Video poker is a popular casino game based on the five-card draw poker method. Before the online world, video poker was one of the most common game machines found in land based casinos. The game is played on machines similar to that of modern slots, but without reels.
Gambling on the Internet has seen video poker become one of the most well-known, and well-liked worldwide casino games to play online. As it is based on the real poker game of 5 card draw, it is fairly simple to play and boasts a fan base of millions spanning across over 20 countries.
The Rules of Video Poker Are Simple
First you must load the video poker machine (or buy credits if playing online), and begin play by placing a bet by pressing on ‘deal’ or ‘play’. You are then given a set of 5 cards face up, aka your ‘hand’. At this stage you can view your cards and decide whether or not to keep 1 or more of these cards. To keep the cards players are usually required to click ‘hold’, (again similar to that of a slot machine). Any cards that you decide that you do not want to keep will be discarded and exchanged for new cards at random.
After the draw of new cards the machine, (or dealer, or house, or casino) pays out if your hand has matched any winning combinations in line with their pay-table. The casino pay-table shows you which combination of cards win money and tells you the odds that you are paid out for matching that particular combination. For example, an average pay table starts by paying evens on your bet and to get this you usually have to have a pair of jacks. Play Now »
There are many video poker winning combinations and most pay-tables feature the same ones as actual poker. These include:
- Two pair
- Three of a kind
- Straight – A sequence of 5 cards but of different suits)
- Flush – Any 5 cards of the same suit, e.g. all 5 hearts
- Full house – A pair and a three of a kind combo
- Four of a kind – Four cards of the same value, e.g. four 4’s
- Straight flush – 5 consecutive cards and of the same suit, e.g. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and all clubs
- Royal flush – 1 Ten, 1 Jack, 1 Queen, 1 King and 1 Ace, and all of the same suit
Video Poker Chances of Winning
In video poker online, it is common for games to be interlinked between other brands of video poker or other games on a network, aka progressive jackpots. Progressive jackpots are casino bonuses that are connected by one or more games to give a bigger jackpot payout and bigger pot of cash to play for. Usually a percentage of each stake is pooled together in the progressive pot.
Just like other casino games featured in land based casinos and online casinos; video poker games are regulated by an independent body to ensure fair gaming to players and a purely random gaming experience. Thus giving any player at any time the chance to win. Machine and game regulation of video poker allows the central computer system to deal a random set of cards every time you press ‘play’ or ‘deal’. Play Now »
Common Hands of Video Poker
There are many varieties of online video poker to play depending on where you are looking. Online casinos often feature a standard set of video poker games as well as their own exclusive game variations to offer something unique to the player. Common video poker games include:
- Jacks or Better
- Aces and Faces
- Deuces Wild
- Tens or Better
- Joker Poker
- Ultimate Video Poker
- Multi Video Poker
Although the game titles and graphics differ, the general rules of the game remain the same across the board. The simplicity of the game is one of the primary reasons why it has become so popular worldwide with players of all ages. The rules of each game are usually self explanatory and it is only the pay-table and winning combinations that change. For example, in the game Tens or Better, the player is required to get a minimum of a pair of 10’s in order to win money. As oppose to Jacks or Better where a pair of Jacks is the minimum requirement.
Online video poker comes in all shapes and sizes. Often casinos allow a multi play option whereby you can choose to play with a minimum of 1 hand each (player vs house), up to 50+ hands for the house dealer. Therefore giving players the chance to match their single 5 card hand with up to 50 different 5 card dealer hands for winning combinations. The more hands that are dealt the more chances of winning a single player has.