Video poker may be found at live and online casinos. It is among the most popular games at a casino. Video poker plays the same at either venue. However, there are several differences between the two versions of the game.
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Bovada burst onto the US scene in 2004 back when it was named Bodog and the founder was a famous billionaire named Calvin Ayre. Yet, back in 2016, the online casino split to form two separate sites, Bovada and Ignition. Originally, the plan was to make Ignition the poker site and Bovada the casino and
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Video Poker is one of the most popular sections in virtually every casino in the world. Though you will often find these machines taking up large portions of the casino floor, you may be surprised that they actually offer a very, very low house edge. In some examples, they may not even have a house edge whatsoever. If you look hard enough you are likely to come across machines that pay out over 100%, making them one of the best casino games you can play.
The first step for playing video poker is getting money into the game. At a live casino, players place a bill in the acceptor and it automatically adds the credit to the machine. Some older machines also accept coins. This may require a trip to the ATM, which can run up fees, especially if you wait until getting to the casino to get your cash.
At an online casino, the funding is electronic. In many cases, there are no fees. Many US-facing online casinos prefer bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. You may buy these using electronic transfers and depositing them directly to the gaming site.
Other online video poker deposit options include debit cards, credit cards, bank transfers, cash transfers and ewallets. The list depends on your country of residence.
Once these funds are in the online casino, choose your favorite video poker game. This includes the denomination. Make sure to play the highest denomination where you are comfortable betting five coins as this often provides the best return. Click the ‘max bet’ button to accomplish this.
Players will find online and live video poker to be similar. The screens are typically identical. This allows players to use buttons to make wagers or hold cards. The pay table is displayed on the screens of live and online casino games. Press the bet button to make your preferred wager on either. Press the screen over the cards or the buttons below them to hold, then click the draw button to see your replacement cards. The game will automatically generate your payout.
At a live casino, you must get a players card and remember to put it into the video poker machine to get rated. This gets your slot points and mailers. This requires you to stand in line at the players center if you do not have a card or forgot to bring it. If you do not use a loyalty card, you will not receive any perks.
There is no such problem at an online casino. Your play is tracked automatically without having to do anything. You receive all promotions that you are entitled to while in action without having to remember anything. You will also get special offers emailed to you based on your action.
Pay tables at online casinos tend to be much better than what you will find at live ones. That is because of the level of competition among online casinos and the lack of overhead. An online casino does not need to pay for fountain shows or extravagant gaming floors. The overhead for an online casino is limited to software, employees, marketing and payment processing. This savings is passed onto customers.
An example of an improved pay table is Jacks or Better. Most online casinos offer the full-pay table where a full house pays 9:1 and a full house pays 6:1. Most live casinos short-pay this game. A full house typically only pays 8:1 and a flush 5:1, or worse, at brick-and-mortar casinos.
The variety of video poker titles tend to be wider than live ones. That is because there is no space limitation for online casinos. There is no need for aisles of machines to stock up on games. The online casino software holds the entire library. This includes multi-hand games that can run as high as 100 lines. There are some video poker variants that are only available at online casinos.
A live casino may only have a bank of Game King machines with only a few games and denominations. This is because slot machines make far more money than video poker ones due to the exponentially worse house edge.
As mentioned earlier, online casinos do not have the high overhead that live casinos have. This allows players to enjoy denominations as low as a penny. Even better, the pay tables for these low limit games tend to mirror higher limit games.
This is a rarity at live casinos. Most offer terrible odds on games with denominations under a quarter. They must pay for the free drinks and amenities somehow.
Most people do not live within walking distance of a casino. Those that do still usually only have access to one that is close by. This limits the variety of games for live casino players. If someone does not like the selection or game titles, a drive is required to the next casino.
That is not the scenario with online casinos. Players may choose from hundreds of platforms. Most offer something unique that may include special promotions, better odds, software upgrades or payment processing options. If a player does not like an online casino, it is easy to change to another platform.
Many gamblers do not want to be bothered by others while at the casino. There is nothing more annoying than a player sitting down next to you and lighting up a cigarette or cigar. It is inevitable that you will deal with a drunk during a casino visit. You never have to deal with this at an online casino. You can play at your own speed and do not have to worry about being bothered by others.
It is simple to get paid from an online casino. Bitcoin is the best option for US players. Those in other countries have ewallets as options. Request the withdrawal and the funds can be sent into your bank account or an ATM card.
We enjoy playing video poker at several online casinos. Remember that there are virtually infinite options to choose from when it comes to playing VP online, so these are hardly the only websites that you should consider visiting. In addition, make sure to see if new player deposit bonuses or other sign up bonuses may make one of these sites more appealing than another. The climate for the best online video poker websites is always changing, so always do your research before deciding if, or where, to play. Here are three of our favorites:
Café Casino spreads a wide variety of video poker games. Most pay tables there are full-pay for single line games. The multi-hand games drop a small amount. This is standard at live and online casinos.
The video poker games available at Café Casino include Bonus Poker, Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, Jacks or Better and Joker Poker. Most are available in single line with 99% and better pay tables. Jacks or Better and Joker Poker also have 3, 10 and 52-hand versions.
Café Casino offers several bonuses to video poker players. This includes a 500% up to $5,000 first deposit bonus.
Single hand available in nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, dollar, two-dollar and five-dollar denominations
Bonus Deuces Wild (99.45%)
Bonus Poker (99.17%)
Bonus Poker Deluxe (98.49%)
Deuces Wild (98.91%)
Double Bonus (99.37%)
Double Double Bonus (98.98%)
Double Double Jackpot (99.34%)
Double Jackpot (99.63%)
Jacks or Better (99.54%)
Joker Poker (98.41%)
Loose Deuces (99.07%)
Multi hand – 3, 10 and 52 hands available in nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar and dollar
Jacks or Better (97.3%)
Joker Poker (98.41%)
Bovada has the same video poker selection as Café Casino. We keep it in our rotation because of the promotions it offers. This includes its $3,000 welcome bonus and $4,500 bitcoin bonus. Video poker may be used to clear these bonuses. Bovada also emails players offers based on previous action.
Single hand video poker available in nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, dollar, two-dollar and five-dollar
Aces and Eights (99.78%)
All American Poker (98.49%)
Bonus Deuces Wild (99.45%)
Bonus Poker (99.17%)
Bonus Poker Deluxe (98.49%)
Deuces and Joker (99.06%)
Deuces Wild (98.91%)
Double Bonus (99.37%)
Double Double Bonus (98.98%)
Double Double Jackpot (99.34%)
Double Jackpot (99.63%)
Double Joker (98.1%)
Jacks or Better (99.54%)
Joker Poker (98.41%)
Loose Deuces (99.07%)
Mystery Bonus Poker
Pick’em Poker (99.95%)
Sevens Wild (99.51%)
Split Way Royal (99.8%)
Multi hand – 3, 10 and 52 hands available in nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar and dollar
Aces and Eights (97.72%)
All American Poker (98.49%)
Bonus Deuces Wild (99.06%)
Bonus Poker Deluxe (98.49%)
Deuces Wild (98.91%)
Double Bonus (99.37%)
Double Double Bonus (98.98%)
Double Double Jackpot (99.34%)
Double Jackpot (99.63%)
Jacks or Better (97.3%)
Joker Poker (98.41%)
Loose Deuces (99.07%)
Mystery Bonus Poker
Sevens Wild (99.51%)
Video Poker Guides
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There are many, many different variations of Video Poker, ranging from regular Jacks or Better machines to Double Joker poker with Progressive Jackpots and multi-play machines. It may seem that Video Poker is very basic and simple at the surface, and sometimes it can be, but when you start to dig a bit deeper, you will find that there is an endless selection of games that can be played.
Your preference in Video Poker machines is going to depend on a number of variables, including your tolerance for variance, your willingness to learn new and sometimes more complex strategies, and whether you would like to chase after large Progressive Jackpots or to instead play regular games with fixed payouts.
Use our complete video poker guide for information on just about everything you can imagine when it comes to playing VP. Whether you are playing online or in a casino, these articles will help you to find the best games and maximize your return at video poker.
In terms of variations, there is a seemingly endless lists of different Video Poker games available. For the sake of simplicity, there are two different easily identifiable varieties of VP, and they include multi deck (or multi play or multi game) machines and regular, single hand games. The bulk of games that are available in casinos are single hand/deck games. This means that players are dealt one board of cards using one deck and that hand is played independently of the next hand.
With multi deck Video Poker, the entire screen will be filled up with different, unique hands. Payoffs in each of the games vary and depend upon the specific type being played. As is the case with any machine, or any game in the casino, the more money and bets being risked, the larger the potential payoff.
Playing video poker can be just as fun online. Online video poker for money has been around for years, with more options existing than ever. We encourage you to visit our promoted online casinos, as each can both be trusted and offers video poker play online, both for free and for money.
Video Poker games usually have their biggest Jackpots realized when a player manages to land a Royal Flush. Now, while this is the general rule of thumb for max pay wins, it is not the only way that a Jackpot can be achieved playing VP.
Some games have specific hands that payout the most, even if they may not be the most difficult hands to actually make. Certain games pay out more for specific types of four of a kind hands. Others may pay a bonus if a certain hand is made including the use of a joker, and so on and so forth. Video Poker has a very, very long list of game types, so if you look around long enough, you can find all sorts of different unique ways that you can win the max at a machine.
The big chases in Video Poker are the Progressive Jackpot machines. A Progressive VP machine works the same way that a Progressive Slot Machine works. As players play at a machine and do not make the hand required to win the Progressive payout, the pot continues to build. A little bit of each loss is added to the Jackpot until a player eventually makes the winning hand required for the payout.
The most interesting facet of Progressive Video Poker machines is that they can sometimes, in fact, be profitable. In order for a VP machine to be profitable, however, it will need to remain unhit for a long period of time. In addition, while the machine may technically be “profitable,” it is only profitable theoretically and under the assumption of never ending play. Once the Jackpot resets, it will no longer offer a positive return. Beyond this, you will, in all likelihood need to eventually actually hit the Progressive to realize a gain. With all of that said, it is always better to play a game in the casino with a long term positive expectation than it is to play one that will normally achieve a loss for the player.
Gamblers have used playing cards and poker tables to compete against one another for ages, but the advent of real money video poker allows players to challenge themselves and the house alone.
A relatively recent addition to the casino floor – a fact you’ll learn more about in the History section below – real money video poker machines automate the old-fashioned five-card draw games of old. Players place a bet of between one and five coins (these coins can be nickels, dimes, quarters, dollars, and up), then take a random 5-card starting hand. From there, you can hold desirable made hands, or discard portions of your hand and draw replacements to chase draws.
After the single drawing round is completed, your final five-card poker hand is scored against an escalating pay table, with the Royal Flush offering a juicy jackpot reward.
The most popular form of video poker is known as Jacks or Better, which refers to the one pair of Jacks (or higher) needed to secure the game’s minimum payout. But you’ll find dozens of different video poker variants out there today, from the action-packed Deuces Wild that turns 2s into wild “jokers” to the complex Double Double Bonus game and its priority on four of a kind hands.
As a machine-based game played one-on-one with a screen, video poker is perhaps the easiest game for online casinos to simulate.
In fact, when you fire up your first online video poker session, you’ll immediately feel right at home. The game screen, card graphics, hold/discard interface, and paytable layout all look and feel identical to the classic Game King video poker machines found in every land-based casino.
And just like the Game King machine, which can contain all of those different variants in a single menu, online casino video poker menus are built with variety in mind. All it takes is a few mouse clicks to toggle between Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, Aces and Eights, and all of your favorite games.
For this reason, video poker aficionados enjoy the easiest transition from playing brick-and-mortar casino video poker machines to online play.
The preceding section just about covered the pros of playing video poker online, and fortunately for players, the list of cons is rather short indeed.
One drawback to watch out for is the lack of “full pay” tables, a factor you’ll learn more about in the next section. Put plainly, however, many online casinos look for a shortcut of sorts by slightly adjusting the pay table in their favor. This happens all the time in land-based casinos too though, so you’re not sacrificing very much equity by choosing to play real money video poker online.
Another aspect of the online game players might not enjoy is the lack of camaraderie, as you’ll be playing by your lonesome throughout the session. You technically play alone in a land-based casino as well, but with fellow gamblers to the right and left grinding neighboring machines, a jackpot score can often be cause for celebration – and a few envious stares of course.
All in all, playing video poker online really does replicate the live casino experience to a tee. Just ask your hubby to bring a cold beverage your way, or maybe light a cigarette to send a smoky haze in the air, and you won’t even notice the difference.
The number one thing to look for when comparing video poker offerings at various online casinos is the pay tables they use.
Jacks or Better players love to talk about the game’s high payback rate of 99.54 percent, which equates to a house edge of 0.46 percent. But you’ll only get to enjoy those player-friendly figures when the 9/6 “full pay” table shown below is in place:
Full Pay Table for Jacks or Better Video Poker
Hand Payout
Royal Flush 250 (4,000 when betting maximum of 5 coins)
Straight Flush 50
Four of a kind 25
Full House 9
Flush 6
Straight 4
Three of a kind 3
Two Pair 2
Jacks or better 1
Nothing 0
The key payouts for this full pay table are the 9-coin reward for landing a full house and the 6-coin collection when you score a flush. When you see Jacks or Better running with that 9/6 alignment, you’ll know it’s a full pay game with those sweet 99.54 percent payback and 0.46 percent house edge rates.
Unfortunately for video poker enthusiasts, many online casinos out there are following Las Vegas’ lead by replacing full pay games with inferior pay tables. All it takes is a slight adjustment to one or both of the key 9/6 numbers to completely change the odds against players.
Take a close look at the alternative non-full pay tables below to see just how badly players can get hosed by seemingly minor adjustments:
Non-Full Pay Tables for Jacks or Better (by Payback Percentage)
HAND 9/5 8/6 8/5 7/5 6/5
Royal Flush 250* 250* 250* 250* 250*
Straight Flush 50 50 50 50 50
Four of a Kind 25 25 25 25 25
Full House 9 8 8 7 6
Flush 5 6 5 5 5
Straight 4 4 4 4 4
Three of a Kind 3 3 3 3 3
Two Pair 2 2 2 2 2
Jacks or Better 1 1 1 1 1
Payback Percentage: 98.44 percent 98.39 percent 97.29 percent 96.14 percent 94.99 percent
*4,000 when betting maximum of 5 coins
Now that you know the score, you should never settle for second-best when searching for a Jacks or Better game online. Unless your online casino of choice uses the 9/6 full pay version, don’t bother wasting time with a watered-down version of this video poker classic.
And don’t forget about the full pay tables for all of the other variants out there too. No matter your game of choice – Deuces Wild, Double Double Bonus Poker, Aces and Eights, or any of the dozens of variants to choose from – you can search online for the game’s title plus “full pay table” to find the perfect payout setup. Whenever you notice reduced pay table(s) used by one online casino, don’t hesitate to check around until you find an operator willing to spread full game video poker for all of the most popular variants.
Speaking of those different variants, the best online casino video poker menus spread much more than just Jacks or Better.
Look for staples like Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker, and Joker Poker to identify well-stocked video poker sections.
When you sign up with an online casino for the first time, you should always check the Promotions page to see what kind of Welcome Bonus they’re offering.
The usual Welcome Bonus arrangement works like this… you’ll enter the advertised bonus code before depositing, then input your desired deposit amount (say $100), and the operator will match those fund based on a percentage (usually 100-300 percent). Thus, with a 300 percent match Welcome Bonus, your first $100 deposit would put $400 into your account ($100 deposit + $300 in percentage match = $400).
Later on, if you find yourself needing a subsequent deposit to stay in the game, check for Reload Bonus codes too. Reload Bonuses are simply smaller versions of the Welcome Bonus, so you can expect something like a 50 percent match on your money.
And if you put in a high-volume of play over time, many online casinos will reward your loyalty with a No Deposit Bonus, which is basically free funds tacked on to your account periodically.
In any case, all online casino bonuses have one important “string” attached to keep in mind -playthrough/rollover requirements. Essentially, the playthrough/rollover requirement is a multiple (typically between 20x and 30x) of your combined deposit and bonus amounts that must be wagered before you can actually withdraw the funds.
So if you have $400 in your starting bankroll using the Welcome Bonus arrangement described earlier, and a 20x rollover requirement, you’ll need to place $8,000 worth of wagers to reach the playthrough/rollover requirement. That may sound like a tall mountain to climb, but remember, winning and losing wagers count just the same, so you can play for a few hours – and even earn a profit – while still hitting your playthrough/rollover marks.
The only drawback for video poker bonus hunters is that the game tends to offer a lower “wagering contribution” than less skilled gambles like the slots and certain table games. Basically, for every $1 you bet on video poker, 20 percent (on average; wagering contribution rates vary by operator) will go towards the playthrough/rollover requirement.
Slots tend to send 100 percent of the total wager toward playthrough/rollover, while low house edge table games such as blackjack and baccarat are much lower at only 5 percent.
You sure can, as the best online casino video poker menus make sure to spread both single- and multi-hand modes for each variant. Just look for the duplicate logos for each variant, then the little tab listing a number to decide between the different multi-hand options available.
Unfortunately for fans of full pay Deuces Wild, the game is essentially extinct if you’re playing online. While a few Off-Strip casinos in Las Vegas still run full pay Deuces Wild – which uses a 1-2-2-3-5-9-15-25-200-250 paytable configuration – to cater to regulars, online operators aren’t really interested in offering a player edge game.
With that in mind, it’s best to consider online casinos to be cousins of their counterparts on The Strip, where alternative Deuces Wild pay tables like the 1-2-2-3-5-9-12-25-200-250 (99.81 percent payback) and 1-2-3-4-4-9-15-25-200-250 (98.91 percent) are standard fare.
Of course, you can, provided your online casino operator of choice attaches a progressive jackpot to its video poker selection. Many online games stick with the standard 4,000-coin jackpot when you a) bet the maximum of 5 coins and b) land the elusive Royal Flush. But whenever you see the word “Progressive” in the game’s title, or on the game screen, you’re in luck.
Most progressive jackpot video poker games online will display a running meter with something like 4,839.72 that will keep climbing as you play, with the figure reflecting the current jackpot payout (in coins) for hitting a Royal Flush.
Casino gamblers today owe a great debt of gratitude to the late William “Si” Redd (1911-2003), who was inducted into the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Gaming Hall of Fame in 1991 after a storied career.
Redd arrived in Reno, Nevada back in 1967, when he relocated from Boston to sell jukeboxes and pinball machines for Bally Manufacturing. By 1976, the Silver State’s gambling-based economy inspired Redd to purchase the Oasis Casino in Mesquite.
Three years later, Redd was inspired to combine his existing machine enterprise – which had expanded to include arcade video games by then – with his casino interests. He collaborated with engineers at Bally’s to turn his vision – automated five-card draw poker played on a machine – into a reality.
His idea might sound like a no-brainer today, but at the time, installing a small video screen within a standup box and displaying playing card graphics and poker gameplay was quite novel.
Redd dubbed his first video poker machine prototype “Fortune 1 Draw Poker,” and the concept was deceptively simple. Players wagered a few coins based on their risk preference, before taking five cards at random from a 52-card deck. From there, they could discard any, all, or none of those cards before drawing replacements.
Their final five-card poker hand stood, and it was scored against an escalating pay table based on the traditional poker ranking hierarchy – high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, straight flush, and royal flush.
The original Fortune 1 Draw Poker machines required players to land two pair or better in order to claim the game’s minimum payout. This higher minimum threshold made it pretty difficult to land winners, so when Redd brought his idea to his bosses at Bally’s, they passed on the opportunity of a lifetime.
Redd smartly negotiated to retain the rights to his intellectual property, then left Bally’s to take his own shot at marketing casino gambling’s newest game.
In yet another savvy move, Redd realized that two pair or better was too high of a hurdle, as players would experience long droughts of nine losers in between one winner on average. One pair or better was too low, however, so he found the perfect sweet spot by requiring one pair of Jacks or better to earn the minimum payout.
And how sweet it was…
Redd’s new company was called SIRCOMA, an acronym for Si Redd’s Coin Operated Machines, and it quickly took off like gangbusters. By 1981, SIRCOMA wound up securing hundreds of installations for the company’s new “Game King” machine all over Nevada.
Game King video poker machines – which by then were equipped to offer multiple games including Jacks or Better, Double Double Bonus Poker, and Joker Poker – spread like wildfire throughout casinos across the country and abroad. Appealing to players who prefer a more solitary experience than that found at the tables – as well as strategically minded souls who prefer skill-based gambling – video poker has gone one to become one of the most popular casino games ever invented.
Redd wasn’t done either, so after his SIRCOMA became International Game Technology (IGT), he devised the world’s first wide area progressive jackpot network for slot machines.
That’s right… whether you enjoy hunting the elusive Royal Flush hand pays on video poker, or multimillion progressive slot jackpots like Megabucks, you can thank the amazing Si Redd for thinking outside of the box.
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