Guide to play Online Video Poker Games

By: Donna Norman9


The object of the game is to get the best possible hand that qualifies for a win. Since there is no opponent, simply getting a better hand won't do the job. Qualifying hands will vary depending on the video poker game chosen.

There are several varieties of Video Poker to select from, usually with a choice of how many hands you'd like to play per game, ranging anywhere from 1, 3 and 5 to as high as 100. It is recommended that beginners start with the 1-hand variety to get a feel for the game before moving up to the multi-hand video poker machines.

When looking through the selection of your favorite online casino's video poker machines, you're likely to find Tens or Better, Jacks or Better, Aces and Faces, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker and a slew of others. The name of the game often insinuates the lowest qualifying hand. For example, Tens or Better tells the player right off the bat they must get at least a pair of Tens or better to win. In the case of Joker Poker, the player must look at the Pay Table in order to determine a qualifying hand.

The Pay Table is perhaps the most important aspect of selecting an online Video Poker machine. The player should always know the payout of every possible combination before playing through a hand. The player should also note the payout rate in relation to the number of coins inserted into the video poker machine. For example, if a Royal Flush pays 2,000 to 1 for 1 coin inserted and 20,000 to 1 for 5 coins inserted, it would make sense to insert all 5 coins. For this reason, it is also recommended to choose a video poker machine with a low coin denomination - a quarter machine will cost you $1.25 per play when inserting max coins.

Online Video Poker Gameplay
The player will have several button laid out before them on the video poker machine: Bet, Bet Max, Deal/Draw and Cash Out. Start by clicking the Bet button to insert a single coin. Press the Bet button again to insert another coin, and so on. If you'd like to bet the maximum amount of coins, simply press Bet Max instead, which will automatically Deal the cards. Otherwise you'll nee to press the Deal/Draw button.

Look at your cards and once you've decided which ones you'd like to keep, click on those cards. The world HOLD should appear over each card you click. This means you would like to KEEP those cards. So many players have made the mistake of clicking the cards they wish to discard - don't let this happen to you!

Once you've selected the cards to Hold, press the Deal/Draw button. This will reveal your new cards, replacing the discarded ones, resulting in your final hand. If the hand qualifies for a win, according to the Pay Table at the top of the machine, you win!

Note that the lowest qualifying hand will always pay even money, or break even. For example, Tens or Better Video Poker has a lowest winning hand of a Pair of Tens. If you insert $1 and get a Pair of Tens, you will win your $1 back, breaking even.

Multi-Hand Video Poker
Multi-Hand Video Poker is played in the same manner, except that you will have to play through more hands. Each hand uses it's own 52-card deck, except in the case of Joker Poker which uses a 53-card deck. The player will be required to complete one hand at a time, moving on to the next hand until all have been played.

Wild Card Video Poker
Any online video poker game that utilizes wild cards, such as Deuces Wild and Joker Poker, will offer different payouts for certain hands completed with the use of a Wild Card. For example, getting a Royal Flush without a Wild Card might pay 20,000 to 1, whereas achieving this hand with the use of one or more Wild Cards may only pay 5,000 to 1.

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Information about the Author:

Donna Norman has been performing in-depth research and writing articles about the Top Online CasinoTop Online Casino industry for more than a year, offering her expertise to gaming enthusiasts around the world. She has covered such topics as Texas Hold'Em Poker, Online Video Poker including rules, strategies and reviews. Ms. Norman's main focus is to provide beginners with the knowledge necessary to venture into the online gambling community safely and astutely here.