This video poker is a mix between Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild. Joker’s Wild adds a joker card to the standard 52-card deck used in other video poker games. The joker then plays the role of a Wild when it appears. The minimum winning hand in this release is one pair of kings or better. The payout for the royal flush is lower if the joker is part of the winning combination.
WHICH VIDEO POKER SHOULD I PLAY?
Ultimately, none of these video poker games is better than another. They offer different experiences for different types of players. Deuces Wild will be right up your alley if you enjoy more frequent wins. Jacks or Better and its variants are better for thrilling payouts. Joker’s Wild finds a balance between the two by adding a joker card to serve as a Wild. We recommend trying all three types of video poker and seeing which one suits you the best.