Introduction to Video Poker Rules & Gameplay

Video poker is one of the most engaging casino games that’s been around for a long time. Despite many tech changes and updates, video poker has remained a staple in online gambling for decades. Today, it’s a preferred option for many punters who enjoy the blend of skill and luck, as well as the nostalgia that is often associated with the game.

Plus, video poker’s simple mechanics, low house edge, and potential for high payouts are unmatched.

Unlike classic, real-time poker, you're not playing against other people. Instead, you face off with a digital dealer/house. In this guide, we will introduce you to some of the most important aspects of video poker, from gameplay to hand rankings, payouts, and special elements such as the Gamble option and jackpots.

Popular Variants

Video poker comes in different shapes and forms.

Simply put, numerous variants cater to different preferences and skill levels of the players. Some of the most common types you can find at casinos include:

• Jacks or Better: The most basic and beginner-friendly variant. You need at least a pair of Jacks to strike a win.
• Deuces Wild: All 2s are Wild cards, which essentially means they are the Jokers capable of dramatically changing the strategy and potential outcomes.
• Joker Poker: In this variant, you are playing with one or more Joker cards as wilds,  changing completely the hand probabilities.
• All American Poker: It’s the same as Jacks or Better except the payouts are a bit different in the new variant.
• Bonus Poker: A video poker variant with elevated payouts, perfect for thrill-seeking punters who love higher payouts.

Of course, this is merely the beginning of the list of variants, as there are many other types of video poker games that you can play online for real  money. To check out more games, check out our game review database.

Furthermore, video poker games can be played as:

• Single-hand video poker games
• Multi-hand video poker games

What this means is that you can either play one hand per round, or play multiple hands at the same time. Generally, there is little to no difference between the modes, only multi-hand video poker offers more winning opportunities as each hand is played separately.

Game Design & Hand Rankings

Video poker is a type of online casino games played fully in RNG mode.

The goal of video poker is to try to complete the best possible 5-card hand to get a payout.

Here is a short overview of all video poker hands and their rankings.

Royal Flush has the highest value, while high cards are always the lowest payout.

Payouts depend fully on the variant and the video poker pay table that the game studio chose. Before playing, make sure to check the full pay table to see if the game is safe and fair.

Besides payouts, it’s important to know the game’s RTP. RTP is Return to Player, which is a percentage that shows how much of the invested wagers players can expect to get in return through winnings during their session. It’s a purely statistical detail, so it’s not 100% accurate every single time; but it’s a fantastic way to see what’s the game like and to get a general picture of what to expect from the game.

Each variant has its own RTP, and the different variants according to payouts have different RTP rates. Make sure to check this detail before playing.

Level-Up Video Poker Games

• Explanation of level-up mechanics and how they affect gameplay.
• Design elements that encourage continued play and reward progression.

Level Up video poker is a category of video poker games with a level up mechanic. It’s not widespread, and it was first brought in by Microgaming. Microgaming is no longer active, and most of their games went into the hands of Games Global a couple of years ago.

However, when they first appeared, they became very popular because they combined increased payouts unlockable through different levels to the familiar and classic video poker format.

Level up video poker games are high-risk games. Ideally, it takes 4 rounds – and thus, four wagers – to reach the highest level where the payout is augmented up to 8x. Today, they are almost impossible to find at online casinos.

Playing Video Poker

Now that you understand the structure and the format of the game, let’s dive into how a round of video po0ker looks like.

Video poker is one of the many versions of poker playable on the internet, right next to all sorts of casino poker games. However, it is essentially one of the easiest types of poker that you can find on the internet.

Here is how a typical round looks like:

1. Placing bets – As video poker is played in online mode, players have all the time in the world to set the bet before playing. They can choose the value and number of coins they want to stake per hand or per round.
2. Initial draw – The first draw produces 5 cards that players look at. The cards are dealt randomly from a single deck.
3. Card discard and new deal – Once the cards are dealt, players choose which cards to hold and which ones to discard. The held cards remain in the hand, while discarded are immediately removed, being instantly replaced with new cards.
4. Second draw and payouts – Each hand is completed to contain 5 cards with the second card draw. Once the hands are completed, all winners get payouts according to the pay table.

Players cannot change the cards in the second draw, what you get is your payout and that is it. If you play multiple hands at the same time, you will get different outcomes in the second draw for each hand, as they are all separate.

Playing Video Poker Tips for Beginners

Although the game is not complex, it can be a little daunting for novices. Here are some of our quick tips for beginners.

• Choose a variant that suits your skill level and preference.
• If playing multiple hands, play with smaller bets to offset the high betting amount.
• Study the paytable before playing.
• Switch to multi-hand games after you get used to video poker overall.
• Start with classic variants like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild before switching to complex ones like Joker Poker and Bonus Poker.

Bankroll management is one of the key skills for all casino games, not just video poker. However, in the case of video poker, managing your bankroll can seriously affect your entire gaming experience.

Advanced Video Poker Features

Classic video poker is the best, but game studios and players love to spruce things up from time to time. What that means is that some video poker games may feature advanced elements or features.

Two of the most popular advanced features that are very common are jackpots and the Gamble functionality.

The Gamble Option

Some video poker games offer players a chance to gamble their winnings. This is done with the Gamble option, which is available on every win.

Essentially, the Gamble option is a button that allows players to gamble their winnings for a chance to increase them. Typically, the increase is the double of what the players have won.

The Gamble function is another card game where players are offered a hidden card and their task is to try and guess the color or the suit of the hidden card. If they guess correctly, they double the winnings, but if they miss, they lose everything.

While tempting, the Gamble comes with a 50/50 (or worse) chance and should be used sparingly.

Progressive Jackpots

Jackpots are a fan-favorite feature in many casino games. In video poker, they became famous for being progressive.

In fact, progressive video poker games were all the rage at one point, but their popularity has slightly deteriorated thanks to the unfair stats that these jackpots bring.

What this means is that progressive video poker games offer jackpots that increase over time. These are typically tied to hitting a royal flush in the hands, most commonly while betting the maximum number of coins.

On one hand, they can turn small investments into life-changing wins. That makes them very exciting. However, they also come with higher volatility and are very risk-friendly, so they are not for everyone. In fact, novices are advised to steer clear of progressive jackpots as they are a very slippery slope for those who lack advanced bankroll management skills.

Video Poker Online Tournaments

Generally, video poker can quickly become repetitive. That is why players seek excitement through competitions and tourneys.

Casino tournaments are frequently lumped together with casino comps and other casino rewards. They are very popular and cover almost every type of casino games, from slots to live casino tournaments.

When it comes to video poker tournaments, players have two options or formats to choose from:

• Entry fee tourneys
• Comp-based tournaments

Entry fee tournaments are casino events where players who wish to participate pay a nominal entry fee. That fee is never too high, but it’s just a way to ensure that all participants are invested in the game to try and win as much as they can.

In fee-based tournaments, participants pay the sum needed for entry and then are free to play video poker games. In some cases, there are chosen qualifying games, in other cases, there are none. What you get is a fixed number of tournament credits and a limited time to play.

Your goal is to build the highest score possible by hitting as many winning hand combinations as possible. These combos will later transform into tournament points. To win, you need the most points. Oftentimes, these events feature a leaderboard where top 10 or top 50 players win a prize.

Tournaments that are tied to comp points work differently. All participants can play any video poker game, and while they play, they collect comp points. These comps accumulate until the end of the tournament period. In the end, the player with the most points wins.

This is more frequent in casinos online, but it’s not that fair as it posits that players should place higher bets to get more points faster, which could be dangerous for new players.

The Winning Video Poker Strategies

When it comes to a winning video poker strategy, it’s hard to pinpoint just one tactic that will produce surefire results.

Instead, video poker players use a string of small-scale things and hacks to enhance their winning chances. If you want to play like a pro, you can lean onto these video poker strategy tips:

1. Understand the pay tables. Pay tables are your number one priority. Learn the rules and payouts before investing real money.
2. Bet the maximum number of coins. This is another strategy that is often disputed because it involves the max bet to enhance winning chances. It is definitely not beginner-friendly.
3. Hold cards that can generate the highest-possible ranking. Understanding hand rankings is the key step in video poker. When you understand hands, you will be able to understand which card to hold after the initial draw.
4. Play multi-hand games. Multi-hand video poker and single-hand video poker have no differences in gameplay, but multi-hand formats allow you to win more by playing more hands.
5. Practice freeplay video poker games. Another great tactic to build skills and ensure the best possible results is to play video poker online for free.
6. Pick better variants with broader winning hand options. Variants like Deuces Wild offer a broader range of winning hands thanks to the wild cards. Hence, they offer more frequent payouts that are smaller. This is more fun and less frustrating.
7. Understand what hands are more likely to hit in your variant. Hands like two pairs, three-of-a-kind, and straights are statistically easier to land. Learning what hands are more likely to hit helps with the strategy.

Check out our video poker strategy guide for more tips for playing video poker for real money.

Common Mistakes Players Make When Playing Video Poker

Everyone makes mistakes, even pro video poker players.

Common mistakes that you may be making even unknowingly include:

• Holding a low pair instead of chasing a higher-value flush or straight.
• Betting more than you can afford.
• Overvaluing unsuited high cards.
• Discarding four-to-a-royal flush.
• Playing max bet on volatile variants without proper bankroll management.

Although a pair can potentially lead to a solid payout, it’s ultimately a low-rank hand, which is why it is better to let it go and wait for a better hand, such as a flush or straight.

Another thing is keeping the high cards that are solitary. This might lead to a win, but in most cases, the best it can do is get you a pair, which is very low for you to even consider a win.

Players also frequently make mistakes regarding bets. Namely, they either place too small bets or they go too big.

Bankroll management is not just knowing whether to place the max bet or not. It’s also about knowing how much to stake on multi-hand games, avoiding jackpots (and especially progressive jackpots) and not setting the coin value and number according to the financial possibilities.

Betting depends on the player’s skill level. Experienced players play multi-hand games with jackpots, often betting max bets in the hope of winning big.

On the other hand, beginners should do the exact opposite: single-hand games with smaller bets until they get comfortable playing more hands at the same time with a higher price tag per hand.

Correcting these errors can make the difference between consistent and damaging losses, and small but frequent wins.

Myths and Misconceptions in Video Poker

Gambling is a superstitious affair, and not even online video poker players are exempt from having odd beliefs about their chosen game.

In fact, an incredible number of players believe that machines are “due” for a win or that casinos can control payouts in real-time.

In reality, none of this is true as video poker machines use RNGs to ensure complete randomness of the outcomes.

Here are some of the most common myths in video poker.

A game will produce a big win only once.

This is so profoundly not true. Every single hand has a separate outcome that is not related to any other previous or subsequent result. Therefore, the game can pay out big time once, twice, or as many times as it is possible. No one can predict that.

Machines are ‘due’ for a win after a dry period.

Again, just like we said before, all results are unique and unrelated to other outcomes. There is no such thing as a ‘due’ machine. This is directly linked to the Gambler’s Fallacy too.

Online video poker pays less than poker machines at land-based casinos.

There is simply not enough evidence to support this claim. In fact, it may be the complete opposite – that online games pay more than land-based machines. In any case, video poker online is not less profitable than the land-based one.

The bigger the bet, the worse the hand.

Some players firmly believe that increasing stakes to recuperate the losses will cause an even greater loss. This may be true to a certain extent, and it is definitely smart to play with lower bets in general, but the size of the bet does not affect the outcome of the hand. Still, if you are on a losing streak, it might be better to leave the game and take a break.

Video poker games have ‘pump and dump’ cycles.

Some players believe that some video poker machines operate in “pump and dump” cycles. They describe these cycles as periods of consistent small wins followed by a short window of high payouts.  The RNG guarantees the randomness of video so these cycles do not exist. Still, the wrong belief can affect player psychology and then lead to overconfidence or chasing losses.

Conclusion

Video poker is a skill-based casino game that mixes in luck to create a very unique casino game blend.

In fact, video poker rewards knowledge, patience, and strategy. On the other hand, it’s also a highly unpredictable game that is fast-paced and easy to love.

We are not surprised that there are so many fans of video poker games even today.

Thanks to a wide range of variants, features like level-ups and gamble options, video poker is not just a classic low-effort game with the potential for huge wins. It’s also a  great choice for players looking for control and excitement.

It’s not repetitive or boring if you know what you’re doing. That is why mechanics and features play such an important role in playing video poker for real money. Beginners are advised to stick to proven strategies and learn the ropes before investing real money. And whatever they do – they should not experiment with progressive video poker jackpots or multi-hand games until they are certain they have a firm grasp on all of the facets of video poker.