Video Poker
The introduction of video poker online revolutionized the game and made it one of the most favored online casino games ever played. Video poker gives you the thrill of playing basic draw poker in a slot game like fashion. Your aim in online casino video poker is to make a good hand of high value but, you are playing against the machine and not other players. The casino game is less complicated than actual draw poker and gives you the excitement and thrill of playing on a slot game with progressive jackpots, bonuses, cool animation and sound effects.
Video poker is as simple as finding the game of your choice, placing your bet and playing. After you make you bet by choosing the coin denomination, you hit the deal / draw button and you will be given 5 cards. You can choose to keep the cards you want by selecting them and clicking ‘hold’. The cards that you have not selected will be replaced with new ones. If you are not happy with any of the cards you have you can have the whole hand replaced with new cards. The most important strategy when you play online video poker is knowing which cards to keep and which ones to get rid of. You must be familiar with the card combinations of the winning hand so you know how close you are to making one with the cards you are dealt.
There are several variants of video poker. The basic rules of the variants are the same however they have unique features and rules that make each of them interesting and fun to play. The payouts of each game vary as well. Some of the most popular video poker games are Jacks or better, Deuces Wild, Jacks Wild, Aces and Faces, Aces and Eights, Joker poker, Double joker, Tens or better, and many more. In these games there are particular cards that can make winning combinations.
The standard winning hands for all video poker games are:
Two pairs: Two sets of pairs of the same value
Three of a kind: Three cards of the same value
Straight: Five cards in sequence from different suits
Flush: five cards from the same suit but need not be in sequence
Full House: A hand made of three cards of the same value and another two cards of the same value
Four of a kind: Four cards of the same value from different suit
Straight flush: All five cards of the same suit and in sequence
Royal flush: comprises of ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit
There are some simple casino online poker strategies that you can keep in mind in order to make your game better and more rewarding.
• Try looking out for games that use the minimum number of decks. More decks mean a higher house edge for the casino.
• Some video poker games have progressive jackpots. So just like in a progressive slots game you have to bet maximum number of coins if you want to be eligible for the jackpot. You hit the jackpot if you make a royal flush. Now this can be an expensive affair so you have to be sure you can afford the game.
• Always hold the cards that help you make a winning hand and discard the rest. A few practice rounds can help you improve your skills and soon you will know immediately what cards to keep and what to get rid of.
• Know the rules of the video poker variation you are playing. Different variants use certain cards to make winning hands. For example in Jacks or better, a pair of jacks is a winning hand. In Deuces wild, twos are the wild card and can substitute any other card to make a winning hand. Therefore it is very important to thoroughly understand the rules of the variant you are playing.





