The handbook of successful digital video poker

How We Select the Best Video Poker Casinos

Popular Variations of Video Poker Casinos

How to Play Free Video Poker Online

Once you picked a video poker game you like and you understand its rules – it’s time to play.

Important Terms in Casino Video Poker

To become a proficient video poker player, it’s essential to understand the basic terms or terminology. Here are some important terms to be familiar with:

– Action: Refers to the amount of real money bet on video poker during a session.

– Credits: Represents the amount of money available to play video poker for real money. Betting the maximum of 5 credits is recommended.

– Discard: The act of choosing and discarding cards from the initial dealt hand.

– Draw: The action of receiving replacement cards after discarding unwanted cards.

– Hold: Choosing to keep specific cards from the initial dealt hand.

– Face Card: Refers to a King, Queen, or Jack card.

– House Edge: Video poker typically has a small house edge, with some variations having a house edge of 2% or less, making it one of the best casino games to play.

– Straight: A hand consisting of consecutive cards, such as 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.

– Multi-hand: Some online casinos offer multi-hand video poker variations, allowing players to play multiple hands simultaneously.

– Pay Table: Provides information about the payouts for each winning hand in video poker.

– Pat Hand: A hand that does not require any cards to be replaced is referred to as a “Pat Hand.”

– Payout Percentage: This represents the anticipated payout that the video poker machine returns over a specific number of hands. If the payout percentage is 98%, technically speaking, you can expect to receive 98$ for every 100$ you wager.

Video Poker Hand Rankings

The key to success in online video poker lies in understanding the hand rankings. It is essential to familiarize yourself with the different hand rankings and their corresponding odds. Here is an explanation of the hand rankings in video poker:

– High Card: A high card refers to a single high-ranking card in your hand, such as a Jack or an Ace.

– Pair: A pair consists of two cards of the same rank, like a pair of 10s or a pair of 8s.

– Two Pair: This hand occurs when the video poker machine deals you two pairs, such as a pair of eights and a pair of Jacks (8, 8, J, J).

– Three of a Kind (Trips): This hand involves having three cards of the same rank, for example, three 7s.

– Straight: A straight is a sequence of five consecutive cards, such as 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace.

– Flush: A flush is formed by having five cards of the same suit, such as five hearts or five clubs.

– Full House: This hand consists of three cards of the same rank and a pair, like 3, 3, 3, Q, Q.

– Four of a Kind: This hand includes four cards of the same rank. The highest four of a kind in video poker is A, A, A, A.

– Straight Flush: A straight flush occurs when the video poker machine deals you a straight with all the cards of the same suit. For example, 7, 8, 9, 10, J of hearts.

– Royal Flush: The most valuable hand in video poker is the Royal Flush. It consists of the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit (hearts, clubs, spades, or diamonds).

Understanding these hand rankings will greatly enhance your skills and chances of winning in video poker.

Tips from Video Poker Experts for Winning

The most effective method to become proficient in online video poker is to play it for free. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. It is essential to have a good understanding of poker hand rankings and be familiar with the common terms used in video poker.

Carefully examine the paytable to determine the payout for achieving a Royal Flush or any other hand. Whenever available, take advantage of bonuses offered by the casino to play video poker with real money online. Additionally, always bet the maximum of 5 credits and ensure that you strategically hold the correct cards during gameplay.