Casino Games > Video Poker
Online Video Poker
Video poker can be played either online, or in a land based casino on a machine. Similar to a slot game, the idea is that after the player bets, they given a five card hand, and must select the cards they wish to discard that could possibly make the best poker hand before drawing extra cards. Playing video poker online gives quick and easy strategy games for the experienced player to play either single, five or ten-hand games that can improve the playing before moving onto fast paced multi-player poker sessions. Because this is for single players, it becomes easier to watch how the game is played, although the cards are more random, and the house odds can be higher.
Obtaining the winning combinations of cards for video poker are the same as in regular poker. A Full House, where a pair and three of a kind are in your hand, or a Royal (consecutive cards from Ace to 10 in the same suit) or Straight (Ace to 10 in any suit) are the best possible hands that offer maximum payouts.
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Other hands when playing online video poker that offer smaller payouts, but are still winning hands are three of a kind or two pairs, a Flush (where the cards are all one suit), or a Straight (consecutive cards of any suit).
There are many variants of the standard video poker games that can be played online. The most common game is the Jacks or Better, where payout is made after a hand contains, as the name suggest, a pair of cards that are jacks or higher. Introducing a Joker into the pack gives the player a wild card to play with, and because the odds are increased, the chances of winning improve. However, because of this, many casinos state that playing with the Joker stops payout unless a pair of Kings or Aces are drawn in your hand.
The program used to run online video poker has a set probability ratio, as it has already calculated the combinations of cards that can be produced. Defining the winning combinations of cards can offer a variety of bonuses that differ depending on the online video poker website that uses the program, and thus changes the prizes to be fairer to the player. Playing with more hands also increases the payouts. Although it is more difficult to watch the hands you have, it becomes easier to win the best hand, and thus the winning combinations are increased. Different video poker sites online offer up to fifty hands that can be played, and while these are mostly free, it is important to look around at the house odds and payment options before signing up for some of these.
Finally, when playing video poker, patience is the key to a winning hand. While using higher paying machines can increase the payouts, in the long run it is much wiser to continue playing until the jackpot (usually a Royal Flush) is reached.
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