How to Play Video Poker Online for Beginners

Unlike real poker, video poker is rather simple to play. To begin with, you do not have to worry about other players, as you will be playing for real money only against the house. Video poker is also known as a banking game for the same reason. In most cases, a video poker game would be based on a five-card draw version of the casino game. After you place your bet, you will be dealt five cards. You can take as much time as you need to look at them and decide which ones to keep and which to discard. For each card you discard, you will get a new one from the deck.

After the second draw, the game automatically checks whether your hand has any winning combinations. If it does, you will be rewarded immediately. Otherwise, you will lose your bet. Bear in mind that the different winning combinations are based on classic poker hands that you must be familiar with. Information about all winning combination could be found in the paytable of each video poker game. Payouts would usually depend on the winning combinations, with Royal Flush being the highest paying one. To get a better grasp of the game, please watch the video tutorial below:

Video poker may be a game of luck, just like slots, but it gives the player the advantage to use strategy. As long as you know the basic poker rules and what the winning hands consist of, you can play strategically and make the most convenient moves. To increase your chances of winning, please keep reading this guide, and consult the sections that we have listed below. Alternatively, you can play the free video poker game we have provided at the top of the page.

Basic Video Poker Rules

As we have already mentioned, in its core, video poker is not much different from real poker. Therefore, if you have ever played a real money or free video poker game, you will certainly be familiar with the main rules of this casino favorite. To sum it up, there are a few things you need to be aware of:

1. Most video poker games are played with a standard 52-card deck. However, in certain versions of Joker Poker, the deck might include one or more Jokers.
2. After you make a bet and press the “Deal” button, the game will randomly give you five cards from the game. However, in certain versions of video poker online, the cards might be less.
3. You can choose which cards to hold and which to discard. Keep only the cards that could help you get a winning hand.
4. Each card you throw away will be replaced with another randomly chosen card from the deck.
5. If you win, you will be paid according to the value of the winning hand as listed on the paytable.

Video Poker Terminology

Video poker could sometimes appear to be more complicated, than it actually is, especially if you are not familiar with its terminology. Even though the game itself is easy to play, you might occasionally encounter some poker terms and slang that might be unknown to you. To avoid such situations, please consult our glossary of terms:

How the Game Looks and How to Play It

Video poker looks almost the same whether it is played online or offline. The game has simple rules and is extremely easy to play. It is important, however, to know the meaning of each element and feature. To help you get a better grasp of the game, we have prepared an example of a typical user interface and the elements that it features.

Please keep in mind that the user interface may look different and feature different options in every variation of video poker. To make sure that you fully understand the game interface and all available features, please practice playing the demo version of your chosen game, if such is available.Then you can play real money video poker

Rule Variations in Video Poker

As we have already established, there are many video poker game variants. Thus, it comes as no surprise that most of them have different rules, including some major variations. In order to increase your chances to win, we recommend you to read each game’s corresponding rules. Meanwhile, to help you understand them better, we have selected some of the most common rule variations that you may encounter:

Bear in mind that we have only listed the rule variations that you will most likely have to deal with. It is important to clarify, however, that as there are many different versions of online poker, some may include unique rules. If you have any doubts regarding your game of choice, please consult its help section, where you will find answers to most of your questions.

Video Poker Hand Ranking

It is essential for each player to learn what are the possible winning hands that could be made and what rewards they could possibly bring. To begin with, video poker is based on the standard poker hand ranking. However, it is important to note, that each game may offer different hand rankings. Please also bear in mind that the probabilities also change with the rules. For example, a royal flush, which is the rarest combination, has different probabilities of being dealt and of being drawn. For further information about the possible hand rankings, please consult the table below. Keep in mind, however, that our table is based on Jacks or Better and may not be valid for different video poker online variations.

Jacks or Better Card Combinations and Hand Ranking:

Paytable and Payouts

In order to manage better your finances, you should always check each video poker’s paytable in advance, especially when you are playing for real money. Generally speaking, if the payouts are full pay, with the right strategy, you could run a significant profit. In the images below, you could find the paytable of two of the most popular versions of video poker online. Nevertheless, you should always consult each game’s corresponding paytable as there might be significant differences.

Jacks or Better Payouts

The payout you will receive in Jacks or Better depends on the bet you have placed and on the type of winning hand you have collected. The lowest paying combination is Jacks or Better, while the one that pays out most is the same as it is in all poker games..

Joker Poker Payouts

Joker Poker offers a total of 11 winning combinations, the highest paying one of which is the standard top poker hand, while the one that pays out least is Kings or Better. The amount of your reward, once again, will depend on the bet you have placed and on the type of winning hand you have drawn.

Where to Play Video Poker With Highest Payouts:

House Edge and RTP – or Why You Should Play Video Poker

There are many reasons why you should play video poker. Apart from being entertaining and simple to understand, the game has a significantly high payout rate and, in most cases, a low house edge. Before we move on, however, we must clarify that all games are calculated in a way that the casino always has small advantages. In other words, the player cannot always win regardless of how high the RTP could be. Still, he might have a better chance of making a profit in a game with a low house edge and high payouts. Wondering how the house edge is calculated? To put it simply, it is the difference between the probability and the payouts. The lower the house edge is, the lower the casino advantage is. To visualize why players should opt out for video poker, we have compared the game with other popular casino games:

Comparison Between Video Poker and Other Casino Games’ RTP:

As you might have noticed, the payout and house edge for each version of video poker vary depending on the rules. Generally speaking, Loose Deuces has the highest RTP, while Deuces Wild has the lowest one. The extra cards or bonuses inevitably affect the players’ odds of winning, which is why you should always familiarize yourself with the game you attempt to play prior to putting your real money on stake.

Rules That Affect Video Poker House Edge:

Statistical Probabilities: Variance and Standard Deviation

Apart from a house edge and an RTP, each video poker game comes with mathematically calculated statistic probabilities of winning. Variance, also referred to as volatility and standard deviation determines how often you could have big wins or losses. Generally speaking, the bigger your possibility of winning generous rewards, the higher the volatility will be. However, even though high volatility means that you could earn significantly big amounts of cash, it should also be seen as a warning sign that they could be followed by major losses. Due to its unpredictability, many people prefer a game with a low variance, which offers smaller yet, more constant rewards. Therefore, if you are on a budget, you may wish to avoid jackpot video poker games as they have higher variance.

Wondering how do video poker machines deal cards? All modern machines deal the cards automatically by using modern software. In general, machines randomly choose five cards, which are dealt to the player and then continue to electronically shuffle the deck and replacing the cards you have decided to discard. All licensed video poker machines, whether they are online or land-based are being constantly checked for fairness by the corresponding authorities.