Best Video Poker Online for Real Money 2023

Video poker is a popular casino game that’s enjoyed by all kinds of different gamers. Thanks to its similarities with both slot games and poker, it attracts players from both crowds. The ability to use strategy in a simpler format than poker can make it appealing to new poker players.

This guide should make the jump into the game really straightforward. We’ll cover exactly what video poker is and its history, as well as looking at the different variants that are available and what their advantages and disadvantages are.

Finally, we’ll talk about playing for free or for real money and discuss some of the most common questions that people have about the game.

What is Video Poker?

It is a game of its own; a hybrid between a slot machine and an actual game of poker. There is more strategy involved than with a standard slot machine. For example, you’ll need to know your hand rankings in order to decide which cards to hold onto. However, the strategy is less intense than in poker and you won’t have to watch out for people bluffing.

It’s possible to play both online and on one of the dedicated gaming terminals at a casino. The payouts can vary quite a lot from standard poker, as does the betting strategy, but before we get onto that, let’s take a look at the history:

How Video Poker Games Work

Video poker games ask you to first place a bet, usually 1-5 coins. Next you’ll hold onto the cards that you want to keep in your hand, whilst discarding those you want to be dealt again. Once the two dealing rounds are over, the cards in your hand will be paid out, if they’re a winning combination.

The different variants of video poker all have different hands that they pay for and different payouts depending on your initial bet. In brief though, the combination table below tells you the hands that usually pay out and how to make them.

What Are Hand Rankings?

The History of Video Poker

It’s time to learn how it came about. Thanks to its recent boom in popularity, many people assume that video poker is a recent invention, but it has actually been around since the 1970s. It was during this time that the technology became available to allow us to interact with a television screen using buttons on a controller.

This will sound like a familiar setup to gamers nowadays, who might have a dedicated flat screen for their games console, but in the 1970s it looked quite different. The television would have been a large box, whilst the controller would be a line of buttons underneath the monitor. In order to hold a card in your hand, you’d press and hold the button directly underneath it.

IGT’s Video Poker Hits Vegas

Simple as this technology sounds, it quickly took off. By the very early 1980s it was seen as the latest thing and had made a name for itself in America’s gaming capitals, Las Vegas and Atlantic City. IGT was the brand behind the vast majority of video poker games and they continued to innovate throughout the 1980s.

Introducing New Variants

They introduced Draw Poker and Jacks or Better, two varieties that are still popular to this day. The popularity of these games enabled them to invest in touch screen technology, removing the need for physical buttons and bringing their games to the cutting edge of technology.

Invention of Game King

Following the introduction of the touch screen machines, IGT worked to include all of the different variants on one machine. This was called Game King. It remains one of the most popular video poker consoles to this day and includes pretty much all the variants in existence, all on one terminal.

How Is Video Poker Different From Online Poker

• Video poker is closer to a slot machine game than actual poker. The strategy is more surface level, requiring players only to understand hand rankings and betting strategy.
• There is only one betting round in video poker, right at the beginning, unlike in online poker where there are four (if a game is played all the way until its conclusion). This is because, unlike online poker, you’re playing by yourself rather than against other players.
• The variations of video poker and online poker are different. Video poker players can enjoy variants like Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, and Joker Poker. Online poker players can enjoy variants like Texas Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, and Omaha Poker.

Advantages of Video Poker Games

High Payout Rates

The biggest advantage is that it has the highest payout rate of any casino game. This doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to win, but it does mean that your bet is more likely to be paid out than in a game of roulette, slots, or blackjack.

Quick to Learn and Play

It is almost as quick to play as a slot game, but gives players more control. They can influence the outcome of the game by holding cards that they think will rank well and discarding cards that they think will rank poorly. Some people also find it easier to control their bankroll, as the betting tends to be more systematic than in traditional poker.

Simpler Strategy Than Poker

It can also be a good place to start if you’ve not played poker before. It requires less knowledge of the game, only for you to understand hand rankings and payouts. How bets are paid out differs between variants, so looking at pay tables before you play is always recommended.

No Other Players

Finally, video poker removes the complication of other players. In a game of poker, your concentration, or even win, could be thrown by a player who is good at bluffing, or who has a superior hand to you. It’s you against the dealer, so you remove plenty of the variables, keeping things simple.

How to Play Video Poker Online

Whether you’ve never played online video poker before, or you just need a refresher before starting up again, these tips will help you to get the most out of your gaming experience. We’ll cover how to make sure that you choose the right place to play. How to find the right variant for you, and most importantly, how the order of play works.

Finding The Right Site

Choosing the right place to play is important. Browsing through the variants of video poker available can help you to decide where you’d like to play. Sites with three variants or more can provide more variety to your gaming.

Always Look Out For Bonuses

Looking out for bonuses should also be a consideration, particularly those aimed towards video poker specifically. A good bonus can buy you more playing time for your money. If a casino runs a VIP rewards scheme then this can be beneficial for frequent players too.

How to Sign Up to an Online Casino

Once you’ve decided on your site, you need to sign up. Casino sites will always require basic information such as your name, email address and password. Importantly, you’ll also need to identify yourself formally, usually with your social security number.

Choosing the Right Variant

There are a lot of different variants of video poker that you can choose from and this variety is part of what makes it such a popular game. Whilst the saying goes that variety is the spice of life, sometimes it can be a good idea to choose one variant initially and master that before moving on to the next challenge. This is a particularly good idea for beginners as you can really concentrate on your strategy and find out what works for you.

Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better is the first variant that we’re going to look at, as it tends to be the most popular among gamers. One of the reasons for this is that Jacks or Better deals from a deck of 52 cards, meaning there are no jokers. Most other variants include jokers in the deck, which lowers your odds of winning.

The other difference in Jacks or Better is that, as the name suggests, Jacks or Better is the only way that you can win with a pair. A pair of nines won’t be sufficient to win in this game, but generally that wouldn’t be accepted in any other poker variant either.

Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild is another very popular variety of video poker, because, like Jacks or Better, you play with a 52 card deck, keeping the house edge low. There are two ways this variant differs from Jacks or Better. The first is that Jacks or better aren’t paid out, you can’t have it all!

How Deuces Work in Deuces Wild

The second difference is that deuces (twos) can be used as a wild card. This means that if you are one card short of a royal flush, but you do have a two, then you can still complete the hand. Better still, if you have four deuces then you’ll be rewarded with a special payout.

Joker Poker

Joker Poker is the variant that is less commonly played than Jacks or Better, or Deuces Wild. The main reason for this is that the rules can be a little more complex to understand.

The Difference Between Joker Poker and The Rest

The first difference is that instead of playing with 52 cards, Joker Poker is played with 53, there is one additional joker. The joker is a wild card that works just like twos do in Deuces Wild, so you can use it to complete a hand that requires it.

As well as wild jokers this game has a twist that makes it more difficult. In order to win you’ll need at least a pair of kings in your hand (though one of these could be a joker), which means that Queens and Jacks that could win in a game of Jacks or Better won’t suffice in this variant.

The Order of Play in Video Poker

Now that you know about finding the right site for you and some of the common variants that there are to choose from, it’s time to get into how the game actually works. Here you’ll learn the order that things run in and which buttons to press when.

Select Your Variant and Place Your Bet

You’ll start by selecting the game that you’d like to play and waiting for it to load up. Next you need to look at your cards and place your initial bet. There are a lot of different betting strategies for video poker, but in the interests of keeping it simple: higher bets will win higher payouts, but will cost you more to wager. Sometimes starting small can be beneficial if you want to play for longer. The choice is yours.

The Dealing Rounds

The First Deal

Once you’ve placed your bet, click deal. You’ll be dealt five cards. Take a look at the cards in your hand and compare them to the pay table of hand rankings. Decide which of them you’d like to hold and which you’d like to be re-dealt.

The Second Deal

With hold selected on all of the relevant cards, you can click the deal button again. Some video poker sites have an auto-hold function that holds a winning hand for you, but check before you press deal as not all do!

The cards that you didn’t hold will be dealt again and these are your final five cards. With these cards you’ll be able to collect your winnings – if you have any.

Video Poker Payouts

The next thing you’ll want to consider is what the payouts are for the different variants. These tables will help you to understand which combinations pay out and how the payout varies depending on the amount that you bet.

Jacks or Better Payout Table

Deuces Wild Payout Table

Joker Poker Payout Table

Free or Real Money Video Poker?

With many casino games there’s usually the option to play for free or to wager real money. Both of these methods of playing have their own advantages and disadvantages, so if you’re trying to decide which to go for, these tips should help.

Free

It can be a good choice for those who are starting out. You don’t need to wager any money which means you can play without worry of losing. This makes the game seem more forgiving, enabling you to learn from your mistakes and better your style of play before you wager any real money.

The big downside of free version is that if you don’t wager any real money then you can’t win any. However, if you just want to get used to a new variant, or practice your strategy, it is still a good option.

Real Money

The biggest benefit of playing real money version is that if you play your cards right then you can win. In free poker you might pay less attention to the payout tables, which are an important part of the game. In real money variant you’ll want to pay close attention to the payout tables, adding another element of skill to the game.

If you hone your skills and pay attention to your strategy then it is possible to make a profit playing video poker, some games offer surprisingly large jackpots.

Video Poker Questions and Answers