Most Popular Poker Game Online
Online poker is a game that requires the participation of other players, which means you cannot play it alone. Regardless of which variant you play, the objective of the game remains much the same. Indeed, it consists of winning the chips of other players by having the best combination of cards. Some of the most popular online video poker games include Jack or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, and Double Bonus. In any case, you should always check what payout percentage is linked to the paytables and choose the games that offer the highest video poker. Texas holdem (or Texas Hold'em) is the most popular poker game. Exciting, dramatic and with a format that is perfect for TV, it has not only become the format of choice when it is time to shuffle up and deal but it is probably the easiest and quickest game to learn when you are new to poker Find out more about Texas Holdem.
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There are three primary ways to play video poker online, depending primarily on in which state you live, but also based on the type of video poker games you are looking to play.
Whether you are an expert at traditional poker or just interested in learning the game, there are tons of options available online. Free video poker games give you the chance to play the game without depositing a cent, so you can enjoy a fun hobby without worrying about deposits and withdrawals. It also has the advantage of letting you play from home, rather than traveling to a casino that might be miles away from you.
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If you dont happen to live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or West Virginia your best bet is a sweepstakes online casino where you can play online video poker for cash prizes. How Sweepstakes Casinos Work
Online sweepstakes video poker is an alternative for those who arent in areas where real money poker is legal. These sites take old laws about sweepstakes and use them as a way to offer legal options for those who want to play poker recreationally.
Sweepstakes casinos use digital coins instead of real money as currency. Players accumulate digital coins by winning games and can later exchange them for cash prizes. Because sweepstakes casinos are not legally classified as gambling, they are popular among players who live in states that have not yet legalized real money online gambling. The sweepstakes format provides a similar, but legal alternative to the online casino experience.
In order to participate in a sweepstakes casinos games, you must first buy their coins (or whatever they label as their sweepstakes currency). Your purchased coins typically come with a set number of free sweeps coins. You cannot directly deposit money into an account or withdraw money.
Your purchased coins are valid only for recreational gaming at the sweepstakes casino. Your free sweeps coins can be played on sweepstakes games, and your winnings can then be exchanged for real prizes. Chumba Casino
Licensed by Malta Gaming Authority, Chumba Casino is arguably the most popular sweepstakes casino on the market. It has a large selection of slot games, blackjack, roulette, and video poker.
New players can take advantage of their no deposit bonus of 2,000,000 gold coins and two sweep coins . Additionally, the casino offers a first purchase deal of $30 gold coin package for only $10.
Chumba Casino is a great option as it offers both slots and table games. Its variety is what makes it a unique sweepstakes casino. Playing Free Video Poker At Legal Online Casinos
When you want to play video poker for free at a legal online casino, you have a variety of options. There are tons of variations of poker, and you can find almost all of them in an online version so you can play from home. With the advent of free poker games, anyone who is over 21-years-old and in the United States can enjoy a game of poker whenever they feel like it. Do Legal Online Casinos Offer Free Video Poker Games?
As more states legalize online casinos, having access to online video poker is becoming easier than ever. While most of these casinos offer real money games, there are also demo and practice modes where you can play without spending a single dime. Everyone can play free online slots, even those in states where online gambling is not yet legal.
The best option for choosing a reputable site for video poker is by looking at large brands you have heard of in the past. The websites that operate in partnership with physical casinos are an excellent place to start since they need to adhere to specific rules and regulations. Do I Need An Account To Play Free Video Poker Games Online?
It depends on where you want to play. In some cases, you can play by just navigating to the site and clicking on a game. However, there are other instances where you must register to access the catalog of games at a poker site. If you prefer a quick and easy poker game, youll want to look for sites without registration.
Keep in mind that sites with registration may offer perks to those who become members, which can make signing up feel like less effort. When it comes to real money video poker sites, you must sign up to be a member just to play the practice games. If your privacy is important to you, you may have to use other websites for your video poker. Is There Any Way To Win Real Money Playing Free Video Poker?
In most cases, the sites that have free video poker do not offer cash payments. Instead, you will typically be racking up virtual currency that cannot be turned into money. Free games are usually used by players who just want to have a good time or who want to practice outside of paid games to become better at a particular type of poker.
However, there are some exceptions in terms of free sites that offer real money. Most of them are going to be found in sweepstakes video poker sites, which well look at in more depth below. Best Online Video Poker For Real Money
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BetMGM casino is brought to you by the same company that operates MGM casinos across the United States including Las Vegas. BetMGM offers over 100 casino games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and more! All of your Las Vegas favorites are there. Playing Las Vegas-Style Video Poker Online For Free
If youre searching for legal online casinos in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that have Vegas-style video poker, you have plenty of options. Both of the states have a wide variety of casinos that offer video poker and many of the games are based on Vegas poker options. Three of our options for playing video poker online in these states are listed below for your convenience.
BetRivers Casino is partnered with the land-based Rivers Pittsburgh Casino and offers a selection of video poker options. Users can log in to play practice games or deposit money to play for cash if they are located in Pennsylvania. In addition to providing video poker, this casino also has hundreds of slot games, as well as table games like roulette, blackjack, and baccarat.
Hollywood Casino is another online legal casino in Pennsylvania that provides the option to play poker. This was the first online casino to launch in the state and it partnered with IGT to power the gaming options on the website and apps. This casino also offers dozens of slot games, roulette games, blackjack, baccarat, and more.
Those who are looking for New Jersey video poker will find it in various locations, including BetMGM. There are many variations of poker at this provider, including Regal Jacks or Better, Triple Play Draw Multi-Hand Poker, Bonus Poker, Texas Holdem, and more. It also offers a variety of slot games and table games that you can peruse. Playing Video Poker For Real Money Online
For those who want to spend money playing poker, there are several options available. However, this is only the case in states where you can legally gamble online. If you are not in one of those locations, real money gambling on video poker is not allowed. While more states are slowly allowing online real money poker, its a good idea to know what the rules are for your specific location. States With Legal Online Video Poker
Before we delve into other specifics, knowing where online video poker is legal is essential. It might be surprising to learn that some states allow online poker but dont allow online table games and slots, while others go in the opposite direction. Since it can be confusing to determine what states allow legal online video poker, we have provided a list of legal states below:
Delaware
If you dont see your state listed above, playing video poker for real money is not allowed in your state. There are two alternatives available to you if you want to enjoy video poker. The first is to choose a free online site that has poker available and the second is to use a sweepstakes gaming site like Chumba Casino. How Many Different Video Poker Games Are Available?
Counting up all the different video poker games would leave you with a number that might be mind-boggling. Many types of poker have been introduced in an online version that you can play on your own without other players. In fact, if its available in a land-based casino, you can likely find it in a video poker option. All Free Poker Games
However, different websites and apps are going to have different games, so finding one that has your favorite type might take time if its a lesser-known variation. Those who are fans of games like Jacks or Better, on the other hand, will find this kind of poker on nearly any site that includes poker. What Are The Smallest Stakes You Can Play Online?
This is another question that will depend on the provider you use for your video poker. However, what you should know is that video poker typically requires bets that are much smaller than traditional poker in a physical casino. While some of these poker games have high payouts, they dont always require you to empty your wallet to try to win.
Because these games have lower stakes than a typical poker table, they make an excellent option for those who are just learning to play. They also feature the opportunity to get better for those with some level of experience without spending too much. Once someone is happy with the progress that theyve made with video poker, they can try live games or traditional poker with more confidence in their performance. Fundamentals Of Video Poker Strategy
Just like other forms of poker, video poker has many different strategies that players employ to ensure they win more from their hands. Different people enjoy different techniques, so there are many to choose from. Having a basic strategy you can use will help you do better at video poker, whether you are just beginning with the game or have been at it for many years. Video Poker Strategy Basics
While games like slots rely only on luck, poker is a casino staple where the players have a lot of impact on how the game ends. Since you have more choices in terms of what cards you keep, which you discard, and what hand you play at the end, you can learn to play a hand that is the most beneficial and likely to result in a big payoff. However, a lot of players continue to rely only on play streaks or hunches to decide how to play a game.
The strategies that can help you win are based on math, which is excellent for anyone who has excelled at this subject in the past. Some approaches focus on getting royal flushes as often as possible, which is the best hand you can have in most poker games. Others are going to have a focus on winning every hand, even if its by a small amount through a hand that has less optimal cards. Video Poker Strategy Charts
Those who are interested in serious strategy in video poker may choose to use a video poker strategy chart to do so. These charts will show that cards you can have to get the most significant return on the match. Below the best return, it will show the next best and continue in this way until you should discard an entire hand rather than saving any of it.
For example, when playing Jacks or Better, the chart would show a royal flush on top, followed by a straight flush, four cards of a royal flush, a full house, and so on. If youre looking to improve your ability to play poker, taking a look at strategy charts can put you on top of your game. Video Poker: The Five Minute Guide
No matter what kind of poker you like, youll find it in an online video poker version. This kind of poker involves one player against a computer dealer, rather than having several players at a table who are competing against each other. While the most common poker variations are Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild, you can also find a selection of different games to play. Basic Rules Of Video Poker
Since there are dozens of video poker variations, going through the rules of each one would require a long article all of its own. However, since Jacks or Better is one of the most popular options, well use that as an example to explain the rules of video poker.
The basic idea behind this kind of video poker is to acquire a five-card poker hand with a winning combination. The lowest winning combination is a pair of Jacks. Other combinations that can win a hand include the following:
Two Pair Two card pairs that have the same number or symbol
Three of a Kind Three cards with the same symbol or number
Straight Five cards that make up a sequential order of numbers
Flush Five cards that have the same suit
Full House A pair along with a three of a kind
Four of a Kind Four cards with the same symbol or number
Straight Flush Five cards of the same suit that are in sequential order
The Royal Flush is the best hand you can get and consists of cards of the same suit that go from 10 to Ace. The idea behind the game is to get the best hand possible to earn the most points. You are dealt cards and choose which to discard before being dealt more to make up your final hand. Common Video Poker Variations
We already mentioned that Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better are two variations of video poker, but there are dozens of others. Aces and Eights is another version where you get additional coins or money for having Aces or Eights in your hands. Double Bonus is a video poker game where you get massive bonuses for four of a kind hands. Some of the other games you will commonly see include:
Bonus Deuces Wild
Deuces and Joker
Double Double Bonus
Jokers Wild
Tens or Better The House Edge In Video Poker
One of the reasons that so many people enjoy video poker is because the house typically has an exceedingly small edge. While a slot machine might return only 70 to 90 percent of what you spend on it, video poker at an online casino is more likely to offer a return of 95 to 99 percent. This means that playing video poker is going to be better for your wallet than many other online casino games.
However, keep in mind that different casinos have different odds and may have a unique house edge. This is also an excellent reason to choose a reputable site or app that lets you know what youre getting into when you sit down to play a game. Free Video Poker Online Play FAQ Can I play free video poker without creating an account?
Yes. Some websites that offer free video poker will allow you to play without making an account. However, other websites and apps may require you to register before you take part in games. In most cases, if you do register, you will get some kind of reward for doing so. If you prefer to play without registration, make sure thats an option at the site you are visiting first. Can I play video poker online for free but win real money?
Yes. With sweepstakes video poker sites, you can often win real money or other premium prizes even though you are playing for free. At websites like Chumba Casino, you can earn coins that may be turned into real money for playing particular games, taking advantage of promotions, or making deposits to play additional games. Can I learn video poker strategy by playing free games?
Yes. One of the best ways to get better at video poker is by playing free games. You can enjoy learning all the best strategies without worrying that youre going to break the bank. Since these games are often the same as real money poker, you can take the knowledge you gain and use it to win cash once youre happy with how you are playing. Do I need a flash player to play free video poker games?
No. Most of the free video poker games online do not require a flash player, although there are some exceptions. If you arent interested in a flash player, you will have no issues finding games that dont require it. However, having one available may make your options more robust if you want to play a specific game or use a particular website.
Home Online Casinos Casino Articles 10 Best Video Poker Games
If you want to get the best odds in the casino, you really only have 2 choices-blackjack and video poker. When it comes to blackjack, you're basically looking at a single game with a few rules variations. But with video poker, you have multiple games to choose from.
But which of these games offer the player the best odds?
I should start by explaining why video poker games are such a good choice for the casino gambler, especially when compared to their not-so-distant cousins, slot machines. The rest of this introduction explains that, then I'll explain which games you should look for and how you should play them. Transparent Odds versus Opaque Odds
The first thing you should understand about video poker compared to slot machines is transparency. When you play a slot machine, you know how much the payoffs are for the various symbol combinations.
What you don't know are the odds of getting any particular symbol.
This is what makes the math behind a slot machine opaque to anyone except the designers and the casinos.
But a video poker game uses the same probabilities as a 52 card deck of playing cards. Everyone knows the probabilities related to a deck of cards. You have a 1/52 chance of getting any particular card, a 1/13 chance of getting a card of any particular ranking, and a 1/4 chance of getting a card of any particular suit.
Since you also know the payoffs for the various combinations-in video poker games, they're called 'hands'-you can calculate the game's expected return.
That's not as complicated a calculation as you might think, either. You just list all the possible outcomes. Then you multiply the probability of winding up with each of those outcomes with how much it pays off. Add all those numbers up, and you have the overall expected return for the game. This is also sometimes called the game's payback percentage. The House Edge and the Payback Percentage
When you're talking about the math behind a table game in a casino, you usually discuss the game's edge or the 'house edge'. But when we discuss the math behind a gambling machine, we talk about the game's 'payback percentage'. Both numbers are different ways of expressing the same concept.
The house edge is the amount of each bet that a casino expects to win over the long run. It's an average that applies to tens of thousands of bets.
The payback percentage is the amount of each bet that a casino expects to pay back to the player over the long run. It's also an average over tens of thousands of hands.
If you know a game's payback percentage, you can subtract it from 100 to get the house edge.
Here's an example:
When you're playing blackjack, the house edge might be 0.5 That means that over time, the casino has a mathematical expectation that you'll lose 50 cents out of every $100 you bet.
When you're playing Jacks or Better video poker, the payback percentage might be 99.54. That means that over time, the casino has a mathematical expectation that you'll win $99.54 for every $100 you bet.
You could convert that 0.5 into a 99.5 payback percentage. You could also convert that 99.54 into a 0.46 house edge.
Both bets offer similar odds. The main difference is the way in which each game plays out. Decisions Matter
Here's the 2nd thing you need to understand about video poker games:
Your decisions matter.
This is a major difference between video poker games and slot machines. With a slot machine, you just put your money in and pull the lever and hope for the best.
You do the same thing in video poker games, but you have an extra step:
You get to decide which cards to keep and which cards to throw away.
Since there are 32 different ways to play each hand, you have a significant number of choices facing you on every video poker hand. Only one of those choices offers the highest expected return.
Here's an example:
You're dealt a hand that consists of the jack of clubs, the jack of hearts, the queen of hearts, the king of hearts, and the ace of hearts.
So you have a pair of jacks, and you could hold those 2 cards and guarantee yourself an even money (1 for 1) payoff. That's a 100 chance of getting a 1 unit payoff, which is an expected value of 1.
But you also could throw away the jack of clubs and hope to hit a royal flush. The royal flush pays off at 800 to 1. Since the odds of filling your hand are 1 in 47, you're looking at a roughly 2 chance of winning 800 coins. That's an expected value of 16.
16 is clearly better than 1, so that's the correct play in this situation. That's obviously an overly simplified look at this decision, since there are several other potential decisions and outcomes. But those are the 2 most obvious ways to play the hand.
You can find strategy charts for most video poker games online-including on specific pages on this site. These charts are organized as lists of hands. The hands with the best expected return are listed at the top, so you start from the top and work your way down. You keep the first hand that matches what you're holding. Pay Tables
Finally, you want to be familiar with how a pay table for a video poker game works. Even though a game shares a name with another game, the pay table might be different. The differences in the pay tables make a significant difference in the payback percentage.
Here's an example:
A 9/6 Jacks or Better game has a 99.54 payback percentage. The 9/6 in the title of the game refers to the payoff for a full house and a flush. The former pays off at 9 to 1, while the latter pays off at 6 to 1. They don't list this on the title of the game on the machine, by the way. You have to read the pay table.
You can compare that to an 8/5 Jacks or Better game, which has a 97.3 payback percentage. The 1 unit difference in payoffs for those 2 hands has a significant effect on your odds.
How significant?
Think about the average hourly loss on a gambling machine. You calculate this number by multiplying the number of hands per hour you're playing by the average you're betting per hand. That's the total amount of action you're getting in per hour.
Multiply the total hourly action by the house edge, and you get your average expected hourly loss.
On a full pay (or 9/6) Jacks or Better game, the house edge is 100 - 99.54, or 0.46.
On the 8/5 Jacks or Better game, the house edge is 100 - 97.3, or 2.7.
If you're playing for $5 per hand, and you're playing 600 hands per hour, you're putting $3000 into action each hour.
0.54 of $3000 is $16.20 per hour in expected losses. Keep in mind that this is over the course of tens of thousands of hands. In any single hour, you might be doing much better or much worse than this. But if you play long enough, your results should come pretty close to resembling this number.
2.7 of $3000 is $81 per hour in expected losses. That's 5 times as much money in the casino's pocket and out of yours.
So it's easy to see why you should educate yourself about the various pay tables and their payback percentages.
Luckily, you don't have to work out the calculations with a pencil and paper every time you play. You can look these numbers up online. In fact, I can give you the 10 best games to look for-which is what the rest of this post is all about. Jacks or Better
I have multiple reasons for listing Jacks or Better as the 1 video poker game you should play. It's not because this is the game with the best odds, although if you can find a game with a 9/6 pay table, you are looking at one of the best games in the house. Mostly it's because Jacks or Better is the foundation upon which knowledge of all other video poker games rests.
Jacks or Better is pretty straightforward. It's based on 5 card draw. You're dealt 5 cards, you get to choose which ones to keep and which ones to throw away, and then you get paid off based on the poker hand ranking of your end result. The lowest-paying hand is a pair of jacks or higher. A pair of tens or less doesn't pay out anything. The highest-paying hand is a royal flush, which pays off at 800 to 1 if you bet 5 coins per hand. (If you bet 4 coins or fewer, it only pays out 250 to 1, so always play max coins.)
One of the reasons I like this game so much is because it's also easy to spot the better pay tables. I discussed earlier that game designers and casinos normally only adjust the payoffs on 2 hands for this game-the full house and the flush. When they pay off at 9 and 6, then you're looking at a game with a 99.54 payback percentage. Those are some of the best odds in the house.
The other thing I like about Jacks or Better is that strategy is more or less straightforward. You can find strategy charts for this game at any number of websites, and it isn't that hard to learn. In fact, you can find simplified strategy charts that you can memorize in a few minutes that only give up 0.1 in payback percentage when compared to the complete strategy.
And once you know how to play Jacks or Better, almost every other video poker game in the casino becomes easy to learn. The only video poker game I can think of that doesn't mimic Jacks or Better in almost every particular is Pick'em Poker, which is also called Pick a Pair Poker. It's on this list, too, and it's a simplified version of video poker-more about that later. Deuces Wild
The 2nd most common video poker variation is Deuces Wild. This game plays almost exactly like Jacks or Better, but there's one big difference-all the 2s in the deck act as wild cards. This means they can stand in for any card you need to fill your hand. Since there are 4 of these cards in the deck, the difference in the value of your average final hand is significant.
Of course, a casino would have to be insane to offer the same pay table for this game that they offer for Jacks or Better. The odds of getting a pair skyrocket with the addition of the wild cards. And in fact, they offer VERY different pay tables for this game. In Deuces Wild, the lowest-paying hand is a 3 of a kind, in fact.
The highest-paying hand is still a royal flush, but Deuces Wild distinguishes between a natural royal flush and a wild royal flush. A natural royal flush still pays off at 800 to 1, because the odds are still the same. You'll see a natural royal flush roughly once every 40,000 hands or so.
But the other big difference between Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better is how the pay tables are structured. In Deuces Wild, you don't have just 2 hands with different payoffs to keep up with. The designers and the casinos change up multiple payoffs on multiple hands, which makes it a little bit harder to choose a pay table.
But you can find Deuces Wild games with better payouts than Jacks or Better if you know what to look for. In fact, full pay Deuces Wild offers a payback percentage of 100.76. This is called full pay Deuces Wild, and it's not the easiest game in the world to find. But it's not extinct or impossible to find, in spite of what some other gambling writers on the Internet might tell you.
Your best chance of finding Deuces Wild in its full pay format is to visit some of the casinos on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas. They cater to video poker players and offer the best pay tables in the industry.
But how much of an edge is 0.76? Could you make a living playing this game?
As it turns out, probably not.
Here's why:
Remember when I calculated the average hourly loss in the introduction? The math for calculating the average hourly win when you have an edge is the same. In this case, you take the amount of hourly action and multiply it by YOUR edge, in this case, 0.76.
Assuming you can find a game with the right pay table and you can play it with perfect strategy, you might be able to make a little bit of money playing this game. Let's say you can find a game where you can play for a quarter, or $1.25 per hand. (You're betting 5 coins per hand, remember.)
That's $750 in action per hour. You expect to win $5.70 per hour on this game.
That's a far cry from losing an average of $16 per hour, but you'd have a hard time making a living at that wage. We're talking less than $240 per week if you played for 40 hours per week.
But what if you found a dollar machine, you ask? Couldn't you make over $20/hour on such a game?
I'm confident that a game with this pay table is not going to be available in that denomination. The casinos are too smart for that-even the ones on Boulder Highway.
And that's not a common pay table, even there.
A more common Deuces Wild pay table is called 'not so ugly' Deuces Wild. This game has a payback percentage of 99.73. This is still better than full pay Jacks or Better, but it's still a long term winner for the casino.
Something else to keep in mind about Deuces Wild is that the game has a completely different strategy for playing than Jacks or Better. One aspect of this strategy is easy to remember though:
Never discard a deuce.
Another aspect of the correct strategy is this:
Never hold 2 pairs. Bonus Poker
I always thought it was funny that Bonus Poker was considered a different game from Jacks or Better. The differences are minimal in terms of gameplay. It's still a video poker game with no wild cards. The lowest-paying hand is still a pair of jacks or better. And it still pays off 800 to 1 for a royal flush.
In fact, the only difference between Bonus Poker and Jacks or Better is the payoffs for the 4 of a kind. And depending on the cards making up the 4 of a kind, you might get a much bigger payoff than you'd expect in Jacks or Better.
Here's the difference:
In a Jacks or Better game, the payoff for 4 of a kind is consistent from game to game. It pays off 25 to 1.
But in Bonus Poker, it pays off based on the rank of the cards:
4 aces pay off at 80 to 1.
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s pay off at 40 to 1.
All other 4 of a kinds pay off at 25 to 1, just like in Jacks or Better
The payback percentage on a full pay Bonus Poker game is 99.17. They pay for the bonuses on the 4 of a kind hands by adjusting the payoffs on the full house and the flush, by the way-a full pay Bonus Poker game only pays off at 8 to 1 and 5 to 1 on those hands, respectively. If you were paying attention to the section on Jacks or Better, you already know that such a difference in pay tables on Jacks or Better reduces the payback percentage to under 98. You get some of that back with the bonus payouts for the 4 of a kind in this game.
But this is a more volatile game as a result. Since the extra percentage points come from the 4 of a kind hands, you won't see them very often. In fact, you'll only see 4 aces 00.02 of the time. That's not very often at all.
Still, any game where you can get a payback percentage of 99+ is worth looking at. In fact, I recommend that you ONLY play video poker games where you can get such a payout. Bonus Poker is one of them.
Here's one other observation about Bonus Poker. It's a good demonstration of how video poker differs from traditional poker.
Here's why:
When you're looking at a 4 of a kind at a traditional poker table, the higher the rank of the cards, the better the hand. A 4 of a kind made up of 5s beats a 4 of a kind made up of 4s, for example.
But in Bonus Poker, you get paid almost twice as much for a 4 of a kind made up of 4s as you do for a 4 of a kind made up of 5s. Double Bonus Poker
Double Bonus Poker, along with Deuces Wild, is your best chance of finding a game where you can get an edge over the house at video poker. It's a small edge, though-smaller than full pay Deuces Wild, in fact. The payback percentage on Double Bonus Poker is 100.17 with the right pay table.
As you might have gathered from the game's name, Double Bonus Poker is most similar to Bonus Poker. Here's the difference:
The payoffs for the 4 of a kind hands are literally doubled:
Instead of getting 80 to 1 for 4 aces, you get 160 to 1.
Instead of getting 40 to 1 for 4 deuces, 3s, or 4s, you get 80 to 1.
Instead of getting 25 to 1 for all other 4 of a kinds, you get 50 to 1.
But full pay Double Bonus Poker has another significant and surprising difference-the payouts for the full house and the flush are even higher than in Jacks or Better. On a full pay Double Bonus Poker game, those hands pay out at 10 to 1 and 7 to 1.
How can the casino afford to offer such generous payouts on all these hands?
They've reduced the payoff for 2 pairs from 2 to 1 to even money. Since that hand comes up about once in every 8 hands, cutting the payoff for it in half frees up a lot of money to add to those other hands.
What does this do to the texture of the game?
It makes it even more volatile than Bonus Poker.
Like full pay Deuces Wild, Double Bonus Poker is hard to find, and it's almost impossible to find at higher denominations.
But it's out there if you look-especially if you look at the casinos on Boulder Highway. Loose Deuces Wild
Loose Deuces Wild has about as much claim to being a 'different' game from Deuces Wild as Bonus Poker does to being a different game from Jacks or Better. The only real difference is the extra payoff amount on the 4 of a kind hand consisting of 2s.
The standard payoff for a 4 of a kind made up of deuces is 200 to 1.
In Loose Deuces, it's 500 to 1.
That's a huge difference, but keep in mind that every time you get something extra from a video poker game, you're losing something somewhere in order to pay for it.
In the most common versions of Loose Deuces, though, the major difference is in the payoff for the straight flush. In a more-or-less standard Deuces Wild game, that hand pays off at 9 to 1. On most Loose Deuces games, it pays off at 8 to 1.
The other thing to keep in mind is that even though a 500 to 1 payoff is great, the odds of getting a 4 of a kind made up of all deuces is relatively small. It's still about 10 times as likely as a natural royal flush, though.
If you can master the correct strategy for this game-which is actually pretty close to the correct strategy for full pay Deuces Wild-you can enjoy a game with a large payback percentage that's comparable to some of the other positive expectation games on this list. I've seen sites listing pay tables for Loose Deuces Wild games where the expected return was 101.60, but you're a lot more likely to find a game with a 100.15 payback percentage or even 99.2.
Any of those games are worth playing-it's just that some of them are better than others. Double Double Bonus Poker
Double Double Bonus Poker is another game on the very short list of games where a video poker player can get an edge over the house. But don't think you're going to make a fortune playing this game-at least not in the long run. The payback percentage for Double Double Bonus when played with perfect strategy is 100.07, so your edge is tiny.
But what's the difference between Double Double Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker?
If you guessed that certain hands get paid off at better odds, then give yourself a gold star.
This game offers higher payoffs for 4 of a kind hands, but it also takes into account the kicker. This makes it unusual, because the kicker in video poker almost never matters.
Here's what the payouts look like on the 4 of a kind hands in Double Double Bonus Poker:
4 aces with a 2, 3, or 4 - 400 to 1
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s with an ace, 2, 3, or 4 - 160 to 1
4 aces with any other kicker - 160 to 1
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s with any other kicker - 80 to 1
Any other 4 of a kind - 50 to 1
As you can see, the lower ranked cards are rewarded in the 4 of a kinds in this game. (Most people don't think of an ace as a low card most of the time, but it is in this case. In fact, you can think of this as a game that rewards 4 of a kind hands that have cards lower than 5 in them.)
I mentioned in the section above about how traditional poker and video poker differ in terms of hand rankings. This is an even more prominent example of this.
As with many of the other games I recommend on this page, Double Double Bonus Poker is more volatile than some games (like Jacks or Better). But it's still well worth learning how to play. Triple Bonus
You'll like the gimmick behind Triple Bonus Poker. It's the same game as Bonus Poker, but instead of doubling the payoffs for 4 of a kind, like Double Bonus Poker does, Triple Bonus multiplies the payoffs by 3.
So here are the payoffs for 4 of a kind in Triple Bonus:
4 aces - 240 to 1
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s - 120 to 1
Any other 4 of a kind - 75 to 1
If you can find a Triple Bonus game with the right pay table, the payback percentage is right up there with any of the other big boys on this list-99.94, in fact. Of course, like most of the games on this list, there are other pay tables available which aren't as generous. You can find Triple Bonus with a payback percentage between 94 and 95, but once you get to that point, you might as well play the slots. Pick'em Poker
Pick'em Poker is also sometimes called Pick a Pair Poker. This is one of the most interesting games on the list, as it actually has different gameplay than any of the other games here. It's actually a simplified version of video poker with fewer decisions to make. If you find the right version with the right pay table, the payback percentage is exceptional, too-99.95.
Here's how the game works:
You start with 2 cards. These are the foundation of your hand.
You also get 2 more cards. These are the ones where you have a decision to make-you choose to keep one of these 2 cards.
Then the machine deals 2 more cards and you get a final hand.
You'll notice that you only have 2 cards to choose from when you're deciding which card to keep and which one to throw away. The first 2 cards, you're stuck with. Then with the next 2 cards, you're stuck with one of them. And in terms of the final 2 cards, well-you don't get to discard either of them, either.
In fact, this game might be considered a video poker version of stud poker. All of the other video poker games that I know of are basically video game versions that sort of combine solitaire with 5 card draw.
One of the advantages that Pick'em Poker offers over the other games on this list is that the strategy is much easier to learn. In fact, most Pick'em Poker games have a great pay table available-it's harder to find a bad pay table for Pick'em Poker than it is to find a good one.
I remember when I first started studying video poker strategy. I bought all of the strategy guides from Bob Dancer and Liam Daily. Most of these books are pretty thick, but the thinnest of them was the strategy guide for Pick'em Poker. When I read it, I realized the strategy for the game was simple enough that a book was almost superfluous.
If you can find this game, you should give it a try. It moves a little faster than the other video poker games on this list, too. Jokers Wild (or Joker Poker)
Jokers Wild actually has a legitimate claim to being a different game from Jacks or Better and/or Deuces Wild. Not only does it have a different pay table, it's dealt from a different kind of deck. But it's not a deck that's significantly different-the main difference is that there are 53 cards instead of 52. The additional card is a joker, which acts as a wild card.
But there's a big difference between Joker Poker and Deuces Wild. That's because there's a big difference between having 4 out of 52 cards being wild and 1 out of 53 cards being wild.
The pay table for this game is similar to that for Jacks or Better, but there are some differences. For one thing, a pair of jacks or higher isn't good enough-the payoffs in Jokers Wild start with a pair of KINGS or better. That's significant, because out of all the possible pairs, you're only looking at 2 of them which pay-kings or aces.
The payoff for 2 pairs is reduced, too. In Jacks or Better, it's 2 to 1, but in Jokers Wild, it's reduced to even money.
Of course, since there's a wild card, you have another hand available that's not available in games without wild cards-the 5 of a kind. This hand pays off at 200 to 1.
The game also distinguishes between a natural royal flush and a wild royal flush. As always, the natural royal flush pays off at 800 to 1. The wild royal flush only pays off at 100 to 1.
With the right pay table and correct strategy, Joker Poker has a payback percentage of 100.64, making it almost as good a game as full pay Deuces Wild. ACE$ Bonus Poker
ACE$ Bonus Poker is one of my favorites on the list just because I like the name of the game so much. It also has a legitimate claim to being significantly different from the other games on the list, although really it's just a variation of Bonus Poker. But it's at least an interesting variation.
ACE$ Bonus Poker is played just like Bonus Poker, but there's a difference. The aces are each marked with the following letters:
A
C
E
$
Normally in a video poker game, the position of the cards doesn't matter. A 10JQKA is a straight, but so is an AQ10JK.
But since the aces in this game have an extra designation, the game can pay an extra bonus on certain 4 of a kind hands.
If you get 4 aces in the right order-ACE$--you get an 800 to 1 payout.
This is one of the only other video poker games I know of which has a bonus jackpot comparable in size to the jackpot you get when you hit a royal flush.
But don't think this is going to come up very often. It's actually even less likely to come up than a natural royal flush.
That doesn't mean this is a bad game-on the contrary. The full pay version of this game has a payback percentage of 99.4 Conclusion Most Popular Poker Site
I recommend sticking with video poker games where you can get a payback percentage of no less than 99. If you stick with the 10 games on this list, you'll achieve your goal, but only if you get familiar with the pay tables. The other trick is to raise your standards-simply refuse to play video poker games with a lower payback percentage.
Keep in mind, too, that all of these payback percentages are theoretical long term results. They're also based on the assumption that you're going to play each hand with perfect strategy. You might or might not be that good at video poker. But you can get that good if you're willing to put in the study and practice.
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There are three primary ways to play video poker online, depending primarily on in which state you live, but also based on the type of video poker games you are looking to play.
Whether you are an expert at traditional poker or just interested in learning the game, there are tons of options available online. Free video poker games give you the chance to play the game without depositing a cent, so you can enjoy a fun hobby without worrying about deposits and withdrawals. It also has the advantage of letting you play from home, rather than traveling to a casino that might be miles away from you.
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If you dont happen to live in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, or West Virginia your best bet is a sweepstakes online casino where you can play online video poker for cash prizes. How Sweepstakes Casinos Work
Online sweepstakes video poker is an alternative for those who arent in areas where real money poker is legal. These sites take old laws about sweepstakes and use them as a way to offer legal options for those who want to play poker recreationally.
Sweepstakes casinos use digital coins instead of real money as currency. Players accumulate digital coins by winning games and can later exchange them for cash prizes. Because sweepstakes casinos are not legally classified as gambling, they are popular among players who live in states that have not yet legalized real money online gambling. The sweepstakes format provides a similar, but legal alternative to the online casino experience.
In order to participate in a sweepstakes casinos games, you must first buy their coins (or whatever they label as their sweepstakes currency). Your purchased coins typically come with a set number of free sweeps coins. You cannot directly deposit money into an account or withdraw money.
Your purchased coins are valid only for recreational gaming at the sweepstakes casino. Your free sweeps coins can be played on sweepstakes games, and your winnings can then be exchanged for real prizes. Chumba Casino
Licensed by Malta Gaming Authority, Chumba Casino is arguably the most popular sweepstakes casino on the market. It has a large selection of slot games, blackjack, roulette, and video poker.
New players can take advantage of their no deposit bonus of 2,000,000 gold coins and two sweep coins . Additionally, the casino offers a first purchase deal of $30 gold coin package for only $10.
Chumba Casino is a great option as it offers both slots and table games. Its variety is what makes it a unique sweepstakes casino. Playing Free Video Poker At Legal Online Casinos
When you want to play video poker for free at a legal online casino, you have a variety of options. There are tons of variations of poker, and you can find almost all of them in an online version so you can play from home. With the advent of free poker games, anyone who is over 21-years-old and in the United States can enjoy a game of poker whenever they feel like it. Do Legal Online Casinos Offer Free Video Poker Games?
As more states legalize online casinos, having access to online video poker is becoming easier than ever. While most of these casinos offer real money games, there are also demo and practice modes where you can play without spending a single dime. Everyone can play free online slots, even those in states where online gambling is not yet legal.
The best option for choosing a reputable site for video poker is by looking at large brands you have heard of in the past. The websites that operate in partnership with physical casinos are an excellent place to start since they need to adhere to specific rules and regulations. Do I Need An Account To Play Free Video Poker Games Online?
It depends on where you want to play. In some cases, you can play by just navigating to the site and clicking on a game. However, there are other instances where you must register to access the catalog of games at a poker site. If you prefer a quick and easy poker game, youll want to look for sites without registration.
Keep in mind that sites with registration may offer perks to those who become members, which can make signing up feel like less effort. When it comes to real money video poker sites, you must sign up to be a member just to play the practice games. If your privacy is important to you, you may have to use other websites for your video poker. Is There Any Way To Win Real Money Playing Free Video Poker?
In most cases, the sites that have free video poker do not offer cash payments. Instead, you will typically be racking up virtual currency that cannot be turned into money. Free games are usually used by players who just want to have a good time or who want to practice outside of paid games to become better at a particular type of poker.
However, there are some exceptions in terms of free sites that offer real money. Most of them are going to be found in sweepstakes video poker sites, which well look at in more depth below. Best Online Video Poker For Real Money
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BetMGM casino is brought to you by the same company that operates MGM casinos across the United States including Las Vegas. BetMGM offers over 100 casino games including slots, blackjack, roulette, and more! All of your Las Vegas favorites are there. Playing Las Vegas-Style Video Poker Online For Free
If youre searching for legal online casinos in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that have Vegas-style video poker, you have plenty of options. Both of the states have a wide variety of casinos that offer video poker and many of the games are based on Vegas poker options. Three of our options for playing video poker online in these states are listed below for your convenience.
BetRivers Casino is partnered with the land-based Rivers Pittsburgh Casino and offers a selection of video poker options. Users can log in to play practice games or deposit money to play for cash if they are located in Pennsylvania. In addition to providing video poker, this casino also has hundreds of slot games, as well as table games like roulette, blackjack, and baccarat.
Hollywood Casino is another online legal casino in Pennsylvania that provides the option to play poker. This was the first online casino to launch in the state and it partnered with IGT to power the gaming options on the website and apps. This casino also offers dozens of slot games, roulette games, blackjack, baccarat, and more.
Those who are looking for New Jersey video poker will find it in various locations, including BetMGM. There are many variations of poker at this provider, including Regal Jacks or Better, Triple Play Draw Multi-Hand Poker, Bonus Poker, Texas Holdem, and more. It also offers a variety of slot games and table games that you can peruse. Playing Video Poker For Real Money Online
For those who want to spend money playing poker, there are several options available. However, this is only the case in states where you can legally gamble online. If you are not in one of those locations, real money gambling on video poker is not allowed. While more states are slowly allowing online real money poker, its a good idea to know what the rules are for your specific location. States With Legal Online Video Poker
Before we delve into other specifics, knowing where online video poker is legal is essential. It might be surprising to learn that some states allow online poker but dont allow online table games and slots, while others go in the opposite direction. Since it can be confusing to determine what states allow legal online video poker, we have provided a list of legal states below:
Delaware
If you dont see your state listed above, playing video poker for real money is not allowed in your state. There are two alternatives available to you if you want to enjoy video poker. The first is to choose a free online site that has poker available and the second is to use a sweepstakes gaming site like Chumba Casino. How Many Different Video Poker Games Are Available?
Counting up all the different video poker games would leave you with a number that might be mind-boggling. Many types of poker have been introduced in an online version that you can play on your own without other players. In fact, if its available in a land-based casino, you can likely find it in a video poker option. All Free Poker Games
However, different websites and apps are going to have different games, so finding one that has your favorite type might take time if its a lesser-known variation. Those who are fans of games like Jacks or Better, on the other hand, will find this kind of poker on nearly any site that includes poker. What Are The Smallest Stakes You Can Play Online?
This is another question that will depend on the provider you use for your video poker. However, what you should know is that video poker typically requires bets that are much smaller than traditional poker in a physical casino. While some of these poker games have high payouts, they dont always require you to empty your wallet to try to win.
Because these games have lower stakes than a typical poker table, they make an excellent option for those who are just learning to play. They also feature the opportunity to get better for those with some level of experience without spending too much. Once someone is happy with the progress that theyve made with video poker, they can try live games or traditional poker with more confidence in their performance. Fundamentals Of Video Poker Strategy
Just like other forms of poker, video poker has many different strategies that players employ to ensure they win more from their hands. Different people enjoy different techniques, so there are many to choose from. Having a basic strategy you can use will help you do better at video poker, whether you are just beginning with the game or have been at it for many years. Video Poker Strategy Basics
While games like slots rely only on luck, poker is a casino staple where the players have a lot of impact on how the game ends. Since you have more choices in terms of what cards you keep, which you discard, and what hand you play at the end, you can learn to play a hand that is the most beneficial and likely to result in a big payoff. However, a lot of players continue to rely only on play streaks or hunches to decide how to play a game.
The strategies that can help you win are based on math, which is excellent for anyone who has excelled at this subject in the past. Some approaches focus on getting royal flushes as often as possible, which is the best hand you can have in most poker games. Others are going to have a focus on winning every hand, even if its by a small amount through a hand that has less optimal cards. Video Poker Strategy Charts
Those who are interested in serious strategy in video poker may choose to use a video poker strategy chart to do so. These charts will show that cards you can have to get the most significant return on the match. Below the best return, it will show the next best and continue in this way until you should discard an entire hand rather than saving any of it.
For example, when playing Jacks or Better, the chart would show a royal flush on top, followed by a straight flush, four cards of a royal flush, a full house, and so on. If youre looking to improve your ability to play poker, taking a look at strategy charts can put you on top of your game. Video Poker: The Five Minute Guide
No matter what kind of poker you like, youll find it in an online video poker version. This kind of poker involves one player against a computer dealer, rather than having several players at a table who are competing against each other. While the most common poker variations are Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild, you can also find a selection of different games to play. Basic Rules Of Video Poker
Since there are dozens of video poker variations, going through the rules of each one would require a long article all of its own. However, since Jacks or Better is one of the most popular options, well use that as an example to explain the rules of video poker.
The basic idea behind this kind of video poker is to acquire a five-card poker hand with a winning combination. The lowest winning combination is a pair of Jacks. Other combinations that can win a hand include the following:
Two Pair Two card pairs that have the same number or symbol
Three of a Kind Three cards with the same symbol or number
Straight Five cards that make up a sequential order of numbers
Flush Five cards that have the same suit
Full House A pair along with a three of a kind
Four of a Kind Four cards with the same symbol or number
Straight Flush Five cards of the same suit that are in sequential order
The Royal Flush is the best hand you can get and consists of cards of the same suit that go from 10 to Ace. The idea behind the game is to get the best hand possible to earn the most points. You are dealt cards and choose which to discard before being dealt more to make up your final hand. Common Video Poker Variations
We already mentioned that Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better are two variations of video poker, but there are dozens of others. Aces and Eights is another version where you get additional coins or money for having Aces or Eights in your hands. Double Bonus is a video poker game where you get massive bonuses for four of a kind hands. Some of the other games you will commonly see include:
Bonus Deuces Wild
Deuces and Joker
Double Double Bonus
Jokers Wild
Tens or Better The House Edge In Video Poker
One of the reasons that so many people enjoy video poker is because the house typically has an exceedingly small edge. While a slot machine might return only 70 to 90 percent of what you spend on it, video poker at an online casino is more likely to offer a return of 95 to 99 percent. This means that playing video poker is going to be better for your wallet than many other online casino games.
However, keep in mind that different casinos have different odds and may have a unique house edge. This is also an excellent reason to choose a reputable site or app that lets you know what youre getting into when you sit down to play a game. Free Video Poker Online Play FAQ Can I play free video poker without creating an account?
Yes. Some websites that offer free video poker will allow you to play without making an account. However, other websites and apps may require you to register before you take part in games. In most cases, if you do register, you will get some kind of reward for doing so. If you prefer to play without registration, make sure thats an option at the site you are visiting first. Can I play video poker online for free but win real money?
Yes. With sweepstakes video poker sites, you can often win real money or other premium prizes even though you are playing for free. At websites like Chumba Casino, you can earn coins that may be turned into real money for playing particular games, taking advantage of promotions, or making deposits to play additional games. Can I learn video poker strategy by playing free games?
Yes. One of the best ways to get better at video poker is by playing free games. You can enjoy learning all the best strategies without worrying that youre going to break the bank. Since these games are often the same as real money poker, you can take the knowledge you gain and use it to win cash once youre happy with how you are playing. Do I need a flash player to play free video poker games?
No. Most of the free video poker games online do not require a flash player, although there are some exceptions. If you arent interested in a flash player, you will have no issues finding games that dont require it. However, having one available may make your options more robust if you want to play a specific game or use a particular website.
Home Online Casinos Casino Articles 10 Best Video Poker Games
If you want to get the best odds in the casino, you really only have 2 choices-blackjack and video poker. When it comes to blackjack, you're basically looking at a single game with a few rules variations. But with video poker, you have multiple games to choose from.
But which of these games offer the player the best odds?
I should start by explaining why video poker games are such a good choice for the casino gambler, especially when compared to their not-so-distant cousins, slot machines. The rest of this introduction explains that, then I'll explain which games you should look for and how you should play them. Transparent Odds versus Opaque Odds
The first thing you should understand about video poker compared to slot machines is transparency. When you play a slot machine, you know how much the payoffs are for the various symbol combinations.
What you don't know are the odds of getting any particular symbol.
This is what makes the math behind a slot machine opaque to anyone except the designers and the casinos.
But a video poker game uses the same probabilities as a 52 card deck of playing cards. Everyone knows the probabilities related to a deck of cards. You have a 1/52 chance of getting any particular card, a 1/13 chance of getting a card of any particular ranking, and a 1/4 chance of getting a card of any particular suit.
Since you also know the payoffs for the various combinations-in video poker games, they're called 'hands'-you can calculate the game's expected return.
That's not as complicated a calculation as you might think, either. You just list all the possible outcomes. Then you multiply the probability of winding up with each of those outcomes with how much it pays off. Add all those numbers up, and you have the overall expected return for the game. This is also sometimes called the game's payback percentage. The House Edge and the Payback Percentage
When you're talking about the math behind a table game in a casino, you usually discuss the game's edge or the 'house edge'. But when we discuss the math behind a gambling machine, we talk about the game's 'payback percentage'. Both numbers are different ways of expressing the same concept.
The house edge is the amount of each bet that a casino expects to win over the long run. It's an average that applies to tens of thousands of bets.
The payback percentage is the amount of each bet that a casino expects to pay back to the player over the long run. It's also an average over tens of thousands of hands.
If you know a game's payback percentage, you can subtract it from 100 to get the house edge.
Here's an example:
When you're playing blackjack, the house edge might be 0.5 That means that over time, the casino has a mathematical expectation that you'll lose 50 cents out of every $100 you bet.
When you're playing Jacks or Better video poker, the payback percentage might be 99.54. That means that over time, the casino has a mathematical expectation that you'll win $99.54 for every $100 you bet.
You could convert that 0.5 into a 99.5 payback percentage. You could also convert that 99.54 into a 0.46 house edge.
Both bets offer similar odds. The main difference is the way in which each game plays out. Decisions Matter
Here's the 2nd thing you need to understand about video poker games:
Your decisions matter.
This is a major difference between video poker games and slot machines. With a slot machine, you just put your money in and pull the lever and hope for the best.
You do the same thing in video poker games, but you have an extra step:
You get to decide which cards to keep and which cards to throw away.
Since there are 32 different ways to play each hand, you have a significant number of choices facing you on every video poker hand. Only one of those choices offers the highest expected return.
Here's an example:
You're dealt a hand that consists of the jack of clubs, the jack of hearts, the queen of hearts, the king of hearts, and the ace of hearts.
So you have a pair of jacks, and you could hold those 2 cards and guarantee yourself an even money (1 for 1) payoff. That's a 100 chance of getting a 1 unit payoff, which is an expected value of 1.
But you also could throw away the jack of clubs and hope to hit a royal flush. The royal flush pays off at 800 to 1. Since the odds of filling your hand are 1 in 47, you're looking at a roughly 2 chance of winning 800 coins. That's an expected value of 16.
16 is clearly better than 1, so that's the correct play in this situation. That's obviously an overly simplified look at this decision, since there are several other potential decisions and outcomes. But those are the 2 most obvious ways to play the hand.
You can find strategy charts for most video poker games online-including on specific pages on this site. These charts are organized as lists of hands. The hands with the best expected return are listed at the top, so you start from the top and work your way down. You keep the first hand that matches what you're holding. Pay Tables
Finally, you want to be familiar with how a pay table for a video poker game works. Even though a game shares a name with another game, the pay table might be different. The differences in the pay tables make a significant difference in the payback percentage.
Here's an example:
A 9/6 Jacks or Better game has a 99.54 payback percentage. The 9/6 in the title of the game refers to the payoff for a full house and a flush. The former pays off at 9 to 1, while the latter pays off at 6 to 1. They don't list this on the title of the game on the machine, by the way. You have to read the pay table.
You can compare that to an 8/5 Jacks or Better game, which has a 97.3 payback percentage. The 1 unit difference in payoffs for those 2 hands has a significant effect on your odds.
How significant?
Think about the average hourly loss on a gambling machine. You calculate this number by multiplying the number of hands per hour you're playing by the average you're betting per hand. That's the total amount of action you're getting in per hour.
Multiply the total hourly action by the house edge, and you get your average expected hourly loss.
On a full pay (or 9/6) Jacks or Better game, the house edge is 100 - 99.54, or 0.46.
On the 8/5 Jacks or Better game, the house edge is 100 - 97.3, or 2.7.
If you're playing for $5 per hand, and you're playing 600 hands per hour, you're putting $3000 into action each hour.
0.54 of $3000 is $16.20 per hour in expected losses. Keep in mind that this is over the course of tens of thousands of hands. In any single hour, you might be doing much better or much worse than this. But if you play long enough, your results should come pretty close to resembling this number.
2.7 of $3000 is $81 per hour in expected losses. That's 5 times as much money in the casino's pocket and out of yours.
So it's easy to see why you should educate yourself about the various pay tables and their payback percentages.
Luckily, you don't have to work out the calculations with a pencil and paper every time you play. You can look these numbers up online. In fact, I can give you the 10 best games to look for-which is what the rest of this post is all about. Jacks or Better
I have multiple reasons for listing Jacks or Better as the 1 video poker game you should play. It's not because this is the game with the best odds, although if you can find a game with a 9/6 pay table, you are looking at one of the best games in the house. Mostly it's because Jacks or Better is the foundation upon which knowledge of all other video poker games rests.
Jacks or Better is pretty straightforward. It's based on 5 card draw. You're dealt 5 cards, you get to choose which ones to keep and which ones to throw away, and then you get paid off based on the poker hand ranking of your end result. The lowest-paying hand is a pair of jacks or higher. A pair of tens or less doesn't pay out anything. The highest-paying hand is a royal flush, which pays off at 800 to 1 if you bet 5 coins per hand. (If you bet 4 coins or fewer, it only pays out 250 to 1, so always play max coins.)
One of the reasons I like this game so much is because it's also easy to spot the better pay tables. I discussed earlier that game designers and casinos normally only adjust the payoffs on 2 hands for this game-the full house and the flush. When they pay off at 9 and 6, then you're looking at a game with a 99.54 payback percentage. Those are some of the best odds in the house.
The other thing I like about Jacks or Better is that strategy is more or less straightforward. You can find strategy charts for this game at any number of websites, and it isn't that hard to learn. In fact, you can find simplified strategy charts that you can memorize in a few minutes that only give up 0.1 in payback percentage when compared to the complete strategy.
And once you know how to play Jacks or Better, almost every other video poker game in the casino becomes easy to learn. The only video poker game I can think of that doesn't mimic Jacks or Better in almost every particular is Pick'em Poker, which is also called Pick a Pair Poker. It's on this list, too, and it's a simplified version of video poker-more about that later. Deuces Wild
The 2nd most common video poker variation is Deuces Wild. This game plays almost exactly like Jacks or Better, but there's one big difference-all the 2s in the deck act as wild cards. This means they can stand in for any card you need to fill your hand. Since there are 4 of these cards in the deck, the difference in the value of your average final hand is significant.
Of course, a casino would have to be insane to offer the same pay table for this game that they offer for Jacks or Better. The odds of getting a pair skyrocket with the addition of the wild cards. And in fact, they offer VERY different pay tables for this game. In Deuces Wild, the lowest-paying hand is a 3 of a kind, in fact.
The highest-paying hand is still a royal flush, but Deuces Wild distinguishes between a natural royal flush and a wild royal flush. A natural royal flush still pays off at 800 to 1, because the odds are still the same. You'll see a natural royal flush roughly once every 40,000 hands or so.
But the other big difference between Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better is how the pay tables are structured. In Deuces Wild, you don't have just 2 hands with different payoffs to keep up with. The designers and the casinos change up multiple payoffs on multiple hands, which makes it a little bit harder to choose a pay table.
But you can find Deuces Wild games with better payouts than Jacks or Better if you know what to look for. In fact, full pay Deuces Wild offers a payback percentage of 100.76. This is called full pay Deuces Wild, and it's not the easiest game in the world to find. But it's not extinct or impossible to find, in spite of what some other gambling writers on the Internet might tell you.
Your best chance of finding Deuces Wild in its full pay format is to visit some of the casinos on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas. They cater to video poker players and offer the best pay tables in the industry.
But how much of an edge is 0.76? Could you make a living playing this game?
As it turns out, probably not.
Here's why:
Remember when I calculated the average hourly loss in the introduction? The math for calculating the average hourly win when you have an edge is the same. In this case, you take the amount of hourly action and multiply it by YOUR edge, in this case, 0.76.
Assuming you can find a game with the right pay table and you can play it with perfect strategy, you might be able to make a little bit of money playing this game. Let's say you can find a game where you can play for a quarter, or $1.25 per hand. (You're betting 5 coins per hand, remember.)
That's $750 in action per hour. You expect to win $5.70 per hour on this game.
That's a far cry from losing an average of $16 per hour, but you'd have a hard time making a living at that wage. We're talking less than $240 per week if you played for 40 hours per week.
But what if you found a dollar machine, you ask? Couldn't you make over $20/hour on such a game?
I'm confident that a game with this pay table is not going to be available in that denomination. The casinos are too smart for that-even the ones on Boulder Highway.
And that's not a common pay table, even there.
A more common Deuces Wild pay table is called 'not so ugly' Deuces Wild. This game has a payback percentage of 99.73. This is still better than full pay Jacks or Better, but it's still a long term winner for the casino.
Something else to keep in mind about Deuces Wild is that the game has a completely different strategy for playing than Jacks or Better. One aspect of this strategy is easy to remember though:
Never discard a deuce.
Another aspect of the correct strategy is this:
Never hold 2 pairs. Bonus Poker
I always thought it was funny that Bonus Poker was considered a different game from Jacks or Better. The differences are minimal in terms of gameplay. It's still a video poker game with no wild cards. The lowest-paying hand is still a pair of jacks or better. And it still pays off 800 to 1 for a royal flush.
In fact, the only difference between Bonus Poker and Jacks or Better is the payoffs for the 4 of a kind. And depending on the cards making up the 4 of a kind, you might get a much bigger payoff than you'd expect in Jacks or Better.
Here's the difference:
In a Jacks or Better game, the payoff for 4 of a kind is consistent from game to game. It pays off 25 to 1.
But in Bonus Poker, it pays off based on the rank of the cards:
4 aces pay off at 80 to 1.
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s pay off at 40 to 1.
All other 4 of a kinds pay off at 25 to 1, just like in Jacks or Better
The payback percentage on a full pay Bonus Poker game is 99.17. They pay for the bonuses on the 4 of a kind hands by adjusting the payoffs on the full house and the flush, by the way-a full pay Bonus Poker game only pays off at 8 to 1 and 5 to 1 on those hands, respectively. If you were paying attention to the section on Jacks or Better, you already know that such a difference in pay tables on Jacks or Better reduces the payback percentage to under 98. You get some of that back with the bonus payouts for the 4 of a kind in this game.
But this is a more volatile game as a result. Since the extra percentage points come from the 4 of a kind hands, you won't see them very often. In fact, you'll only see 4 aces 00.02 of the time. That's not very often at all.
Still, any game where you can get a payback percentage of 99+ is worth looking at. In fact, I recommend that you ONLY play video poker games where you can get such a payout. Bonus Poker is one of them.
Here's one other observation about Bonus Poker. It's a good demonstration of how video poker differs from traditional poker.
Here's why:
When you're looking at a 4 of a kind at a traditional poker table, the higher the rank of the cards, the better the hand. A 4 of a kind made up of 5s beats a 4 of a kind made up of 4s, for example.
But in Bonus Poker, you get paid almost twice as much for a 4 of a kind made up of 4s as you do for a 4 of a kind made up of 5s. Double Bonus Poker
Double Bonus Poker, along with Deuces Wild, is your best chance of finding a game where you can get an edge over the house at video poker. It's a small edge, though-smaller than full pay Deuces Wild, in fact. The payback percentage on Double Bonus Poker is 100.17 with the right pay table.
As you might have gathered from the game's name, Double Bonus Poker is most similar to Bonus Poker. Here's the difference:
The payoffs for the 4 of a kind hands are literally doubled:
Instead of getting 80 to 1 for 4 aces, you get 160 to 1.
Instead of getting 40 to 1 for 4 deuces, 3s, or 4s, you get 80 to 1.
Instead of getting 25 to 1 for all other 4 of a kinds, you get 50 to 1.
But full pay Double Bonus Poker has another significant and surprising difference-the payouts for the full house and the flush are even higher than in Jacks or Better. On a full pay Double Bonus Poker game, those hands pay out at 10 to 1 and 7 to 1.
How can the casino afford to offer such generous payouts on all these hands?
They've reduced the payoff for 2 pairs from 2 to 1 to even money. Since that hand comes up about once in every 8 hands, cutting the payoff for it in half frees up a lot of money to add to those other hands.
What does this do to the texture of the game?
It makes it even more volatile than Bonus Poker.
Like full pay Deuces Wild, Double Bonus Poker is hard to find, and it's almost impossible to find at higher denominations.
But it's out there if you look-especially if you look at the casinos on Boulder Highway. Loose Deuces Wild
Loose Deuces Wild has about as much claim to being a 'different' game from Deuces Wild as Bonus Poker does to being a different game from Jacks or Better. The only real difference is the extra payoff amount on the 4 of a kind hand consisting of 2s.
The standard payoff for a 4 of a kind made up of deuces is 200 to 1.
In Loose Deuces, it's 500 to 1.
That's a huge difference, but keep in mind that every time you get something extra from a video poker game, you're losing something somewhere in order to pay for it.
In the most common versions of Loose Deuces, though, the major difference is in the payoff for the straight flush. In a more-or-less standard Deuces Wild game, that hand pays off at 9 to 1. On most Loose Deuces games, it pays off at 8 to 1.
The other thing to keep in mind is that even though a 500 to 1 payoff is great, the odds of getting a 4 of a kind made up of all deuces is relatively small. It's still about 10 times as likely as a natural royal flush, though.
If you can master the correct strategy for this game-which is actually pretty close to the correct strategy for full pay Deuces Wild-you can enjoy a game with a large payback percentage that's comparable to some of the other positive expectation games on this list. I've seen sites listing pay tables for Loose Deuces Wild games where the expected return was 101.60, but you're a lot more likely to find a game with a 100.15 payback percentage or even 99.2.
Any of those games are worth playing-it's just that some of them are better than others. Double Double Bonus Poker
Double Double Bonus Poker is another game on the very short list of games where a video poker player can get an edge over the house. But don't think you're going to make a fortune playing this game-at least not in the long run. The payback percentage for Double Double Bonus when played with perfect strategy is 100.07, so your edge is tiny.
But what's the difference between Double Double Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker?
If you guessed that certain hands get paid off at better odds, then give yourself a gold star.
This game offers higher payoffs for 4 of a kind hands, but it also takes into account the kicker. This makes it unusual, because the kicker in video poker almost never matters.
Here's what the payouts look like on the 4 of a kind hands in Double Double Bonus Poker:
4 aces with a 2, 3, or 4 - 400 to 1
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s with an ace, 2, 3, or 4 - 160 to 1
4 aces with any other kicker - 160 to 1
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s with any other kicker - 80 to 1
Any other 4 of a kind - 50 to 1
As you can see, the lower ranked cards are rewarded in the 4 of a kinds in this game. (Most people don't think of an ace as a low card most of the time, but it is in this case. In fact, you can think of this as a game that rewards 4 of a kind hands that have cards lower than 5 in them.)
I mentioned in the section above about how traditional poker and video poker differ in terms of hand rankings. This is an even more prominent example of this.
As with many of the other games I recommend on this page, Double Double Bonus Poker is more volatile than some games (like Jacks or Better). But it's still well worth learning how to play. Triple Bonus
You'll like the gimmick behind Triple Bonus Poker. It's the same game as Bonus Poker, but instead of doubling the payoffs for 4 of a kind, like Double Bonus Poker does, Triple Bonus multiplies the payoffs by 3.
So here are the payoffs for 4 of a kind in Triple Bonus:
4 aces - 240 to 1
4 deuces, 3s, or 4s - 120 to 1
Any other 4 of a kind - 75 to 1
If you can find a Triple Bonus game with the right pay table, the payback percentage is right up there with any of the other big boys on this list-99.94, in fact. Of course, like most of the games on this list, there are other pay tables available which aren't as generous. You can find Triple Bonus with a payback percentage between 94 and 95, but once you get to that point, you might as well play the slots. Pick'em Poker
Pick'em Poker is also sometimes called Pick a Pair Poker. This is one of the most interesting games on the list, as it actually has different gameplay than any of the other games here. It's actually a simplified version of video poker with fewer decisions to make. If you find the right version with the right pay table, the payback percentage is exceptional, too-99.95.
Here's how the game works:
You start with 2 cards. These are the foundation of your hand.
You also get 2 more cards. These are the ones where you have a decision to make-you choose to keep one of these 2 cards.
Then the machine deals 2 more cards and you get a final hand.
You'll notice that you only have 2 cards to choose from when you're deciding which card to keep and which one to throw away. The first 2 cards, you're stuck with. Then with the next 2 cards, you're stuck with one of them. And in terms of the final 2 cards, well-you don't get to discard either of them, either.
In fact, this game might be considered a video poker version of stud poker. All of the other video poker games that I know of are basically video game versions that sort of combine solitaire with 5 card draw.
One of the advantages that Pick'em Poker offers over the other games on this list is that the strategy is much easier to learn. In fact, most Pick'em Poker games have a great pay table available-it's harder to find a bad pay table for Pick'em Poker than it is to find a good one.
I remember when I first started studying video poker strategy. I bought all of the strategy guides from Bob Dancer and Liam Daily. Most of these books are pretty thick, but the thinnest of them was the strategy guide for Pick'em Poker. When I read it, I realized the strategy for the game was simple enough that a book was almost superfluous.
If you can find this game, you should give it a try. It moves a little faster than the other video poker games on this list, too. Jokers Wild (or Joker Poker)
Jokers Wild actually has a legitimate claim to being a different game from Jacks or Better and/or Deuces Wild. Not only does it have a different pay table, it's dealt from a different kind of deck. But it's not a deck that's significantly different-the main difference is that there are 53 cards instead of 52. The additional card is a joker, which acts as a wild card.
But there's a big difference between Joker Poker and Deuces Wild. That's because there's a big difference between having 4 out of 52 cards being wild and 1 out of 53 cards being wild.
The pay table for this game is similar to that for Jacks or Better, but there are some differences. For one thing, a pair of jacks or higher isn't good enough-the payoffs in Jokers Wild start with a pair of KINGS or better. That's significant, because out of all the possible pairs, you're only looking at 2 of them which pay-kings or aces.
The payoff for 2 pairs is reduced, too. In Jacks or Better, it's 2 to 1, but in Jokers Wild, it's reduced to even money.
Of course, since there's a wild card, you have another hand available that's not available in games without wild cards-the 5 of a kind. This hand pays off at 200 to 1.
The game also distinguishes between a natural royal flush and a wild royal flush. As always, the natural royal flush pays off at 800 to 1. The wild royal flush only pays off at 100 to 1.
With the right pay table and correct strategy, Joker Poker has a payback percentage of 100.64, making it almost as good a game as full pay Deuces Wild. ACE$ Bonus Poker
ACE$ Bonus Poker is one of my favorites on the list just because I like the name of the game so much. It also has a legitimate claim to being significantly different from the other games on the list, although really it's just a variation of Bonus Poker. But it's at least an interesting variation.
ACE$ Bonus Poker is played just like Bonus Poker, but there's a difference. The aces are each marked with the following letters:
A
C
E
$
Normally in a video poker game, the position of the cards doesn't matter. A 10JQKA is a straight, but so is an AQ10JK.
But since the aces in this game have an extra designation, the game can pay an extra bonus on certain 4 of a kind hands.
If you get 4 aces in the right order-ACE$--you get an 800 to 1 payout.
This is one of the only other video poker games I know of which has a bonus jackpot comparable in size to the jackpot you get when you hit a royal flush.
But don't think this is going to come up very often. It's actually even less likely to come up than a natural royal flush.
That doesn't mean this is a bad game-on the contrary. The full pay version of this game has a payback percentage of 99.4 Conclusion Most Popular Poker Site
I recommend sticking with video poker games where you can get a payback percentage of no less than 99. If you stick with the 10 games on this list, you'll achieve your goal, but only if you get familiar with the pay tables. The other trick is to raise your standards-simply refuse to play video poker games with a lower payback percentage.
Keep in mind, too, that all of these payback percentages are theoretical long term results. They're also based on the assumption that you're going to play each hand with perfect strategy. You might or might not be that good at video poker. But you can get that good if you're willing to put in the study and practice.
