Hit a Full House Playing Video Poker

Understanding Video Poker

Many online casinos provide players with an excellent choice of Video Poker games. There are numerous standard variants, and the good news is that nearly all of them follow the same basic rules. The major differences tend to be in the way in which the games pay out. This means that before you choose a game, you first need to ensure that you understand the underlying principles.

Video Poker Basics

Nearly all versions of Video Poker are based upon five-card draw. The aim of the game is simple, to build the best five-card poker hand possible. After placing your bet, you are dealt five cards, you then choose which you wish to hold. The remaining cards are discarded and replaced and you are paid out based upon the strength of your hand.

Many games will allow you to play multiple hands simultaneously and in nearly all games, you can choose to bet between 1 and 5 coins per hand. In regards to the payouts, the minimum qualifying hand will vary depending on the game as will the size of the payouts for the respective hands. However, all of the games make use of the standard poker hands, which from weakest to strongest are as follows:

• Two/Three/Four of a Kind – A hand that contains either two, three or four matching cards.
• Two Pair – A hand containing two pairs, and an unrelated card.
• Full House – A hand containing a pair and a three of a kind.
• Flush – A hand of five cards from the same suit.
• Straight – A hand of five sequential cards.
• Straight Flush – A hand that combines a straight with a flush, i.e. five sequential cards from the same suit.
• Royal Flush – A hand consisting of a straight flush composed of the highest cards, i.e. 10 through to A. 

Video Poker Variants

There are many different Video Poker variants and the difference nearly always lies in the payouts on offer for the different types of cards. Here are the most common variants:

• Jacks or Better – In this game, you must have at least a pair of Jacks in order to win a payout
• Deuces Wild – In this game, the 2s act as wild cards. As a result, the minimum hand to receive a payout is Three of a Kind.
• Joker Poker – In this game, a Joker is kept in the pack and it acts as a wild card. Normally at least a pair of Kings is needed to win a payout.
• Tens or Better – In this game, you must have at least a pair of 10s to win a payout.
• Aces and Faces – This game offers a larger payout for Four of a Kind hands containing Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks. It pays out for a pair of Jacks or better.
• Bonus Poker – This is a version of Jacks or Better that offers boosted payouts for Four of a Kind hands.
• Double Bonus Poker – This is a version of Jacks or Better that has a bonus payout for four Aces. Furthermore, some versions of this game have an RTP of 100.2%, making it very attractive to players.
• Double Double Bonus Poker – This version of Jacks or Better offers boosted payouts for Four of a Kind hands with specific kickers (a kicker is the fifth card in the hand).

Video Poker Tips and Tricks

The most important trick when playing Video Poker is to always bet the maximum number of coins per hand, even if this means that you have to bet using a smaller coin size. This is because nearly every version of the game will offer a boosted payout for a Royal Flush when playing with five coins per hand. Therefore, to be in with a chance of the biggest possible payout, you need to bet the maximum number of coins.

Furthermore, each version of Video Poker has a strategy that gives you the chance to reduce the house edge. You can look up these strategies easily and they are very straightforward. The strategies give you a list of hands from best to worst and starting at the top, you work your way through the list looking for the first one that is applicable to your hand. You then hold the cards it tells you to, discard the rest, and see what it results in. The strategies can take a little while to learn, but it is worth the effort, as it will help you improve your winnings.