Playing Video Poker
Despite many online and mobile casino games having been developed in recent years, video poker is something of the old man of electronic gaming having been developed in the 1970s. The earliest models would appear wholly dated to the discerning modern players, but when they were first installed in bricks and mortar casinos in the late 1970s and early 80s they became increasingly popular as people who played them felt more comfortable than on real tables.
Based on the five-card draw variety of poker, the basic structure of video poker has changed little over the decades – but of course the graphics and gameplay have come on in leaps and bounds. The main difference between video poker and playing against real players is that winning at the former is based on a defined pay structure rather than beating specific opponents.
As such, with video poker you are simply aiming to achieve a winning hand, with the lowest hand that pays out usually being a pair of jacks which usually pays out at even money. The amount you win increases incrementally based on the traditional poker hands, from the aforementioned pair of jacks all the way to the best hand, the Royal Flush, for which you would receive a massive pay out, usually 800 times your stake.
Video poker is a fun, low-pressure introduction to playing poker with the benefits that you can never be bluffed or bullied by opponents into making mistakes. The only decision you have to make is how many cards to change after your initial five have been dealt. Sometimes you don’t even have to make that decision as many games will either automatically hold or prompt you to hold the best cards in your hand.
When you hit a winning hand many games will also give you option of either collecting the winnings (at the rate corresponding to your particular hand) or taking a chance to double up by playing a game of Hi-Lo. If you strike it lucky at this point you can give your bankroll a major boost.
The best thing about video poker is that – if you make wise calls and ensure you take advantage of the many loyalty schemes and bonuses available – you can actually stack the odds marginally in your favour, which is almost unheard of with online gaming! Given that there are many variants of video poker with slightly different rules and payouts, it makes sense to do a bit of research and play the tables with the best payouts, hence maximising your chance of turning a profit. But in general the house edge in video poker is a lot smaller than that of many other games, often less than 0.5%.
Also, playing the maximum number of coins – even at low stakes – often gives you a bonus that further reduces the house edge, again giving your chances of success a significant boost. The key strategy when you have nothing on is to keep the high cards in the hope of hitting a winning hand, and also having a chance of those with the monster payouts. Find a great listing of online video poker casinos and – Good luck!
