Video Poker – Play Video Poker Online

Rules Of Video Poker

The game of Video Poker is a fairly simple one, with the player being dealt a hand of Five Card Draw poker face up to start with. This means the player receives five cards he can see in full. He now has to make some choices in order to conclude the hand.
A player gets to pick which cards he wants to “Hold” and which he wants to “Discard”. A new card is dealt instead of each discarded card and a final five card hand of poker is made up. The player is then paid out based on a fixed table of payouts.

The dealer or the house does not get dealt a hand and no other players are involved, meaning unlike actual poker, you will not be competing against any opponents. Your hand is rated based on a premade table and you get paid according to the fixed payouts.

Odds In Video Poker

The house edge is something not all players fully understand but it is the concept that tells you what kind of an edge the casino has against you in any given game. Many table games return about 97% to 99% of all the money invested in them and Video Poker is probably the best game in this sense as the average return when playing perfect strategy is well over 99%.
This means the house edge in Video Poker is nearly non-existent. What you have to do is keep playing the perfect strategy the entire time and make sure you are playing at a machine that offers Full Pays. These machines can be recognized by paying 9/1 on a Full House and 6/1 on a Flush. Any machine that pays less than that is not a good one to play.

Many Video Poker machines also have a Jackpot. Hitting a Royal Flush at maximum coin will pay significantly higher than it normally should, based on the paytable. This is why you should always play maximum coin at these machines, but this can be pricey. Not playing the maximum at these machines will significantly diminish your edge.
The really great thing about video poker is that if you can find the right machine and play perfect strategy, your payouts could actually go up to over 100% as some machines pay 100.7% to players who play perfectly.

Video Poker Variations

Video Poker comes in many variations and especially when playing Video Poker online you will have an opportunity to pick any number of Video Poker games. The difference between the games is usually in how much they pay for different combinations, whether or not there are Wild Cards in the deck and what combinations are paid for. Some classic Video Poker online games include:

Aces and Faces

Aces and Faces Poker is perfect for beginners who are new to online video poker and focuses on aces and face cards. Like many other versions, the game uses a 52 card deck and the payout is dependent on the best 5 card poker hand you have. What sets it apart from other video poker games is the bonus payouts on the 4 of a kind hands, which gives players the chances to maximize their winnings. Aces and Faces Poker kicks off after a bet is made with an initial five card deal. Players are able to select which cards to keep or get rid of in order to receive new cards, depending on the quality of the initial deal. The strategy for Aces and Faces Poker is pretty simple compared to other games and players can receive a higher payout if they manage to get a combination of four of a kind in Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces.

Aces and Eights

Probably the most common Video Poker game around, Aces and Eights offers somewhat higher payouts at 99.78% but also higher variance than Jacks or Better.

Jacks or Better Power Poker

If you’re looking for a game that focuses on classic poker skill while still offering a bit more of a challenge than traditional slots, then Jacks or Better Power Poker is for you. As with standard Jacks or Better, a single 52 card deck is employed with a five card initial deal and players must then select which of their five cards they wish to keep and which to discard. As the name suggests, getting a result of jacks or better will result in a winning payout. Jacks or Better Power Poker also offers players the chance to win big with a bonus round which can be played directly after a winning round. If you are a complete beginner, trying a Jacks or Better Power Poker free play demo is the best way to start as it can often take playing a few hands to fully understand the exact mechanics of the game.

Jacks Or Better

A fairly common machine in both live and online Video Poker sites, Jacks or Better pays players for making a pair of Jacks or better combination. The game pays back 99.54% on average and is not an ideal option to play.

Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild is one of the most popular forms of video poker you'll find online. If you're keen for some quick fun, this game can be played without going through the arduous process of learning. Deuces Wild is played with the traditional 52 cards, however, there’s a wonderful little surprise in this variation of the game. There are two cards that will take on the form of a wild card (deuces), I guess the name of the game gave it away. These two cards have the ability to substitute any other card which makes them a joker basically. Unlike online poker, this game is more of a video poker addition. This means that instead of playing with an actual dealer, you'll be playing against the machine. Pay tables are considered to be tighter than your average poker games. If you're looking for a poker game that has a twist, Deuces Wild is definitely up your alley. While the full pay version of this game can be harder to find, Deuces Wild at full pays is the most profitable Video Poker game online and live. Good players can make up to 100.76% in payouts and many professional gamblers scour the earth looking to find the machine to play this game at and win consistently. While it does come with some variance, the added bonuses at Deuces Wild for making Five of A Kind with the Deuce, a Wild Royal Flush and Four of a Kind Deuces do make all the difference.

All American Poker

As the name suggests, this variation of the classic game of poker emerged in the American casinos. There are loads of different poker games on offer these days; this particular version is very similar to the Jacks or Better poker game. Although this variation is slightly more advanced than others, you'll be able to pick up the nuances fairly quickly if you're already familiar with the game of poker. Using 52 cards, the dealer begins by handing each player 5 cards. You'll then be able to exchange cards in order to form a winning hand. One difference you'll notice in All American poker is that a few hands will payout slightly less than other poker versions. This exciting variation of the game comes with the same set of rules as others.

Jokers Wild

You will want to look for Kings or Better version of this 53 card Video Poker game. The 53rd card is of course the Joker card. When played correctly to perfection, this game can yield you over 100% in payouts with significant variance.

Our take on Video Poker

Online Video Poker is the most profitable casino game or at least the one to offer the fewest downsides to playing it. The exceptionally high payouts at Video Poker online will allow you to play longer, have a better chance of winning and not be ripped off.

New Zealand players are absolutely wild about online Video Poker and with all the upsides of playing this game, who could blame them. You can stop wasting your money away at other table games today and start playing online Video Poker for ultimate payouts and some excellent fun.
To start playing Video Poker today, simply sign up to one of our best online Video Poker sites, make a deposit and take advantage of the generous welcome offers our partners have in store for you.

Video Poker FAQs

What is video poker?

Video poker is an electronic game that uses the structure of a regular poker game. Video poker machines often look like slot machines, but that’s where the similarities stop. In video poker, players can make certain decisions and choose which strategy to use in order to improve their odds. Most video poker games at online casinos are based on 5-card draw poker, where players decide how many cards of their initial hand to keep, and which to swap in order to improve their hand.

How do I play video poker?

Before the game begins, the player makes a bet, usually anywhere between 1 and 5 coins. After this, the player is dealt 5 cards each from a virtual 52-card deck. The player can look at his or her cards and decide which to keep and which to dismiss. After this, the computer deals out randomly selected new cards from the remaining cards. The player can now compare their final hand to the paytable on the machine. If the hand is as strong as the minimum required to win, the machine will pay out the odds. If the hand is stronger, the payout will be greater.

What is the gamble feature in video poker?

Like many online slots, video poker machines also have a “gamble” feature that can be used after each winning hand. This feature enables players to double their wins, risking their entire win with a coin flip. Players choose whether the card that is facing down is red or black, and if they guess correctly, they double their winnings, and if not, they lose it all. This is an optional feature, which also has a maximum payout that limits the number of times you can play this feature consecutively.

What is a multi-hand play in video poker?

In video poker, a multi-hand play gives players the opportunity to play more than one hand at the same time. Some machines allow 4 to 5 hands, while others offer up to 100 hands simultaneously. Each hand has to be played for in a separate manner, so if you are betting $1 for each of your 100 hands, it ultimately costs $100 each time you make a new hand. After choosing which cards to dismiss, the replacing cards are placed randomly and separately for each hand. Same cards can be used to be drawn for multiple hands. The payouts you receive are from each hand separately, and the final payout depends on the total win.

What variations does video poker offer?

Video poker has many variations, and those who play online video poker can select any number of games. The difference is mostly in the amount they pay for various combinations. Here are some video poker variations: Jacks or Better, Aces and Eights, Jokers Wild, and Deuces Wild.