Video Poker Rules - Playing Online Video Poker - Video Poker Basics

Video Poker is what you get if you cross Stud with a slot machine and add in a few wild cards. It's fast, similar to playing Stud, and you've got a massive range of betting options. You can select Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, All American, Joker Poker or a number of other variation such as Jokers Wild 1,5, 10 or 50 hand. Each game has its own individual aspects and pays out based on a particular kind of strategy.

Most Video Poker games let you play anything from one through five coins, with the payoffs getting better at the high end of the game. So if you know your Video Poker hands and take the time to learn your game, Video Poker can be fast, fun, and extremely lucrative. We know many players that can play Video Poker for hours on end with a very small bank roll. You need to consider that the house edge of video poker offered by most online casinos is pretty small, usually around 3% on most forms of video poker

Video Poker fans should keep in mind that each game has its own strategy and own rules of play. All American Video Poker, for example, pays better than the others on straights and flushes, so that will effect your approach to card choices when drawing.

Betting on Video Poker

Betting is pretty sinple in Video Poker. On any given machine you can typically choose $0.25, $0.50, $1, or $5 games. And the bets are 1x, 2x, 3x, 4x, or 5x (Max Bet) whichever game you're playing. So if you're playing a $1 game, you can place bets of $1, $2, $3, $4, or $5.

Video Poker Objectives

As with most variations of Poker, the player aims to get the highest hand possible. Usually, the payouts are marked right on the face of the Video Poker machine so it's a fast lesson in what the hand rankings are. All Video Poker games have the same hand rankings, though a given variation may add an extra rank here or there, you need to make sure you read the payout table sand rules of the specific video poker in question.

Video Poker Payoff

In most cases, playing the highest bet possible in any particular game does pay off better, overall, than any of the lower limit maultiples. smart players choose the betting level they are at ease with and choose their game based on their level of comfort with the bet sizes and payouts of the particular game in question. What this basically translates to is if you're comfortable with a $5 bet, then pick a $1 machine and play at Max Bet for $5. If $25 bets are more your flavour, pick a $5 game because Max Bet puts you at the $25 region. In any option you choose, you're getting the best payout odds you can for that game. This is similar to a typical slots strategy.

Another note that you need to consider is the fact that the payout ratios on Video poker are different betwen each of the different types of games. Where Jacks or Better may pay 25:1 for Four Of A Kind, All American typically pays 30:1 and Joker Poker only pays 20:1. These ratios do not usually illustrate the true odds, so again, knowing your game helps you play much more intuitively.

Video Poker Strategy

General video poker strategy includes the following: Keep a Joker if you get it. You'll only see in once in ten hands, on average. Don't keep an inside Straight. Straight Flushes are a good payer and they occur considerably more frequently than in a game like Jacks or Better and All American. Straights and Flushes pay well here so it tips the usual strategy in their favour: Prefer inside Straights over one or two high cards. Prefer 4 card outside Straights and 4 card flushes over pairs, even high ones. Hold any three cards to a Flush.

When playing video poker, the odds on a particular hand can very dramatically. In general, as mentioned above Video Poker house edge is relatively low, even 1% in some video poker variations. Video Poker games can only get a decent edge when players that do not follow a particular strategy play these games.

Jacks or Better Video Poker

Jacks or Better video poker strategy can be little difficult at times. We strongly advise you to follow a video poker strategy that is provided at a number of video poker websites. In some cases, the online casino will even provide you with an optimal Jacks or Better video poker strategy so that you can learn the best way to play.

Deuces wild

Deuces Wild video poker is another very popular type of video poker. When playing Deuces Wild video poker, the deuces (2's) usually act as the wild cards and they can be used on any hand i.e. the deuces act as any card you choose in order to make the higest winning hand possible. This rule makes deuces wild one of the most popular forms of online video poker. Deuces wild is also available in 1 hand, 5 hand, 10 hand and even upto 50 hands is available. Check with the casino you are playing at to see whether they offer the certain type of Deuces Wild video poker that you want to play.