Video Poker Generally
When we can talk about the pros and cons of gambling hardly anyone would argue that one of the most interesting and therefore, one of the most popular entertainments today is online poker. This is the poker that won the hearts and minds of many people because the number of poker enthusiasts is quite large and it is increasing every day. Video poker online is nothing else but a computer variant of 5-card draw poker. The game is played on a machine that resembles a slot online machine but with few differences in the form of some additional control buttons.
The first online video poker appeared in 1970 when the first PCs were released. Of course, the first machines were rather primitive. By 1980 almost all the casinos could offer their customers the opportunity to play various video poker variants. Today it is difficult to find a modern online casino that does not have this wonderful game. To play video poker is easy now – all you need is to download it. Online video poker is the best game for intellectuals and people who prefer a mental activity of any other but also people who are not unfamiliar with the sense of excitement since the game combines elements of luck but at the same time requires a tangible mental effort.
Online casinos offer a myriad of video poker variants that provide players a wider choice. The most often seen types of video poker are as follows: Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, Multi Joker Poker, Deuces Wild, Aces and Faces, 10s or Better, etc. When you choose a type of online poker you should remember that although the basic strategy for video poker online is universal, the strategy principles may differ in nuances to some extent.
10s or Better Video Poker
The game is played with a 52-card deck shuffled by a Random Number Generator. On the left side of the display, there is a table of winning combinations and payouts, depending on the number of coins (from 1 to 5). The winning combinations are as follows: Royal flush, Straight flush, Four of a kind, Full house, Flush, three of a kind, Two pairs, 10s or better. The main hand is shown down and the other hands are shown on the upper part of the display. There are buttons that allow you to choose your bets (from 1 to 5) and the number of hands. When you place your bet, you need to press the “deal” button. Below the screen, there are some “hold” buttons that are used for controlling the cards. There is also a “Max bet” button down there. After pressing the button deal, you get 5 cards. Then you need to evaluate them and decide which cards you are going to hold and which ones to replace. After you choose the cards you need to hold, you need to press the button “draw” in order to replace the other ones. In case you have a winning combination you can either press the button “collect” and get your payout, or continue the game and try to increase your money by pressing the button “double”. If you choose to press the “double” button, you will be given an opportunity to choose the color or the suit of the hand that will be drawn. In case you guessed the color, the payout will be doubled. In case you guessed the suit, will be quadrupled. In case of a successful attempt, the prize will be doubled and you will have the chance to double it again. In case the attempt failed, you just lose. The final result is displayed above the drawn card after you have selected a color or a suit. In order to continue playing, you need to press “continue” and wait for a few seconds. Payouts of 10s or better are as follows: Royal flush – 500:1; Straight flush – 50:1; Four of a kind – 25:1; Full house – 9:1; Flush – 6:1; Straight – 4:1; Three of a kind – 3:1; Two pairs – 2:1; 10s or better – 1:1.
Jacks or Better Video Poker
The game is played with a 52-card deck shuffled by a Random Number Generator. As you can see, the lowest paying hand is a pair of Jacks. The hand ranking from highest to lowest is as follows: Royal flush, Straight flush, Four of a kind, Full house, Flush, three of a kind, Two pairs, Jacks or better. You can see a table of winning combinations and payouts on the screen. The goal of the game is to form a winning combination. On the right of the screen, there are (+) and (-) buttons and you can choose the value of the coins you want to bet. After you have chosen your bet, you need to click the “deal” button. After that, you are dealt 5 cards. Then you need to choose which cards you want to replace and which ones you want to keep. In order to do that, you need to press the “hold” button or click on the card itself. If you need to replace some of the cards, you should click on the “deal” button again. Bear in mind, that you can replace your cards only once. Payouts of Jacks or better are as follows: Royal flush – 250:1; Straight flush – 50:1; Four of a kind – 25:1; Full house – 9:1; Flush – 6:1; Straight – 4:1; Three of a kind – 3:1; Two pairs – 2:1; Jacks or better – 1:1. If you managed to form a winning combination, you have the opportunity either to take the prize or to continue playing by pressing the button “Double”. If you could not manage to form a winning combination, you lose and the round is over.
Joker Poker Video Poker
Video poker Joker poker is played with a 53 card deck i.e. a standard deck and a Joker. The Joker acts as a wild card. Upon the screen, you can see a table of winning combinations and payouts. The goal of the game is to form one of the winning combinations. These combinations from lowest to highest are as follows: Kings or better (a pair), Two pairs, Three of a kind, Straight, Flush, Full house, Four of a kind, Straight Flush, Joker Royal Flush (where one of the cards is Joker), Five of a kind (this is four of a kind and a Joker), and Natural Royal Flush (without Joker). Payouts of Joker poker are as follows: Natural Royal Flush – 750:1; Five of a kind – 200:1; Joker Royal Flush – 100:1; Straight flush – 50:1; Four of a kind – 17:1; Full house – 7:1; Flush – 5:1; Straight – 3:1; Three of a kind – 2:1; Two pairs – 1:1; Kings or better – 1:1. After the bets are placed, players should press the “Deal” button and they will be dealt five cards each. Then players need to decide which cards they want to keep by pressing the button “Hold” and which ones to replace. Players are allowed to replace cards once per session. If a player managed to form one of the winning Joker Poker combinations, he can either take the payout by pressing the “Collect” button or continue the game by clicking the “Double” button. If you do that, you will be dealt one card face up and four cards face down. Then you need to guess a card with a greater value than the face-up card (out of the 4 cards that are face down). If you succeed, your winnings will be doubled but if not, you will lose all your winnings. In case both cards are of the same value, you will also get your winnings. When doubling, the lowest card is considered 2, and the highest one is Ace. In Joker Poker video poker suits do not count. The Joker beats any card, including the Aces.
Multi Joker Poker Video Poker
The game is played with a standard 52-card deck plus a Joker. The goal of the game is to form a winning combination. The combinations from lowest to highest are as follows: 2 pairs, Three of a kind, Straight, Flush, Full house, Four of a kind, Straight flush, Joker Royal flush, Five of a kind, Royal flush (natural). You are allowed to play up to 5 hands and bet up to 5 coins. After the bets are placed, you need to press the “Deal” button and then you will be dealt 5 cards. Then you need to decide which cards to keep and which ones to replace in order to improve your hand or to form a winning combination. If you want to keep a card, you need to press the “Hold” button. If you change your mind, you need to press the “hold” button again, and your previous command will be canceled. After you choose your cards, you need to press the “draw” button in order to replace the cards you want. Bear in mind, that you are allowed to replace your cards only once per session (game). If you managed to form one of the winning combinations, you can either take the payout by pressing the “Collect” button or continue the game by clicking the “Double” button. If you choose to press the “Double” button, you need to guess the suit or the color of the cards that are to be dealt. If you guessed the color, your winnings will be doubled, and if you guessed the suit, your winnings will be quadrupled. If you did not succeed to do that, you lose. The payouts of Multi Joker Poker video poker are as follows: Two pair – 1:1; Three of a kind – 2:1; Straight – 4:1; Flush – 5:1; Full House – 8:1; Four of a kind – 20:1; Straight flush – 40:1; Joker royal flush – 50:1; Five of a kind – 100:1; Royal flush – 600:1.
Deuces Wild Video Poker
Deuces wild video poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The main feature here is that the four 2s in the deck (the deuces) act as wild cards. Deuces wild video poker hand ranking from lowest to highest is as follows: Three of a kind (this is the lowest card combination), Straight, Flush, Full house, Four of a kind, Straight flush, Five of a kind (cards of the same value that may include 1 or more deuces), Wild royal flush (a Royal flush that includes 1 or more deuces), Four Deuces (wild cards), Natural royal flush (a Royal flush without deuces). The payouts of Deuces wild video poker are as follows: Natural royal flush – 250:1; Four deuces – 200:1; Wild royal flush – 25:1; Five of a kind – 15:1; Straight flush – 10:1; Four of a kind – 4:1; Full house – 3:1; Flush – 2:1; Straight – 2:1; Three of a kind – 1:1. Like in other video poker games, you are allowed to replace cards only once per session. If you form a winning combination, you can either take the payout by pressing the button “collect”, or continue playing by pressing the button “Double”. If you choose to play, you will be dealt five cards – one face up and the others face down. Then you need to guess a card (from the ones face down) higher than the card face up. In case you manage, your winnings will be doubled. In case you don’t, you will lose your winnings. In case both cards are of the same value, you’ll get your winnings but they won’t be doubled. When doubling, the lowest card is considered 3, and the highest one is Ace. Suits do not count. 2s (deuces) beat any other cards including Aces.
Aces and Faces Video Poker
Aces and Faces Video Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The goal of the game is to form one of the 11 winning combinations. There are no wild cards in this game and the dominant cards are the Aces as well as the face cards. You are allowed to bet up to 5 coins. After the bets are placed, you need to press the “Deal” button and you will be dealt 5 cards. Then you need to choose which cards to keep and which ones to replace. When you decide that, you need to press the “Draw” button in order to replace the cards you wanted. The hand ranking from lowest to highest is as follows: Jacks or better; 2 pair; Three of a kind; Straight; Flush; Full house; Four 2s to 10s; Four Jacks, Queens or Kings; Straight flush; Four Aces; and Royal flush. If you managed to form a winning combination, you can either take your payout by pressing the “Collect” button, or continue playing by pressing the button “Double”. If you choose to press the “Double” button, you need to guess the color or the suit of the cards that are to be dealt. If you guessed the right color, your winnings will be doubled, and if you guessed the right suit, your winnings will be quadrupled. If you haven’t guessed the right color or suit, you’ll lose. Well, there is no absolute happiness. The payouts of Aces and Faces video poker are as follows: Royal flush – 500:1; Four Aces – 80:1; Straight flush – 50:1; Four of a kind (of Jacks, Queens, or Kings) – 40:1; Four of a kind (of 2s to 10s) – 25:1; Full house – 8:1; Flush – 5:1; Straight – 4:1; Three of a kind – 3:1; Two pair – 2:1; Jacks or better – 1:1.
As you can see, playing video poker online is not harder than playing poker in land-based casinos. It is even easier. The rules are similar and there are many video poker variations you can find online. What you always need to remember is that you play with a machine, actually with a computer but not a dealer. But the rules are simple and following them is easy. That’s why video poker is one of the few ways to entertain yourself and have a lot of fun and a great time. It is a bright and colorful game that gives you a lot of pleasure. This is exactly the reason video poker has become the most popular game on the Internet, even more, popular than the well-known and exciting game of Black Jack. Video poker online is the best solution for poker enthusiasts who value their time. So, enjoy yourselves and good luck!