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A combination of poker hands with the immediacy of instant random games, video poker is a welcome challenge to gamblers who want an individual and automatic alternative to poker. There are many variations of it, including in terms of odds and payments, and you should learn how to play it and make the best out of your chances!
Table of Contents
Video poker is a fast way to play poker hands with the same degree of skill and decision as a blackjack game. Although you have some degree of control, it is luck that determines how well your round may go, and unlike poker, there is no bluff or folding.
Before learning how to play video poker, let’s get more familiarized with it with a quick comparison using regular poker games like Texas Hold’em:
| Poker | Video Poker |
|---|---|
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Without a doubt, the most remarkable difference between video poker and traditional poker games is the fact that video poker is a game of chance. In fact, it is one of the most popular types of gambling for players who like instant games because of the high RTP (Return to Player).
Once you understand the basic rules of video poker, you can replicate this step-by-step in all variations. They can differ in the acceptable hands and payments, but the overall structure works the same:
Depending on where you decide to play, you may find a few to several different types of online video poker games. They are played the same way, with no variations to your video poker strategy, but the total payout and lower combinations are the characteristics that usually change.
Before specifying the most important features of the most popular online video poker games, let’s check the ones with the best RTP and where to play them!
The values shown under “Paytable Rates” represent each one a different hand and are in the order given by the game.
| Video Poker | Paytable Rates | Average RTP | Best Provider | Best Casino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aces and Faces | 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-50-80-800 | 99.25% | Platipus | |
| Aces and Eights | 5-7-25-50-80-50-250 | 98.63% | RealTime Gaming | Play at Red Dog Casino |
| Jacks or Better | 3-4-5-8-25-50-250 | 99.54% | RealTime Gaming | Play at Slots Empire |
| Joker Poker | 1-1-2-3-5-8-15-50-100-200-300 | 97.95% | Espresso Games | Play at 22Bet |
| Loose Deuces | 1-2-2-3-4-5-15-25-500-300 | 99.07% | RealTime Gaming | Play at El Royale Casino |
| Deuces & Jokers | 1-2-3-3-3-6-9-12-25-800-2.000 | 99.07% | RedRake Gaming | Play at 1xBet |
| Deuces Wild | 1-2-3-4-4-9-15-25-200-250 | 98.91% | BetSoft Gaming | Play at 20Bet |
| Bonus Poker | 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-75-50-250 | 98.49% | RealTime Gaming | Play at Red Dog Casino |
| Double Bonus Poker | 1-1-3-5-710-50-50-75-150-200 | 98.56% | WorldMatch | Play at 22Bet |
| Double Double Bonus Poker | 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-320-50-250 | 98.98% | RealTime Gaming | Play at Slots Empire |
| Tens or Better | 1-2-3-4-5-6-25-50-250 | 99.14% | Rival Gaming | Play at 22Bet |
With an outstanding RTP of 99.25%, Aces and Faces by Platipus Gaming offers a maximum payment of 800 times the player’s stake through a royal flush hand. That is quite a challenging poker hand, but payments start with a pair of Jacks (J) or any better card, like Q, K, and Aces. Its layout is quite comfy, and there is relaxing background music that matches a lounge vibe.
Credit: 1xBet
Jacks or Better by RealTime Gaming has one of the best video poker RTPs found on the web: 99.54%. That must have something to do with how often a good hand comes up in this game, as it has the same payable hands as Aces and Faces and pays much less for a royal flush: “only” 250 times your stake!
As with most of the Realtime Gaming video poker games, this Jacks or Better is much simpler in graphics and can be played on Slots Empire!
Credit: Slots Empire
BetSoft’s Deuces Wild has almost 99% of RTP and can be found on great online casinos. With five different bet levels, together with the total prize that reaches a maximum of 250x with a natural royal flush, raising the bet level means staking more at a round.
Another interesting characteristic of that game is that the two next best-paying hands are Four Deuces and Deuces Royal Flush. “Deuces” is basically how “2” is called in this video poker game. And do not forget that the fifth bet level raises the natural royal flush payment to 800x!
Credit: 20Bet
Despite the 97.95% RTP being below other video poker online games, Joker Poker by Espresso Games is a simple but entertaining game with a starting hand of Kings or better – that means a Pair of Kings or better than that. With the best possible hand, a natural royal flush, you may get up to 300 times your stake.
Quite intuitive, it even suggests the cards you could hold. Start playing it for free on 22Bet!
Credit: 22Bet
Tens or Better is another great option among video poker online casino games with an RTP above 99%. As the name itself reveals, you can start winning with a Pair of Tens (10). However, the best characteristic found playing this online video poker game is the fact that a royal flush can grow from 250 times your stake to 800 times at the highest betting level!
We just saw that the RTP of video poker games online goes from close to 98% to about 99.50% in most cases. That is great and close to games like blackjack and online roulette. In fact, it could be said that video poker games have more similarities with blackjack than playing poker online in terms of how it is played.
Given that the RTP is only one of the many metrics of games that we play for real money, considering the odds of specific hands can help us decide if and which variation is worth it.
If you are not familiar with the terms used in poker, check out our complete guide on the basic poker rules.
| Winning Hand | Odds of Happening |
|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush – dealt in the first round | 1 in 650,000 |
| Royal Flush | 1 in 40,000 |
| Four Aces With a K | 1 in 16,236 |
| Straight Flush | 1 in 9,150 |
| Deuces to Fours With a K | 1 in 6,984 |
| Four Aces | 1 in 5,761 |
| Four Deuces | 1 in 4,909 |
| Deuces to 4s | 1 in 2,601 |
| Four of a Kind | 1 in 423 |
| Full House | 1 in 90 |
| Flush | 1 in 85 |
| Straight | 1 in 80 |
| Two-Pair | 1 in 8 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 in 5 |
Also, given that, in video poker, you are not limited by your first hand, and there are no opponents to beat your Pairs, it is interesting to learn the odds for turning hands into better ones:
| Action | Odds |
|---|---|
| Turning a Pair into Two Pairs | 1 in 6 |
| Turning a Pair into a Three-of-a-Kind | 1 in 9 |
| Turning Two-Pair into a Full House | 1 in 12 |
| Turning a Pair into a Four-of-a-Kind | 1 in 360 |
| Turning Three-of-a-Kind into a Full House | 1 in 16 |
| Turning Three-of-a-Kind into a Four-of-a-Kind | 1 in 24 |
| Drawing one extra card into a Straight | 1 in 6 |
| Drawing two extra cards into a Straight | 1 in 23 |
| Drawing one extra card to make an inside Straight | 1 in 12 |
| Drawing one extra card into a Straight Flush | 1 in 24 |
| Drawing one extra card into a Royal Flush | 1 in 47 |
The odds of getting a winning hand in video poker are better than the lottery odds for the smallest prizes. That explains why the RTP is so high!
Most online video poker games are not that well designed, which could make it an annoyance to go through their in-game guide. Since that would be the only way to understand what a “Royal Flush” or a “Straight” means, we summarized the possible hands’ meaning so you know exactly what you are after:
| Video Poker Hand | Achieved Through | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Royal Flush – dealt in the first round. | Royal Flush obtained from the first five dealt cards. | 10?, J?, Q?, K?, A? |
| Royal Flush | The highest five cards with the same suit – accepts exchanged cards. | 10?, J?, Q?, K?, A? |
| Four Aces With a Kicker | Four-of-a-Kind with A and a bonus card considered to be a Kicker. | A? A? A?, A?, K? |
| Straight Flush | Five cards of the same suit. | 3?, 4?, 5?, 6?, 7? |
| Deuces to Fours With a Kicker | Four-of-a-Kind with 2, 3, or 4 with a bonus card considered to be a Kicker. | 2? 2? 2?, 2?, A? |
| Four Aces | Four cards of A. | A? A? A?, A?, 5? |
| Four Deuces | Four cards of “2”. | 2? 2? 2?, 2?, 5? |
| Deuces to 4s | Four cards of the same value, specifically 2, 3, or 4. | 2? 2? 2?, 2?, 5? |
| Four of a Kind | Four cards of the same value. | 2? 2? 2?, 2?, 5? |
| Full House | Three-of-a-Kind + Pair | 2? 2? 2?, 5?, 5? |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit, regardless of order. | 2? 5? 8?, 9?, Q? |
| Straight | A sequence of numbers/letters as per the correct deck order. | 2? 3? 4?, 5?, 6? |
| Three-of-a-Kind | Three cards of the same value. | 2? 2? 2?, 5?, 6? |
| Two-Pair | Any two pairs, regardless of their suit. | 10? 10? 4?, 4?, 7? |
| Jacks or Better | A pair of J or any better card (Q, K, or A) | J? J? 4?, 5?, 7? |
| Tens or Better | A pair of 10 or any better card (J, Q, K, or A) | 10? 10? 4?, 5?, 7? |
Now that you are more than familiar with this genre, it is time to learn how to play video poker beyond basic rules. For starters, let’s take a look at a quick chart that can assist you in the most difficult moments with the smartest action before listing the best pro-playing tips!
Our video poker strategy chart is simple to understand and can help you memorize what is necessary for a good hand to become a better one. If you do not find yourself in one of these promising scenarios, use your knowledge to try and make a better hand – even changing all the cards if necessary!
| Hand | Example | What to Do? |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Card Royal Flush | 10?, J?, Q?, K?, 3? | Change the card that does not belong to the Royal Flush (3?) and hope for the remaining winning card (J?). |
| 3-Card Royal Flush | 10?, 4?, Q?, K?, 3? | Change the two cards that do not belong to the Royal Flush (3?, 4?) and hope for the remaining winning cards (J?, A?). |
| 2-Card Royal Flush | 10?, 4?, Q?, A?, 3? | Change the three cards that do not belong to the Royal Flush and hope the remaining cards appear in the second draw. |
| 4-Card Flush | 2?, 4?, 6?, 9?, 3? | Draw one card changing the only one that does not belong to a Flush. |
| 1 High Card | K?, 4?, 3?, 6?, 8? | Change the four other cards and keep the high card. |
| 2 High Cards | K?, A?, 3?, 6?, 8? | Change the three other cards and keep the high cards. |
| 3 High Cards | K?, A?, Q?, 6?, 8? | Change the two other cards and keep the high cards. |
| Three-of-a-Kind | K?, K?, K?, 6?, 8? | Change the two different cards, hoping for a Four-of-a-Kind at least. |
| 4-Card Straight Flush | 7?, 8?, 9?, 10?, Q? | Draw the card with a different suit again. |
| 3-Card Straight Flush | 7?, 8?, 9?, A?, Q? | Hold the three cards in a sequential suited order and change the other two. |
| 4-Card Straight | 5?, 6?, 7?, 8?, A? | Change the only card that is not part of the sequence. |
| Two-Pair | 5?, 5?, 7?, 7?, A? | Change the remaining card hoping for a Three-of-a-Kind, and consequently, a Full House hand. |
| Any Pair | 5?, 5?, 7?, 8?, A? | Change the other three cards, hoping for a better paying hand. |
| No Card of Value | 3?, 5?, 7?, 9?, 6? | Change all your five cards hoping for a better hand instead of sticking to a random one hoping for a Pair or better. |
If you have a hand that is prone to becoming a Three-of-a-Kind by changing about three cards, it is better to choose that path rather than seeking a hand like a Royal Flush. The best hands in terms of payout are difficult, and you should rather try to get them when your hand is almost completing it.
In the case of having no clear perspective of a great hand with one or two cards, prefer to aim at a lower rank and hope for better dealt cards next round.
If your hand is not good enough, but you have a high card like K or Q, change all the others but keep it. The chance of creating a good hand from a high card is higher than trying to draw all five cards again!
Without any perspective of hitting a good hand with your cards, do not hold a random one hoping a Pair comes up. If it is a Tens or Better or Jacks or Better video poker game, it does make sense to keep that card because it is a high card. Still, definitely do not plan your move trying to predict a single Pair.
The payment for a Flush hand is higher than the one for a Straight. If you are between trying to change the cards into one of these two, always aim at a Flush. Being uncertain about what to do is normal at the beginning, so feel free to use our tables and charts to help you clarify the best decision.
Given the very decent RTP of most video poker games – some variations have calculations of up to 101% – it is not that hard to recover losses. While gambling responsibly means being aware of your limits, establish a safe way of playing with your budget. Prefer to use a reasonable bet level, which has better chances of a big prize, instead of playing with the minimum bet.
Some video poker online games have what is called a “Full Pay” variation. You play with a few hands at once instead of just one or simply raise the bet level, and that alone can make the best prize become much higher. For example, a Royal Flush with 250x your stake could pay 800x because you are playing in the “Full Pay” mode.
Video poker games are fun to play even when there is no real money involved. Still, playing them for free means there is no chance of collecting real money. The best scenario is to start trying the demo version to get familiarized with its dynamics and, as soon as possible, change into the real money mode.
You are not more than ready to have fun with the many variations of it, and all of the online casinos recommended here have great alternatives!
In video poker, you have an automatic win whenever you manage to complete one of the hands included in the paytable.
You need at least a Pair of Jacks (J) or a better hand to win in a Jacks or Better video poker game.
It could be said that the best video poker game is the one with the highest payout, but the best hand is always difficult to achieve. Instead, seek variations with as many winning hands as possible.
The odds of achieving a winning hand are the same regardless of the video poker variation you choose because it is the same 52-cards deck.
Low-Pay video poker games never change the paytable, and you maintain the same bet level. In Full Pay video poker games, you increase the payout by playing at the maximum bet level.
You can play video poker online games for free on any of the online casinos that we have tested and listed on this page.
Yes, it is one of the best chance games to play in terms of Return to Player (RTP).
Most of the possible poker hands are used in video poker games. High Cards and Low Pairs are ignored in terms of winnings, though.
No, it can be played on your browser on any device without any form of download.
Yes, all of the video poker games are completely responsive and compatible with mobile devices.
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