The game of poker is synonymous with card-based gambling, being easily one of the most well-known and beloved card games on the planet. In the internet era, poker has been adapted to fit the online casino formula in several ways. All of them have their advantages but also crucial differences from how the original game is played.
Today we’ll be looking at two popular ways to play poker online – online poker tables and video poker. This guide was intended for newcomers to the online casino world who don’t quite understand the key differences and similarities between video poker and regular poker tables. We’ll take a look at both styles of games, what they offer, and why you might want to play them (or not.)
What is Online Poker?
Online poker is any version of the poker card game that is played over the internet.
Poker has always been difficult to adapt to an online format because of how it works. In the classic game, players play against one another. This means that there’s technically no need for a casino – just a few people who are willing to play fairly. However, online poker tables and tournaments exist as a common solution – but not the only one.
There are three main ways to play poker online, not counting video poker:
- Head-to-head poker tables
- Casino poker games
- Live casino poker games
We’ll take a look at each option and explain its main distinguishing features.
Head-to-head Online Poker
The most common way to enjoy this classic gambling game is through online poker tables and tournaments.
In this format of poker, the game is played in the classic way – by putting up to 8 players against each other on a single table. Hence the name – head to head.
The rules are typically identical to real-life poker, often relying on popular variants like Texas Hold’em or 5-Card Brag.
In this case, you’re not playing against the casino. Your goal is to beat other players, and the casino itself serves as a host and facilitator. The operator makes sure the tournament plays out as intended and collects a percentage of the players’ earnings, which is mostly identical to how real-life poker tournaments work.
Head-to-head poker tables are ideal for players who want to play the truest version of the game. It has all of the elements you’re hoping for such as bluffing, playing other players, counting cards, and so on.
That said, inexperienced players may have trouble starting out with this type of online poker. For example, if you run into a table full of veteran pros, you can say goodbye to your bankroll.
It’s the most skill-intensive way to play poker online. This is an advantage if you’re skilled, but can become a problem if you’re just trying to learn the game.
One notable difference between online poker tables and real-life tables is that the online version typically uses RNG, or Random Number Generation. This means that there are no actual cards involved. A computer decides which cards are drawn, for example, or how the simulated card deck is shuffled. This makes things fairer and more consistent for everyone, but some players prefer the authentic feel of actual cards.
Online Casino Poker
Online casinos weren’t the first gambling venues that tried to tackle this problem of providing poker in casinos. Land-based casinos made multiple attempts to adapt poker to the casino setting over the years, way before the internet was even a thing.
The result is something called Casino Poker. As the name implies, this is a group of games and rulesets designed to play like a casino table game.
In casino poker, players play against the casino instead of each other. Blackjack is an easy comparison – you’re trying to beat the dealer instead of other players. The rules are also generally simpler and involve fewer steps.
A typical casino poker game works by drawing a hand for the player and a hand for the dealer. The hands are then compared, and the player wins if their hand is stronger than the dealer’s.
You can find out more about the specifics on our main page for Casino Hold’em, one of the most popular forms of casino poker.
However, much like all casino table games, casino poker was designed so that the house always wins. In other words, there’s a house edge and an RTP rate. You can’t bluff and there’s not a lot of room for deep strategy.
In essence, casino poker is a simplified version of the classic game that can be perfect for beginners and casual players. However, you can’t beat it in the long run, just like you can’t beat roulette or baccarat.
In standard, non-live versions of casino poker, there’s no actual dealer. You’re basically playing alone, and the results are determined by the game’s programming. If you’re worried about fairness, remember that legit online casinos and games are vetted and tested.
Live Casino Poker
Lastly, casino poker was also developed as several types of live dealer games.
Live casino games connect players to video streams of real tables, dealers, and cards. The dealer acts as if they were in a brick-and-mortar casino while players use a game interface to play on their end.
As a result, live poker offers the highest level of immersion and authenticity. It uses real cards instead of RNG and generally feels like playing at a casino from the comfort of your own home.
However, live casino poker games are fundamentally identical to non-live casino poker games. They use the same rules, which means they have the same problems. You can’t use strategy to beat live casino poker, you don’t have an opportunity to bluff or employ card counting or other techniques. You just draw some cards and hope for the best.
Live casino poker has appeared in several distinct variants, each with its own set of rules and specifics. Here are some of the most common varsions you’re likely to see in live casinos:
- 3-Card Poker
- Caribbean Stud Poker
- Casino Hold’em
- Teen Patti
Main Advantages of Online Poker Tables
This comparison will focus on the most classic way to play the game – head-to-head online poker. Here are the main pros and cons of playing poker this way.
Pros
- Authentic – It’s the original game played as it was intended.
- Interactive – Players make important decisions, interact with other players, and employ complex strategies.
- Skill-intensive – Poker is widely regarded as a game of skill. Head-to-head tables are the only way to use that skill in online poker.
- Winnable – Casinos make money based on the vigourish, so it’s entirely possible to win in the long run if you’re good enough.
- Accessible – It’s much easier to play poker tournaments online than in the real world because you can play any time, any place.
Cons
- Hard to win – You can expect to be going up against seasoned pros who won’t just let you win. Actually being successful in the long run takes a lot of dedication.
- Some organization required – Though easier than in the real world, organizing an online poker tournament takes some logistics. You can’t just launch it and start playing – you need other players.
- The house still wins – Although there is no “house edge” in the classic sense, casinos still skim a bit off the top. This means that, on average, players still lose more than they win playing poker. It’s possible to beat this, but you’re statistically unlikely to do so.
What is Video Poker?
On the flip side, video poker games were designed as machine-based, player-versus-casino games from the ground up. There are no dealers, real cards, or other players involved. Traditionally, you play video poker on machines that look like slots more than anything else.
In terms of rules, video poker is very similar to casino poker, except that there is no “dealer” to beat. The basic premise is that players draw five cards and are hoping to make as strong of a poker hand as possible. The stronger your hand, the higher the payout.
You can swap or “mulligan” some cards, but that’s pretty much all a player can choose to do.
The interface (touchscreens are popular in land-based casinos these days) is identical to slot play. The games allow small wager ranges and strict betting limits, unlike head-to-head poker games.
The action begins when the player chooses one or more cards to discard and exchange for new ones. He can also choose not to discard any at all. A player’s payout is based on the value of their five-card hand after the draw round. Winning combinations and payouts depend on the ruleset, but they’re publically displayed. Real-life machines usually have them printed on the case while online versions display them in-game.
Again, there is no strategy involved when playing video poker. Choosing which cards to swap is the only interaction. Once you figure out how many cards to swap and when you can’t really get any better at video poker. The game also has a fixed house edge that you can’t ever beat.
Types of Video Poker
Different versions of online poker have fundamentally different rules that make them work differently. Texas Hold’em is obviously different than, say, Five-Card draw.
However, video poker machines usually only differ in their payouts. They offer different rewards for different outcomes, sometimes adding special rules or bonuses.
For example, The Bonus Poker variant offers higher payouts for four-of-a-kind hands than other versions, while also having lower payouts for weaker cards like Two Pair.
There are dozens of variants of online video poker out there. However, the most common and popular ones include:
- Jacks or Better – Widely considered the definitive, baseline version of video poker. Players are paid for any hand stronger than a pair of 10s – hence, Jacks or Better.
- Deuces Wild – A popular variation in which twos act as wild cards and can replace other cards.
- Jokers Wild – Uses Joker cards as Wilds, which means it has more cards than standard variants as well as unique hand combinations.
- Bonus Poker – Basically works the same as Jacks or Better. However, it offers increased payouts for high-value hands such as 4 of a Kind and reduced payouts for weaker hands.
- Double Bonus Poker – The same as Bonus poker, except even more focused on the higher payout end and with extra bonuses for two pairs.
- All American – Jacks or Better but with increased payouts for Flush and Straight and decreased rewards for 2 and 3 of a kind.
Main Advantages of Video Poker
Now that we have a firm grasp on what video poker is and how it works, let’s look at some of its pros and cons.
Pros
- Accessible – Playing video poker is a simple matter of launching a game whenever you want.
- Beginner-friendly – All you really need to know is how poker hands work, the rest of the rules are straightforward.
- Easy to master – Being good at video poker is a simple matter of knowing when and how to swap cards, which is easy to research and reference.
- Varied – You can pick and choose between dozens of variants and find the ones you like the most. Also, you generally get wider stake limits.
- Fair and consistent – Although some players dislike RNG, it’s actually more reliable for true randomness compared to classic card shuffling.
Cons
- Shallow – Since there’s no real strategy, there’s not a lot to challenge you as a player.
- House advantage – The casino has a fixed house edge that makes video poker unbeatable in the long run.
- Not actual poker – Despite the name, it’s arguable whether video poker is poker at all. It basically uses some elements such as hand structure, but the actual gameplay is much different.
Main Differences
True head-to-head poker is essentially the same as a game you play at your buddy’s house or in a poker room at your favourite casino, except that it is over an Internet connection.
Different online poker networks behave a little differently. Not only are the visual aspects of online head-to-head games different (some shoot for ultra-realistic images, others are like cartoons) but the lineup of variants is also more varied. Texas Hold’em and 5-Card Draw are the most popular options, but there are tables that fundamentally change parts of the game.
Moreover, blind sizes, limits, and tournament schedules vary as well. Still, the games of poker they host are the same as what you'd play in a casino’s poker room.
On the other hand, video poker is a vastly different game that has more in common with slots than the original poker. You’re not trying to beat other players or even the dealer. You just draw a bunch of virtual cards and hope to assemble the strongest poker hand possible.
Comparing Video Poker and Online Poker Tables
We’ll list all of these differences here for easy reference, hopefully reminding you of the crucial differences between these two online poker versions.
| Online Poker | Video Poker | |
| Goal | Beat other players | Draw the strongest poker hand |
| Interactivity | Blinds, bet raising, bluffing, folding, and so on. | Swap between 0 and 5 cards per round |
| Limits | Based on the table buy-in | Fixed, but can be very affordable |
| Strategy | Complex matters of probability, bluffing, etc | Simple, based on when to swap cards and when not to |
| Accessibility | You have to find other players, tables, or general organisers | Pick up and play |
| Beginner-friendliness | Can be very hard for newbies | Very beginner-friendly |
| Can you win in the long run? | Yes, but you have to beat lots of other players. People tend to lose on average. | No. The fixed house advantage makes winning impossible in the long run. |
Conclusion
The differences between video poker and classic online poker mean that these are two fundamentally very different games.
Head-to-head poker tables connect people who want to play the game traditionally. This makes things harder to organise and play, but it is a more strategic and ultimately rewarding experience.
Video poker is more similar to slot machines than classic card games. You can just sit down and play, but it’s only similar to poker on a surface level. This means that it boasts fixed-odds payouts and provably fair technology, which are just some of the benefits of not having to worry about organizing head-to-head games.
Both of these types of poker can be exciting and engaging. However, which one you should play depends on your goals and preferences. If you want to be good at poker as a skill-based game and develop it as a hobby, you should check out head-to-head tables and tournaments. If you just want to enjoy some leisure time without getting too serious about gambling, video poker is probably the better option.
