Video poker has become one of the most popular casino games available online. The game combines elements of traditional five-card draw poker with the quick action and lights of a slot machine. Video poker is easy to learn, yet offers strategic depth for more advanced players.
Get familiar with the hands
The key to success at video poker is knowing the various winning poker hands. These start with a high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, and royal flush. Print out a guide with all of the hand rankings so you refer to it as you learn. Be sure to memorize the top hands like royal flushes and four-of-a-kind, as these will lead to the biggest payouts. All video poker games feature a pay table that shows the amount each winning hand pays based on the number of credits bet. Most pay tables pay out more for flushes, full houses, four-of-a-kind, and royal flushes when a maximum of 5 credits are bet. Check the pay table before inserting money to find the best returns. Look for full-pay Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better games to maximize your payouts.
Practice with free play mode
Video poker can be learned best by playing for free. All online casinos offer a free play option where you play the games for fun without risking real cash. Take advantage of free play to get comfortable with holding cards, discarding, adjusting bet sizes, and understanding the pay tables. Playing for an hour in free mode will help cement the game rules in your mind before playing for real stakes. If you’re entirely new to video poker, start with learning Jacks or Better rules. Simple gameplay requires at least one pair of Jacks to win in Jacks or Better. You’ll get comfortable with holding cards, drawing new cards, and maximizing payouts for two-pair, three-of-a-kind, full houses, and four-of-a-kind hands. Once you master Jacks or Better, you apply those skills to other video poker variants.
Graduate to double bonus poker
After getting experience on Jacks or Better, move up to Double Bonus Poker. Double Bonus includes all the core mechanics of Jacks or Better but also rewards 4-of-a-kind and 4-of-a-kind with Aces much more generously. The best payout online casinos australia make the strategy more important, as you’ll need to balance drawing for flushes/straights versus getting lucrative 4-of-a-kind payouts. Studying optimal Double Bonus strategy charts will improve your returns. To get the best returns, always bet the maximum number of coins, usually 5 per hand. The increased bet unlocks much higher payouts on flush, full house, four-of-a-kind, and straight flush hands. The extra payouts more than offset the higher bet amount. Betting less than the max means you’re leaving money on the table in the long run. Start with lower denominations if needed, but gradually increase your bet size.
