Video poker games can now be found at most online casinos with many different variants to choose from. We will discuss some of the most popular video poker games in this guide, some of which are very similar in terms of how to play and strategies to win as they are variations of each other. However, the similarities will end when it comes to the paytables of each game. If you are a fan of video poker games, it would definitely be wise to do your research first regarding paytables in order to find one that best suits your gambling requirements. To start you off, let’s go through the rules of some of these increasingly popular casino games.
A brief history of video poker
Poker has definitely enjoyed an incredible growth in both numbers and popularity over the recent years. The true roots of video poker lie in the popular game of poker. Video poker machines have descended from coin-operated machines that were used in the late nineteenth century. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that the early poker machines underwent a serious facelift. The video poker machine was born at the same time as the personal computer, thanks to modern technology and a computer chip. At the time, video poker was played on a machine that appeared rather like a television set, but the history of video poker did not stand still for long and advances continued to be made. The very first successful video poker game in the form of Draw Poker was introduced in 1979. The years that followed saw a massive increase in popularity of these games as many people started to enjoy these machines rather than sitting at a casino table and they soon became a serious rival to slot machines.
The creation of the internet and online casinos marked a significant landmark in the history of video poker. Being able to play video poker online in the comfort of your own home attracted many players to the game and today there are now very different variations of the game. Each variant of online video poker game comes with its own rules and payout conditions, but ultimately they are all based on the original game of poker. Looking back at the history of video poker up until the current date, there certainly lies a rosy future in store for this very popular game.
Single-hand and multi-hand video poker explained
When it comes to video poker games, you can either play single-hand video poker or double-hand video poker and players often wonder which is better. In short: there is no correct answer, because as with any casino game, they both have their pros and cons. There are numerous sub-variations which include the popular Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and Joker Poker and the single-hand version is simply that – five cards are dealt with one draw after the player chooses their hand cards. Multi-hand versions are different as they allow you to play numerous hands at the same time. You will usually be able to choose between 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 hands at once.
You should first compare the paytables of both of these versions of the game. Most online casinos will generally offer a better paytable for the single version play. When you play three and five-hand games, usually the same paytables can be found, but when you get into 10, 50 and 100-hand games, the full pay versions are few and far between. It is always a good idea to try and go for the better paytable. There is a myth among players that playing more than one hand at a time gives you better odds of winning, when in fact the odds do not change whether you are playing one or one hundred hands. Multi-play machines may be more volatile than single play games and you are more likely to hit a royal flush when playing multi-hand, as you are simply three or more hands instead of just one. Basically, this just means that you should expect to have both good and bad runs on multi-hand games.
Another difference that lies in these games is the cost and possible wins. So you can keep the same max bet level if you play $1 machine with a max bet of five you might play a four hand machine with a 25¢ coin size for a total bet of $5. This is of course just an example and how much you bet is entirely up to you. But the difference here is you are swapping the chance for a big payout on the one version for a smaller payout on the other version. If you play at the same bet level when you move to the multi-hand game you will find that while you will get more of the smaller wins you will win less when you hit a royal flush. These are the type of differences that you should always consider before deciding to play either single-hand video poker or multi-hand video poker. Multiple hand poker can pay out at a faster rate than single line, but it will also deplete your bankroll that much faster.
Aces and Faces
Aces and Faces is a video poker game that is played with just one deck of 52 cards and the cards are shuffled before every game. Before the game begins you must first select your coin size and the number of coins you want to wager. Aces and Faces have special bonus payouts if you have a hand with four-of-a-kind with Aces or with any of the face cards: Jack, Queen, or King. To start off, you are dealt five different cards in the first hand and then you have to choose which cards you want to hold on to and which ones you want to discard. The main aim of the game is for you to complete the game with the strongest hand. It would be in your favour to hold on to any Aces or Faces cards so that way you will have a chance of winning one of the bonus payouts.
The best hand you can get in Aces and Faces is the Royal Flush, and you will be paid in according to your total stake. The next best hand is Four Aces, then Straight Flush, followed by four Jacks, Queens, or Kings. There are many other winning hands that include Full House, Flush and a Straight.
All American
All American video poker is a game that is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and it is a game that is played between you and the dealer. In the very first hand the player is dealt five different cards and you must hold as many cards as you want to try and build the strongest possible hand. The remaining cards will be discarded and they will be replaced with new cards from the same playing deck. This game is very similar to the video poker game Jacks or Better in terms of play, but it differs when it comes to the payout combinations.
When it comes to strategies for this game it is advisable to never break up a dealt playing hand, unless you have four of the five cards for a Royal Flush. If when you are dealt a playing hand it is not a winning hand you should check the list of ranked possible combinations and try to use the one that will result in the highest payout. Winning combinations in this game include Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, Full House, High Pair (Jack or better), Low Pair and many more.
Deuces Wild
Deuces Wild is video poker game that allows you to increase your initial wager as your hand improves and it is a simple poker variant. The game is much like the other video poker game Jacks or Better. Deuces Wild uses a 52-card deck. However, in this version of the video poker game the four deuces, which are the four 2’s in the pack, are wild. You can use these deuces as you wish to represent any other card; they can even be used to make up a five of a kind winning combination.
In the game of Deuces Wild the minimum hand that you can win with is a Three of a Kind and there are five different variations. Each variation purely depends on whether or not you are dealt any deuces in the first five cards that are dealt.
If you are dealt one deuce, you will always have a minimum hand of one pair as the deuce will always match any other single value. Providing you have been dealt at least one deuce, you can always look then to use this wildcard to try and improve your hand as much as you can. If, however, you are lucky to be dealt two deuces, you will have a minimum hand of Three of a Kind where you can always draw three cards against a pair of deuces to improve your hand. This also applies if you were to be dealt more than two deuces to make a minimum hand of Four of a Kind.
Deuces are the most valuable cards in this version of video poker and you should never discard a deuce. In order to win big in Deuces Wild, the key is to go for the Royal Flush, more so than you would in the game of Jacks or Better. If, however, you have been dealt a very poor hand with no opportunities for a winning hand, you can discard the entire hand of five cards and draw five new cards. In this version of video poker, three card Flushes and Straights are worthless to you, as are single unmatched High Cards. If you do not have any deuces, you should also discard of two pair hands as they do not pay in this game. You could hang on to one of the pairs and draw three new cards in the hope of at least a matching number or one deuce.
When you play Deuces Wild, you may find that that a lot of the hands you are dealt will actually contain nothing at all of any value and you will find yourself frequently drawing five new cards. However, do not be afraid to discard all of the first five cards if you hold nothing of value. Winning hand combinations also include Full House, Straight and Flush.
Tens or Better
Tens or Better is one of the most famous poker games and it is a variation of Jacks or Better. This is an excellent to learn as an introduction to poker as the game allows you to easily understand the basics of the five card draw poker game. The main objective of this game is to have a five-card poker hand that has a winning combination. You will receive a larger payout the higher your hand is.
To start the game the player is dealt five cards and you will then choose which of them you would like to hold and which one you want replaced. You can replace your cards only once. If you do not get one of the winning combinations in your hand, the game will end and start again requiring another bet. However, if you do get a winning hand, you can either collect your winnings or try to double it. If you choose to double it, you will be dealt four cards faced down and one card will be drawn face up. You would then have to choose one of your four cards and if that card is lower than what the dealer has you lose your bet. This double up bet can continue until you either lose or collect your winnings.
When it comes to winning combinations in Tens or Better, the hand ranking is similar to your standard poker game. However, with this game the minimum possible winning hand is a pair of tens or better, hence the game’s name. Before playing this game it would be a good idea to have a memory of the hand rankings, the highest possible hand would be a Royal Flush which consists of the same-suite sequential cards Ten, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. Other hands in this game include a Straight Flush, a Full House, a Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs and a Pair. This is basically what you can expect when playing Tens or Better.
Joker Poker
This is another video poker game but with kings or better, a wild joker, a double or nothing bonus game and up to 100 hands to play. You can also try to line up the special Sequential Royal hand where you can receive a very large payout.
The main object of Joker Poker is to create one of the 12 poker hands that are described on the game’s pay table. When you start playing the game you will be able to select which of the first cards dealt you would like to keep. The cards that you did not choose to keep will be replaced on the next deal around. You need to get a winning combination within your hand or the game will end. As we mentioned, there are 12 hands that will pay out accordingly to the Joker Poker pay table, but you will need at least a pair of Kings or better to receive a payout. If you get a Joker wild this can create two special hands that are near the top of the payouts which are the Royal Flush with Joker and the Five of a Kind. The special Sequential Royal hand that we also mentioned happens when a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace line up in precise order.
Joker Poker also comes in multiple-hand games like Joker Poker 3-hand video poker, 10-hand poker, 52-hand poker and 100-hand poker. However, each of these games will have the same paytable.
Joker Wild
Joker Wild is just another one of a large group of five-hand card games which as a collective are called draw poker. The common theme being the players have the opportunity to discard some of the five dealt cards in the hope they will receive better cards in the next card round dealt, and Joker Wild is certainly no exception to that rule. The Joker Wild variation adds one joker card into the pack of 52 which can represent any card chosen by the player who received it. Statistics indicate that poker players are likely to receive the wild joker card once in every 10 deals of the cards.
Following the initial placement of bets, or ante, each player then receives five cards face down. The player must then examine their cards and choose which ones to keep or replace. Some house rules may specify that only a maximum or three or four cards can be changed or four on presentation of an ace in hand, it is always advisable to check the rules of the game before you play. Once you have received your second hand the odds of winning are increased due to the addition of the joker wild card, so the odds of payout are then adjusted. The player must possess a minimum of two pairs of cards up to queens, or single pairs of kings or aces.
This is an excellent game for beginners as no round betting takes place after the draw, but there are also variations of multi-deck Jokers Wild.
Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better is one of the more popular video poker games and it also plays on one of the common ruler of poker, but with some exceptions and variations. As with most poker games the main objective of Jacks or Better is to obtain a five-card poker hand with a winning combination and, as with many poker games, the better the hand you have, the larger the win you will receive. The game of Jacks or Better allows you to choose which cards you want to keep and to discard, but you can only replace the cards once in the entire game.
This is a fun and easy game to play and, once you learn the basics and combine that with the right strategies, winning is never too difficult. If you are a novice player there is no need to feel intimidated by this game, as the rules and procedures are easy to learn, which is why it is so popular. You must first choose the amount of coins you want to wager and select ‘Deal’. This is when you get the chance to pick which cards you want to keep and which ones to discard. If you have a losing combination, it means the round is over and you must start again by placing another wager.
However, if you have a winning combination, you will move to the next part of the game which is called ‘doubling your win’ and this works in pretty much the same way as the other poker games we have mentioned with this feature. You can accept your win from your winning hand or you can opt to try and double it. In Jacks or Better this round starts with the dealer drawing one open card and you will be dealt four cards face down and you must pick one. Picking a card whose value is lower than the dealer’s card makes the player lose the original win. You may either tie if the face values are the same, or if your card is higher than the dealer’s, you win double the value of your original win. In Jacks or Better you may also play Half Double where the same rule applies to the card drawing, only that half of the winning amount is being wagered by the player, while the other half is held in their account balance.
Aces and Eights
Aces and Eights is another popular video poker game which has also been known as the Dead Man’s Hand. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and plays more less like the game Jacks or Better with five cards being dealt to the player in the first hand. The best strategy being to hold the strongest cards in the first round for a chance of building a high paying hand when playing.
Aces and Eights differs from other video poker games as it offers high payouts on some of the hand combinations. You can receive a higher payout if you have a hand that consists of Four of a Kind – Aces or 8s, Four of a Kind – Other or Four of a Kind – 7s, however the highest paying hand possible in Aces and Eights is the Royal Flush. Other ranked hands include Two suited high cards, Two Pair and Three cards to a straight flush. If after all the cards have been dealt you have a pair of Jacks or Better, you will receive a payout (the size of the payout depends on your hand’s strength).
Other
Other video poker games that you can expect to find include the likes of Double Bonus Poker, Power Bonus Poker, Multi-Hand Bonus Deuces, Three Card Poker, Oasis Poker and Hold’em Challenge, but most poker games will follow the same poker strategies.
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