Video Poker

More About Video Poker

Originally, poker was imagined as a social card game. But sometimes, you just want to sit back and run a few quick rounds of your favorite poker variant, and video poker in US online casinos fits that bill perfectly.

Online video poker is a popular card game based on the five-card draw variant carried over from brick-and-mortar machines. The game features fast gameplay and a classic look, and is powered by the cutting-edge RNG algorithms that guarantee fair outcomes every single time.

Video poker is played with 52 (or 53) cards against the house (or computerized dealer), so you never have to wait in lobbies for other players to join. It is one of the most profitable casino games in the US, with an RTP (Return-to-Player) rate regularly in the region of 99%.

Variants of Video Poker

Online Video Poker Basic Rules

Video poker comes in many varieties, but the ground rules are simple and remain the same throughout. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards unless a Joker is introduced. Rather than real people or real dealers, you play against the house and an RNG dealer.

After you make the initial bet, you’ll be dealt five cards. Based on the strength of the initial draw and strategy, you decide which cards to hold and which to discard. The discarded cards will be replaced, and you will win a payout based on the final hand.

Some video poker games, like Triple Play Draw Poker, let you juggle three hands at the same time. Others may throw in bonus features like Ultimate X, where you play different varieties simultaneously. These features make things more interesting and gameplay a lot more dynamic, but require more skill.

Winning Hands in Video Poker Online

The goal of online video poker is to score the strongest hand possible. It’s important to note that each variant has its own specific hand ranking.

To show an example of video poker hands from strongest to weakest, we’ll use one of the most beloved variants of the game, Joker Poker, where Joker acts as a wild:

Likewise, the payouts differ from one game to another. The ‘full pay’ Joker Poker games feature the following pay table:

Video Poker Terms

Like all card games, video poker uses specific terminology necessary for mastering the rules of the game. If you’re not yet versed in poker speak, don’t worry. We’ve assembled the most important terms that’ll get you sounding and playing like a pro:

Bankroll –  The total amount of money dedicated to gambling.

Cycle – The average number of hands for hitting a jackpot, roughly every 40,000 hands.

Dealer – A computerized entity that runs the action.

Discard – The cards you decide to throw away after the initial deal.

Drawing Hand – An initial deal of the cards.

Draw – The second deal of the cards, after deciding which cards to hold or discard.

Face cards – Cards with ‘faces’ on them, aka Jacks, Kings, and Queens.

Full Pay – Online video poker that uses the best possible pay table.

Hold – Deciding to keep the cards in your hand.

House edge – A mathematical advantage that casinos have over players.

Jackpot – The biggest payout in the game that comes roughly every 40,000 hands.

Kicker – A card that doesn’t make a hand.

Limits – The minimum and maximum bets you can make in the game.

Low Pay – Video poker with less than the full paytable.

Payout – The amount paid for each poker hand.

Pay Table – A table showing the payout for each video poker hand.

Random Number Generator – An algorithm that simulates each deal and ensures fairness.

Rank – The strength of every given hand and how they compare.

Run – A sequence of cards, such as a straight or a flush.

Variant – A type of video poker with small but important changes to gameplay.

Wild Cards – Cards that can substitute for other cards in a hand.

Video Poker Games

As noted above, online video poker is an umbrella term for many different game variants. There are dozens of game variants, and they all share the number of cards dealt, a similar hierarchy of hands, and are played with a standard deck of 52 cards minus the Joker.

However, where all these variants differ is perhaps more important. The pay table and winning hands are different. Some variants, like Jacks or Better, are the cut-and-dry versions of classic land-based casino poker machines, while others, like Joker Poker, throw wild cards into the mix. To explain the differences in more detail, we’ll go through nine video poker variants available in Game King Video Poker by IGT.

Jacks or Better

This is the classic version of video poker and the simplest to learn and play. It is based on the classic Draw Poker from the 80s and named after the lowest-paying hand. Jacks or Better is charmingly simple – you receive five cards, and you can either hold them or discard them. There are no wilds or bonus features, just you, your skill, and Lady Luck.

Bonus Poker

Bonus Poker introduced a revolutionary change to the Jacks or Better formula by implementing bonus features into the game. The rewards include additional payouts for hitting four-of-a-kind hands. Rather than giving 25x flat for every four of a kind, bigger payouts are awarded for hitting four Aces (80x), and 2s, 3s, and 4s (40x).

Bonus Poker Deluxe

Bonus Poker Deluxe ups the ante for hitting those four-of-a-kind hands. Here, every four of a kind is rewarded with 80x. To compensate for the increased bonus, the pay for deuce is reduced from 2x to 1x. This variant caters to high-risk-high-reward players, but casuals find it too restrictive.

Double Bonus Poker

The Double Bonus Poker is an attempt to refine the Deluxe by retaining the same 1x pay for deuces but improving the pay rate for certain four-of-a-kind hands. Four Aces are the second most profitable hand at 160x, while four 2s, 3s, and 4s go up at 80x. The remaining four of a kind hands receive an overhaul, as well, and are worth 50x.

Double Double Bonus Poker

This variant adds another element to the table, and that’s a kicker. Four-of-a-kind hands are worth a lot more if they have a proper fifth card. For instance, having 4 Aces pays 160x, but having four Aces and a kicker of 2, 3, or 4 pays 400x! The new element of a kicker complicates the playing strategy, and only the most experienced players dare touch it.

Triple Double Bonus Poker

Triple double bonus poker builds on the success of its double-double cousin to ramp up the reward for hitting 4 Aces plus a kicker. Here, the payout for that combo matches the royal flush at 800x. The fact that 4 Aces plus kicker is much easier to make than a royal flush makes this variant highly lucrative.

Deuces Wild Poker

Deuces Wild Poker is perhaps the most popular variant of video poker. It changes the script by introducing wild cards into the mix, deuces in this case. It also brings new hands like wild royal flush or five of a kind. Having wild cards makes it easier to form hands. On the flip side, the pay table is also lower.

Deuces Wild Bonus Poker

The bonus version of Deuces Wild adjusts the pay table by ramping up the rewards for certain four-of-a-kind hands by adding more hands overall. For instance, four deuces still pay the same (200x), but four deuces with an Ace will pay 400x. Likewise, this variant adds 5 Ace hands that pay 80x.

Joker Poker

Joker Poker is a twist on Deuces Wild where Joker acts as a lone wild card instead of deuces. It has a similar paytable as Deuces Wild with two types of royal flush (with and without a Joker), and a high-paying five of a kind hand (200x). The major difference is at the bottom of the pay table, where two pairs and Kings or better replace three of a kind.

Top 5 Tips for Playing Video Poker

Video poker is ultimately a game of chance, and no amount of strategizing can guarantee you a win. However, there are things you can do to improve your chances and generally get better at the game.

Now, the strategies are highly dependent on the particular variant of video poker you’re playing, but some are applicable everywhere. Here are our top 5 tips for boosting your chances of winning in your next session:

Learn the Pay Table

You’ll get nowhere if you’re not familiar with the pay table of the corresponding variant. Learn it by heart if need be, and you’ll see the quality of your game go up a level.

Keep the Pairs

Hold your pairs whenever you can, even if they’re low-scoring. Many hands in video poker involve pairs, and it’s worth banking on them in the long run.

Go for the Royal

Royal Flush occurs in approximately 40,000 draws, but chances significantly improve if you already have a straight or flush. It’s worth breaking them up and just going for it.

Play Higher Bets

There’s no point in beating around the bush. The best winning hands come every so often, and you’ll be gutted to win a royal flush with the minimum bet.

Play Free Demos

This is perhaps the most important tip to take away from here. You should play free video poker until the pay table and rules become second nature.

FAQs About Video Poker