Video Poker Guide: Strategies and How to Play

Traditional poker: the words alone invoke Hollywood clichés of suited-up mobsters smoking cigars around a gaming table alongside a feckless Dealer. Yes, I’m talkin’ to you! While scripted 1930s timepieces would have you believe that’s what poker actually looks like, the reality is quite different, at least in modern times, as we show you in this video poker guide.

Now you can play traditional poker without feeling the judgment of that player to your left. In fact, you don’t even need opponents at all. When you play video poker online, it’s just you and the cards. The way nature intended it to be.

Online video poker games are truly simple at their heart, and following just a video poker strategy will have you scoring big time just like a real poker game, but straight from home. Or a full house.

So let’s go over everything you need to know about playing video poker. We’ll also cover some basics of video poker rules, and point you towards the best version of this popular casino game.

What is Online Video Poker? How is It Different From Poker?

Online video poker games is just you and the cards. There aren’t any opponents to defeat – just opportunities to refine your very own skill sets.

After you place your bet, the game goes as quickly as you’d like it to, with just one round of decision-making. There isn’t any checking, calling, poker-facing… or even waiting around, for that matter. When you compare that to regular poker, video poker machines are a light, refreshing breeze on a warm summer’s day.

To refresh your memory, the difference between video poker and table poker is the number of players. As you move around the table, the pressure is on to check (stand), raise, or call based on the cards available. The tensions rise as the stakes get higher, and if you want to avoid giving your level of confidence away, you’ve got to stay as cool as a fresh poker cucumber throughout it all.

What Kinds of Video Poker Games You Can Play Online?

There are several video poker games to play online. Each video poker machine comes with unique rules, including unique ways to make money.

• Jacks or Better is considered the foundation of most online video poker games. In this game, as you might have guessed, you need a pair of Jacks or better to win in your final hand (the name might be simple, but at least you’ll never forget it).
• Joker Poker is a little different because for one thing, you need a pair of kings to win. Then, the joker card acts as a wild that you can use to make a better hand.
• Bonus Deuces Wild also has a wild which is the deuce, or 2 (seriously, someone tip the naming guy!).
• Double Double Bonus Poker is another version with different video poker rules. It’s played the same as the others, but now you get higher payouts for landing a 4 of a kind.

How to Play Video Poker Online at SlotsLV

This is how you can play online video poker games at SlotsLV:

1. Set the value of your coin (or Bet Size) by clicking the icon and “Coin Value Setting”.
2. Now, choose how many coins you want to play on the sliding bar to the right.
3. Hit “Deal” and get your first five cards
4. Trying to form the best poker hand, click the cards you want to hang on to.
5. Click “draw” to replace the other cards.
6. Review your final hand, and see what you’ve won

See? Just like the poker you know and love… but a whole lot easier.

Online Video Poker Paytables and Returns

Generally speaking, a Royal Flush is the top hand you could get for all poker games, and pays the highest (whereas Joker Poker’s Sequential Royal Flush sits in first place). The lower rankings vary the most, and sometimes you need only 1 pair to get paid; at other times, you’ll need 3 of a kind or a pair of kings or jacks to see a reward.

What you want to pay close attention to is the RTP, or return to player. The rule of thumb is to focus on games that are 98% RTP and above. Sounds impossibly high, right? But Deuces Wild has an RTP of 100.76%, and Jacks or Better comes in at 99.54%, showing that is possible to consistently win at video poker. You’re already in the clear with those. Joker Poker is lower at 96.07%, and Double Double Bonus poker is 98.98%. Not so hard after all.

Learning the Video Poker Hands

Another thing that makes online video poker games so much fun are the unique hands for different games.

Take Joker Poker or Deuces Wild, for example. These games have an extra 5-card rank because of the wild. So you could get a 4 of a kind, made up of 3s plus a Joker, and that would be considered 5 of a kind (which happens to be a very well-paying hand).

Don’t worry if it sounds complicated; we like to make things easy. The hand rankings and their payouts are laid out plain as day in each game, right there on the front screen.

Which Video Poker Game Should You Play?

If you’re brand shining new, it’s a great idea to start with Jacks or Better, considered one of the best video poker games. This is the foundation of video poker with a standard hand ranking. It helps you to get comfortable and familiar with the game. Then, add a wild into the mix and try Joker Poker or Deuces Wild.

Finally, when you’re brimming with confidence and topped up on coffee (or just life), go for other video poker games like Pay Gow Poker. These games excitingly increase the stakes, and they’re well worth a shot for players who are becoming quite comfortable with café casino video poker.

Best Video Poker Bonuses

No matter which online video poker games you choose, you should always remember to grab a casino welcome bonus to start your session off right.

To claim yours, simply use your SlotsLV login and make a deposit. Once you’re inside the game, you’ll see that all the old stereotypes have been thrown out the window.

We’ve covered every SlotsLV Casino bonus in detail in our dedicated hub. If you’re looking for the full scoop on everything from welcome offers to free spins and loyalty rewards, you’ll find the complete story there.

Now it’s just you, the cards, and a race to the final draw. You’re the star of the table!