Poker Expert
Video poker has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years, thanks to its ease of play, anonymity, and the prospect of winning big without requiring interaction with other players. Follow our expert guide to ensure you know how to play video poker and how to use video poker strategies to give yourself the best chance of being successful at this exciting and accessible game.
All You Need to Know
- Video poker is a casino game that is played against the house.
- It’s a simple and accessible game, offering a balance between chance and skill.
- There are numerous video poker games available, each with its own unique set of rules and payouts.
- You can use video poker strategies to give yourself the best odds of winning, reducing the house edge to as low as one percent or even less.
What Is Video Poker?
Video poker games are played on a computerized console, much like slot machines. These machines are commonly found on casino floors and at top online poker sites. Video poker is played using a 52-card deck and follows a structure similar to a single-player version of Five-Card Draw poker.
Players are typically dealt a five-card starting hand. They can then choose which cards to discard and redraw to make their final hand. The aim is to make a winning poker hand according to the video poker payout table on the machine.
There’s a strong element of chance in video poker. You can’t control the cards you are dealt or redrawn. However, you can use video poker strategies to improve your odds of winning. The skill is in deciding which cards to redraw to maximize your chances of making a winning hand.
Video poker is fast-paced and, while simpler than live poker, still requires strategic decisions to maximize your returns. It is a casino game that is played against the “computer”. The house has an edge, but by studying video poker strategy charts and learning the odds, you can reduce this to a very tiny amount. This article will show you how.
While video poker offers one of the lowest house edges among casino games, it has high variance, since most of the return comes from rare top hands. Managing your bankroll is therefore essential when playing.
How to Play Video Poker: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now you know what it is, it’s time to learn how to play video poker games successfully. We’ll start with a functional, step-by-step guide before moving on to video poker payouts and strategy.
Step 1: Select a Video Poker Game
There is a selection of popular video poker games that you can choose from, such as Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, or Joker’s Wild. We’ll outline the rules for these later on. As a beginner, you’ll want to try a few different games out for yourself to see which suits you best.
Step 2: Choose a Pay Table
One major attraction of playing video poker games is that you can see the financial return you can expect from each type of game by comparing video poker payout tables to see which provides the best value. Look out for bonuses, such as for making a Royal Flush, and how they impact payouts.
Step 3: Place a Bet
You’ve analyzed the pay tables and selected a video poker game, now it’s time to place a bet to get started. Select your stakes. Then, you can choose how many coins to bet for each round, usually from one to five.
Step 4: Start Playing
Now, you’re ready to start playing. Hit the deal button to be dealt your first five-card hand (or three-card hand). Choose which cards to discard before pressing the button again. You’ll receive replacement cards, known as the draw, to complete your final hand. Check the pay table and odds to see what you can expect to be awarded, and await an almost instant video poker payout if you win.
Video Poker Winning Hands
The way to win at video poker is to finish with a hand that qualifies for a payout. Although some rules differ depending on which game you choose to play, video poker games are almost identical to traditional poker games with respect to hand rankings, so you can rely on this poker cheat sheet if you aren’t 100% sure of the value of a given hand.
Many video poker games employ the ‘Jacks or Better’ rule as the minimum hand that triggers a payout. This means the lowest hand that qualifies for a win is a pair of jacks.
Types of Video Poker Bets
In video poker games, after depositing your money, you get to decide how much of your stake you’d like to wager. This can range from one coin to five coins. Depending on the game, you may also be able to play bonus bets on outcomes.
You can bet any amount you like, but betting the maximum sometimes results in higher video poker payouts per coin. For example, the Royal Flush payout is usually higher for a five-coin bet.
Each variant has its own optimal strategy. The correct decision on which cards to hold or discard changes with wild cards and pay table adjustments.
Video Poker Pay Table
Each type of game has a different system of video poker payouts that stagger the payout odds. These range from the pair to this much-coveted Royal Flush. Although there are many different games to choose from, the odds are generally similar across all of them.
A “full-pay” machine offers the highest return available for that variant. For Jacks or Better, a full-pay version awards 9 for a Full House and 6 for a Flush.
| Hand | 1 Coin | 2 Coins | 3 Coins | 4 Coins | 5 Coins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1,000 | 4,000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pair | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Video poker games are highly attractive due to the potential to hit huge pots and score massive paydays, although top prizes, such as a Royal Flush, are rare. Always bet the maximum five coins to unlock the full Royal Flush bonus; betting fewer coins lowers your return percentage. However, video poker strategies often encourage you to play for lower payouts in exchange for more consistent results.
How Video Poker Differs from Poker
How Video Poker Differs from Video Slots
Although both video poker and video slots are typically played in the same way, on a computerized machine, there are some key differences between them:
- Slots are completely random: Modern slot machines use random number generators (RNGs) to ensure each spin is completely random. Video poker machines use the same RNG technology for dealing and redrawing cards, but player decisions on which cards to hold or discard only affect outcomes after those random draws.
- Video poker offers higher RTPs: Although online slots also offer a high return-to-play percentage (RTP), video poker games offer some of the best odds in casino and online gaming. If you play with a less generous paytable or make mistakes when it comes to redrawing, the house edge is around two to five percent. If you play a full-pay machine using perfect video poker strategy, the house edge can be reduced to as little as 0.5 to one percent.
- Strategy plays a part in video poker: In most cases, slots involve pressing a button and hoping for the best. Knowing how to play video poker means using a video poker strategy to your advantage. Players can influence the outcome instead of relying solely on chance. Knowledge of the odds and poker hand rankings will help you make informed decisions.
Types of Video Poker
There are various games to choose from when exploring the world of video poker, and the library of games on offer is updated regularly. The indie game Balatro took everyone by surprise, a console mash-up of video poker and Roguelite gameplay.
Even when new options emerge, though, knowing how to play video poker games across the many formats will stand you in good stead:
In Deuces Wild, a unique feature is that deuces can be substituted for any card, transforming it into a wild card that can help form high-ranking card combinations. Deuces Wild video poker offers one of the best return rates for players of all the games you can choose from. This game’s RTP is usually around 97-99%.
Deuces Wild video poker offers one of the best return rates for players of all the games you can choose from. Full-pay versions can exceed 100% RTP with perfect play, though these machines are rare.
Very similar to Jacks or Better video poker, Double Bonus places an emphasis on four-of-a-kind hands, offering bigger bonuses and payouts on this hand compared to any others. It can offer higher payouts on certain hands depending on the pay table, but it often increases variance compared to other games.
If you know how to play five-card draw, you’ll pick up Jacks or Better easily. The two are very similar. Jacks or Better offers the added benefit of earning instant payouts for any pairs of jacks or higher. It remains one of the most popular video poker games available to play. This is the variation that we’ll use to discuss video poker strategies soon.
Joker’s Wild video poker uses a deck of 53 cards: the standard deck, plus a joker. The Joker acts as a wildcard, meaning it can be used as a substitute for any card to help make a winning hand. Although it doesn’t offer the best video poker payouts, Jokers Wild’s unique rules increase the chances of winning.
Video Poker Strategy for Beginners
Now that you know the basics of how to play video poker, it’s time to learn some video poker strategy to give yourself the best chance of success.
The main decision you’ll need to make in video poker is which cards to hold and which to discard for the redraw. In some situations, this will be a simple decision. For example, if you’re holding three aces and two low cards, you would hold the aces. You already have a winning hand (three of a kind) with a chance to improve to a full house or four of a kind.
In other situations, the choice can be more difficult. For example, should you break a high pair to try to make a flush or straight? Thankfully, computers have done the maths, so we know the answer.
Video Poker Strategy Charts
The list below shows the priority of hands that you should aim for. To use these video poker strategy charts, look at your starting cards and then run down the list from the top until you reach your hand.
This chart ranks potential hands from strongest to weakest for 9/6 Jacks or Better. Read each column from top to bottom before moving to the next. It is true for Jacks or Better 9/6. “High card” in the context of video poker means a jack or higher.
| 1. Royal Flush | 11. Four cards to an inside Straight Flush | 21. Four cards to an inside Straight, all high cards |
| 2. Straight Flush | 12. High Pair (Jacks or Better) | 22. Two cards to a Royal Flush (KQ/KJ/AK/AQ/AJ) |
| 3. Four of a Kind | 13. Three cards to a Royal Flush | 23. Three cards to a double inside or inside Straight Flush |
| 4. Four Card Royal Flush | 14. Four cards to a Flush | 24. Four card inside Straight with three high cards |
| 5. Full House | 15. Four cards to a Straight with three high cards | 25. Two cards to a Royal Flush (QT/JT) |
| 6. Flush | 16. Low Pairs (Tens or Lower) | 26. Two high cards |
| 7. Three of a Kind | 17. Four Card Straight with one or more high cards | 27. One high card |
| 8. Straight | 18. Three Cards to a Straight Flush with one or more high cards | 28. Three cards to a double inside Straight draw, no high card |
| 9. Four cards to a Straight Flush | 19. Four cards to a Straight with no high cards | 29. No high cards or draws, redraw entire hand |
| 10. Two Pairs | 20. Three cards to a Straight Flush |
The video poker strategy list starts off fairly simple, as you would clearly never break a strong winning hand. As it progresses, though, we start to learn when to break certain hands in order to attempt to make others.
For example, you should hold onto a high pair over a four-card flush draw or three three-card royal flush draw. However, you would break it for the hands above, such as when you have four cards to a straight flush.
Study this video poker strategy chart during your downtime so that you can make informed decisions and bring yourself as close as possible to understanding how to beat video poker, thereby reducing the house edge to less than one percent.
Video Poker Tips
Now that you’re up to scratch with the strategy and you’ve studied the charts, follow these general video poker tips to stay on track with your gameplay.
Learn the Rules of Video Poker
Take your time to learn the ins and outs of each different type of video poker game. As we’ve outlined above, in some games, the deuces are wild, in others, the lowest winning hand combination is a pair of jacks, and in others, you’re aiming for four of a kind.
Be patient when learning the different variations, and don’t become frustrated if it takes a while to grasp all the rules.
Manage Your Bankroll
When playing video poker, the temptation is to bet on big stakes early on with just a press of a button. The games are so fast-paced, you can easily get carried away and drain your pot quickly.
Keep an eye on your balance, don’t rush into betting, and don’t be seduced by the payouts on offer. Remember, the payouts for massive poker hands are huge for a reason; those high-winning hand combos don’t come around often!
Choose Your Game Wisely
When you’re playing at a physical casino, you won’t always have the luxury. When you’re playing video poker online, you can choose the game you want to play. So, you may as well choose based on the video poker strategy that you know and the paytable. Expect to play 300-500 hands per hour, so even a small house edge can add up. Manage your bankroll with that pace in mind.
For beginners, Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild have excellent RTPs, and they are also easy to learn.
Stick to Solid Video Poker Strategy
If you’re dealt a pair, or the elements of a straight or flush draw, don’t be quick to throw them away. Going after the big hands could leave you missing out on the opportunity to hit small, consistent payoffs.
Study video poker strategy charts to get a feel for what payouts you should aim for, given your starting hands. It may seem like a reserved approach at first, but applying proper video poker strategies is the mathematically proven way to reduce the house edge and increase your win rate.
Each hand is determined by RNG software, and short-term swings are normal. Stay consistent and rely on strategy rather than emotion. Multi-hand and progressive-jackpot versions raise the game’s volatility and can require larger bankrolls to withstand swings.
Where to Play Video Poker
Due to their popularity, video poker games are very often available at both online casinos and brick-and-mortar establishments. There are also dedicated apps for video poker, and many offer several variations of the game.
If you prefer playing in a real casino environment, video poker games can be found on casino floors all over the world. Similar to slot machines, these computerized consoles are hard to miss. Pay tables and return rates vary by jurisdiction and casino operator; therefore, always review the displayed pay schedule before playing.
Always gamble responsibly and set limits before starting. Even with an optimal strategy, outcomes depend on chance and can fluctuate significantly.
That’s it. There’s nothing more left to cover. It’s time to choose a video poker game, get dealt in, and start refining your video poker strategy for this unique casino poker variant!
