Play Online Video Poker 2024
You’re reading the ultimate online video poker guide for 2023. Video poker is a game based on a five-card draw that has a very low house edge, so it’s commonly played by players who prefer this to blackjack, as the house edge is almost the same. We’ll explain what makes video poker so popular and how and where to play it, so keep reading.
Some of the key things you’ll find on this page are:
- Best video poker sites online
- What are the best video poker variants
- Correct strategy for video poker
- How to play
Free Online Video Poker Games
If you want to practice, you’ll find free video poker games at the online casinos we list on this page. The casino will let you play with free money for as long as you like, so this is a good time to test your strategy and see if it will work. It also allows you to test many different video poker variants. When you’re ready to play for real money, simply make a deposit and start playing for real.
Real Money Video Poker Online
It goes without saying, all the online casinos you see on this page will let you play video poker for real money. You’ll make a deposit and you can then play any game you like. When you’re done, you’ll be able to withdraw your winnings.
How Do You Play Video Poker?
Video poker is one of those games that are easy to play, but difficult to master. As soon as you play a few hands you’ll feel like you own the game already and know all there is to it, but in fact there is a strategy that needs to be applied if you want to make a consistent profit.
First of all, the variant of the video poker game that you play – refer to the list of most popular ones below – influences what the correct playing style is a lot. Some games pay better for certain combinations, which means you’ll be biased towards those combinations when it’s time to discard a card. Also, most games pay better when you play them with a 5 coin bet, so keep that in mind.
The correct playing strategy always applies only to a single video poker variant, and there is no general strategy that could be applied to all poker variants, because the rules and the payouts are different.
If you chose your game carefully, examined the paytable, and decided what combinations do you want to strive towards, and have a pretty good understanding of the correct discarding strategy – then all that’s left to do is to simply discard the correct cards.
If you’re doing it properly, in the long run you should be able to make a profit, or at least you will lose very little of your budget.
Jacks or Better Correct Strategy
To reinforce what we said in the previous section, we will now present you with the optimal strategy for playing the simplest and most common form of video poker, which would be Jacks or Better.
It is assumed you’re playing the 9/6 Jacks or Better game that pays 6 coins for Flush and 9 coins for Full House. The strategy dictates which card you keep and which ones you discard. Of course, you always keep Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush and Straight.
This is what you do with the other made or almost made big hands.
- Keep 4 to a royal flush
- Keep 3 of a kind
- Dealt straight
- Keep 4 to a straight flush
- Keep Two pair
- Keep High pair
- Keep 3 to a royal flush
- Keep 4 to a flush
And this is what to do with the other hands. These would be the most important decisions to make in video poker. Note, for example, that keeping a low pair is much higher on the priority list than keeping a high card such as an Ace – indicating that it’s the low pairs you should keep and not the Ace if you have both.
- Keep unsuited TJQK
- Keep Low pair
- Keep 4 to an outside straight with 0-2 high cards
- Keep 3 to a straight flush
- Keep Suited QJ
- Keep 4 to an inside straight, with 4 high cards
- Keep Suited KQ or KJ
- Keep Suited AK, AQ, or AJ
- Keep 4 to an inside straight, with 3 high cards
- Keep Unsuited JQK
- Keep Unsuited JQ
- Keep Suited TJ
- Keep 2 unsuited high cards king highest
- Keep Suited TQ
- Keep 2 unsuited high cards ace highest
- Keep J only
- Keep Suited TK
- Keep Q only
- Keep K only
- Keep A only
- Discard everything else
This is a simpler variant of the optimal strategy, and if you follow it you should reach RTP of 99.50% in the long run.
What Are The Best Video Poker Games?
Video poker is generally a very favorable game with a low house edge, where a correct strategy can be applied to win money. The different rules of individual video poker games make for all the fun, and these rules also make the game better or worse than the others. There are those variations of video poker that are firm player favorites.
Jacks or Better – The most basic of all video poker games, Jacks or Better pays when you hold a pair of Jacks at least, otherwise the house wins. This is the preferred game for learning how to play video poker and for learning how to apply the correct strategy. It’s important to choose 9/6 Jacks or Better, if available, as it means it pays 6 coins for a flush and 9 for a full house.
Bonus Poker – This variant is essentially Jacks or Better, but with payouts for four-of-a-kind that depend on which cards you have, so four Aces will pay 80 coins while Jacks will pay 25. This is a more volatile game that inherently forces you to aim for four-of-a-kind wins.
Deuces Wild – Probably the most famous video poker version, in which all 2s are Wild. The Wild cards open up some new pays like five-of-a-kind, wild royal flush, and four deuces.
Joker Poker – Also known as Joker’s Wild, this variant introduces an additional card in the deck, a Joker, that can substitute for all other cards. This also opens up some new pays like five-of-a-kind. There are different versions of this game, Kings or Better, Aces or Better and Two Pairs or Better.
Double Bonus – In this version you’ll enjoy increased wins for all four-of-a-kind wins as well as four Aces. This is known to be a very volatile video poker variant, so you’re in for a wild ride if you decide to play this one.
How We Found The Best Video Poker Casinos
We review each casino we feature here at PlaySlots4RealMoney.com. We put the casino through our stringent review process, our reviewers actually play for real money, contact customer support, claim the bonuses, and finally request a withdrawal. That allows us to be confident in our review of a casino. If there are any red flags raised, a casino won’t appear on PlaySlots4RealMoney.com.
Of the casinos that pass our tests, we carefully selected those that are particularly useful for video poker, and we present them to you on this page. Click any of the links to sign up, claim your bonus, and start playing video poker.
How To Get Started
To get started with video poker, you should follow the steps outlined below. You’ll be playing in no time.
- Sign up with an online casino. Browse through the online casinos we recommend on this page, they were hand picked specifically for video poker players. Use our links when signing up, and register an account.
- Play video poker for free. In the lobby you’ll find a bunch of video poker games, so you can try out many different variants for free before you commit to some game with real money. You can also test some of your strategies and see which ones work.
- Deposit and play for real. Make a deposit to the online casino, and you’ll then be able to play for real money. That’s all there is to it. If you need help with making a deposit, contact the customer support and they’ll tell you what the best options for you are.
5 Expert Tips For A Great Video Poker Experience
- Choose your game wisely – different variants have different rules and payouts
- Study the correct playing strategy for your chosen variant
- Play only at reputable online casinos we recommend
- Don’t think you can predict when the poker machine will hit
- Consider playing for max coins as the payouts are often better
Online Video Poker – FAQs
How can you win at video poker?
You win at video poker by learning the general rules of the game, by choosing the correct game to play and learning its specific rules and payouts, and by applying the correct strategy for holding and discarding your initial cards. That’s when the game starts paying out nicely, and if these things aren’t applied, then you’re playing a losing game.
How can you tell if a video poker machine is going to hit?
Every hand of video poker is independent of all that came before it, so it is impossible to know when will video poker hit a certain combination.
How do you play jacks or better video poker?
Jacks or Better video poker rules are simple – you win the hand if you hold at least a pair of Jacks, otherwise the house wins. The game is deceptively simple to play but in fact it involves a great deal of strategy, such as learning to hold the low pair instead of a high card, because that produces a better ROI in the long run.
How can you beat video poker?
Video poker is an automated game of chance where you’re supposed to make a decision on which cards to keep. Your decisions matter, so they will directly influence the profitability of your game. But in the end, you’ll depend heavily on the cards you’ve been dealt.
Which video poker game has the best odds?
Video poker is generally a casino game with the highest RTP of all games, except maybe for live dealer blackjack. Of all the video poker versions, it seems Deuces Wild and Joker Wild games have the highest payout – though almost every single video poker game has RTP over 99%.
What is the RTP for video poker?
Video poker online games generally have RTP over 99%, with some getting close to 100% – in theory. This makes video poker among the games with highest payouts.
