In addition to the pretty simple rules of video poker, it is also a game that allows the use of strategy. If you learn how to play the game in the best way possible, you can definitely achieve great outcomes and enjoy a rather fruitful gambling experience. Nowadays, players have numerous options of video poker. Video Poker Rules Glossary. Every type of casino game has its own set of terminology and jargon that get thrown around, and having read the video poker rules you’ll see that it’s no different. I’ve collected a selection of words and phrases that are used in this game.
- Deuces Wild Video Poker Rules
- Rules For Video Poker
- Jacks Or Better Video Poker Rules
- Video Poker Rules And Strategy
One of the most popular games in each online casino is a modified version of the classic draw poker – you deposit, bet and the slot machine deals you five cards. You mark the ones you want to keep (“hold”) and at the same time, you can double the bet. A second round follows, where the slot machine replaces all cards except those you’re holding from the first round. If you keep the winning hand even after the second draw, you win. If not, you lose the bet.
The rules of Video Poker are simple. If you want to get acquainted with them before playing, see the detailed instructions on how to play Video Poker.
How much will I win? How much do I have to bet?
In terms of online casinos, Video Poker has one of the lowest house edge. In common terms, the player has the chance to win more often than the casino. So how much will you win and how much will it cost? Even before the first bet, you must deposit a bank. Most often it’s $20 (or euros). The bet per the game then varies between 25 cents and 5 dollars. The winning amount is based on the poker hand displayed on the machine after the second deal. Most valuable cards? Wild Royal Flush (with a wild card). We have prepared a list of other winning hands and payouts in the most common Video Poker variant (Jacks or Better) on a separate page.
Why play online Video Poker?
- Play one on one against the casino
- High returns on deposits – up to 99.5%
- A fast game against the machine. No bluffing
- Simple betting and winning system
Video Poker Rules
While it may come as a surprise to some, Video Poker has much in common with slots (slot machines). The software of this game is developed by the same companies involved in the development of slot machines. However, it offers higher winnings.
Video Poker or so-called “Draw poker” allows players to bet between 25 cents and 5 dollars per game. You can choose the amount you want to deposit for betting (most internet casinos typically have a minimum of $20). Once you’re ready to start playing, click the “Deal Draw” button to deal the cards. The goal of “draw poker” is to make up a winning hand, of which there are several. For your information, we list a few typical “draw poker” winning hands on the bottom of this page. You can improve your hand by “holding” on to certain cards and getting rid of others. The cards that you decide to get rid of will be replaced by other cards after you press the “Deal Draw” button again.
In “draw poker” you also have the option (if you win) to double the amount in the second round called “Double Playoff Round” (If you do not want to play the second round, simply click the “Collect” button to get your winnings.). The “Double Playoff Round” round is based on the following rules: The cards on the side of the machine are turned face down and the machine then turns one card. In this second round, you are betting on whether the next card that the machine turns will be higher or lower than the first card. If the next card has a higher value than the first card, you win and your winnings are doubled. If you get a lower value, you lose the entire deposit. If it has the same value, it’s a draw (so-called “push”) in which case no one wins or loses. Note that to double your bet in the second round you have to click on the “Double” button.
Winning combinations in Video Poker (sorted by value):
- Wild Royal Flush (royal straight with a wild card)
- Natural Royal Flush (same as a straight flush, from 10 to ace)
- Straight (five cards with values running consecutively, the same colour)
- Flush (five cards of the same colour regardless of the values)
- Straight (five cards with values running consecutively, the same colour)
- Three of a Kind (three identical cards)
- Two Pair (2x two identical cards)
- Pair (two identical cards)
Basic play for Jacks or Better
- If you have a Royal Flush, straight, four of kind or full house, leave all cards.
- If you have four cards in the royal flush, replace the one you do not like and hope for the royal flush.
- If you have four cards in the straight flush, replace the one that you do not like.
- If you have three or three cards in the above combinations, replace the remaining two cards.
- If you have two pairs or four flush cards, replace only one card.
- If you have two or two cards higher than a kid, replace the remaining three cards.
- If you have five different cards, replace the four and leave one high. If none is high, replace all.
Basic play for Deuces Wild
- If you have a high winning combination, leave it and do not change the card.
- With four cards to royal flush or straight flush, replace one.
- Take two if you have three cards in the royal flush.
- With two pairs, just leave the stronger and replace the three remaining cards.
- If you have four wild cards, go to the Royal Flush. This also applies to the straight.
- If you have a winning combination with a wild card, leave it.
- If you have three wild cards, replace the other two.
- If you only have wild cards, leave them and replace the rest.
Basic play for Joker Wild
- With this version of video poker, only kings and aces are taken as high cards. The lowest winning combination is, therefore, a pair of kings.
- If you have a joker, never change it.
- Inside straight is not a good combination, so replace it.
- Straight in color have a better payout ratio than Classic Jacks or Better.
If you want to play Texas Holdem or just poker against other players, we do recommend SWC Poker. More info will come soon.
Video poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker that offers a fast-paced experience whereby rounds can be completed in a matter of a few seconds. Here is a straightforward guide on how to play Video poker, how you win at the game and the different variants available.
Video poker rules
The objective of Video poker is to get the best possible hand from the five cards you are dealt. You will be dealt an initial hand of five cards and then asked which (if any) you want to hold. Any cards you do not hold will then be replaced and the outcome of the round determined.
Video poker cards and hands
Cards are ranked from highest to lowest as follows; Ace, King, Queen, Jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two. While Ace is high, it can serve as high or low when at the start or end of a Straight or Straight Flush, meaning the ranks involved can be comprised of ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace or Ace, two, three, four, five.
The most popular variation of Video poker is known as Jacks or Better, which has the following usual list of hands that reward payouts:
- Royal Flush: The Ace, King, Queen, Jack and ten of the same suit.
- Straight Flush: Five cards in rank order of the same suit, for instance the four, five, six, seven and eight of diamonds.
- Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, for instance the three of hearts, three of diamonds, three of spades and three of clubs.
- Full House: Three cards of one rank and a pair of another, for instance the five of clubs, five of diamonds, five of hearts, Jack of clubs and Jack of spades.
- Flush: Five cards of the same suit, for instance the three, six, eight, Jack and King of diamonds.
- Straight: Five cards in rank order of mixed suits, for instance the six of clubs, seven of spades, eight of spades, nine of diamonds and ten of hearts.
- Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank, for instance the Queen of hearts, Queen of clubs and Queen of spades.
- Two Pair: Two pairs of two different ranks, for instance the two of spades and two of clubs and the King of hearts and King of diamonds.
- Jacks or Better: A pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces.
Video poker pay table
An important component of Video poker is what is known as the pay table. This lists the rewards you will receive based on the hand you get and how much you bet. On Video poker machines at casinos, this will often be displayed on screen as you are playing. When playing a Video poker game either at a casino or online, it is important to check the pay table before you begin.
At the start of the game, you will be asked to decide the value of a credit that you want to play with (for instance €0.05, €0.10, €0.25, €0.50, €1, €2 or €5). You will then be asked how many credits you want to play with in each round from one to five.
This means that if your credit value is €0.50 and you are betting three credits each round, then you are betting €1.50 per round. If you select the €5 credit value and you are betting the maximum five credits each round, then you are betting €25 per round.
Here is a typical pay table for a Jacks or Better Video poker game. The values listed are the number of credits you will receive if you get the specified hand having bet the listed number of credits (note these values may differ from game to game):
Video poker pay table example
As you can see in the table above, for the majority of hands the number of credits you win proportionally increases in relation to the number of credits you bet. The exception is if you get a Royal Flush having bet the maximum five credits, for which a bonus or ‘jackpot’ payout will normally be rewarded.
Video poker hand examples
Based on the pay table above, here are examples of how two Video poker rounds can play out:
Example 1
- The player has a credit value of €1 and is betting three credits per round for an overall bet of €3.
- The player is initially dealt the six of hearts, King of clubs, six of clubs, six of diamonds and four of hearts. They hold the three six cards.
- The two unheld cards are replaced with the eight of hearts and eight of diamonds.
- By virtue of having three cards of one rank and a pair of another, the player has achieved a Full House and wins €27 (27 €1 credits) as according to the pay table.
Example 2
- The player has a credit value of €2 and is betting five credits per round for an overall bet of €10.
- The player is initially dealt the three of spades, six of spades, four of spades, five of spades and four of diamonds. They hold all but the four of diamonds.
- The four of diamonds is replaced with the two of spades.
- By virtue of having five cards in rank order of the same suit, the player has achieved a Straight Flush and wins €500 (250 €2 credits) as according to the pay table.
Video poker pay table variants
Jacks or Better pay tables are classified according to the number of credits won per credit bet for a Full House and the number of credits won per credit bet for a Flush. For instance, the example pay table outlined above is referred to as a 9/6 pay table, as it rewards nine credits per credit bet for a Full House and six credits per credit bet for a Flush.
Common variants of Jacks or Better pay tables are 10/6, 9/7, 9/5, 8/6, 8/5, 7/5 and 6/5. All of these will offer marginally different house edges and expected returns for the player, generally increasing the former and reducing the latter as the two numbers get lower.
In certain Video poker variants, the payouts for numerous winning hands may also differ, meaning the house edges will also vary.
Video poker variants
Beyond Jacks or Better there are several common variants of Video poker that feature slightly different rules:
Tens or Better
This version uses a 6/5 Jacks or Better pay table, with the difference that the player also receives a payout if their hand contains a minimum of a pair of tens.
All American
This is a version of Jacks or Better with different payouts for a Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind and Two Pair, changing from nine, six, four, three and two credits won per credit bet to eight, eight, eight, three and one respectively.
Flush Attack
This is a version where after a specified number of Flushes have been won (either in one game or across multiple at a Video poker machine), the payout for the next Flush won on the maximum five credits bet is increased from the usual 30 credits to 100 or 125.
Bonus Poker
This version rewards different payouts for a Four of a Kind depending on the rank of card it is achieved with.
Traditionally, this will offer the regular Four of a Kind payout (often 25 credits per credit bet) if it is achieved with fives to Kings, a slightly higher payout (often 40 credits per credit bet) if it is achieved with twos to fours and a considerably higher payout (often 80 credits per credit bet) if it is achieved with four Aces.
Some Video poker games offer Double Bonus Poker, whereby these values are doubled to 50, 80 and 160 credits per credit bet respectively.
Certain Video poker games offer Double Double Bonus Poker, which rewards further payouts if a winning Four of a Kind hand contains Four Aces with a two, three or four (often 400 credits per credit bet) and four twos, threes or fours with an Ace, two, three or four (often 160 credits per credit bet).
Another version is Triple Double Bonus Poker, which often rewards another ‘jackpot’ of 4,000 credits for four Aces with a two, three or four achieved on a five credit bet, and raises the payout for four twos, threes or fours with an Ace, two, three or four to 400 credits per credit bet.
Joker's Wild
Deuces Wild Video Poker Rules
This is a version with a Joker in play, which can be used to represent any rank. As a result, this offers two more winning hands:
- Five of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank plus a Joker.
- Joker Royal Flush: A Royal Flush with one of the cards substituted for a Joker.
In Joker’s Wild, the minimum winning hand is often changed from Jacks or Better to Kings or Better.
Deuces Wild
This is a version in which twos can be used to represent any rank. As a result, this offers three more winning hands:
- Four Deuces: A hand containing four twos, often paid at 200 credits per credit bet.
- Wild Royal Flush: A Royal Flush with one of the cards substituted for a two of the same suit, often paid at 25 credits per credit bet.
- Five of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank plus a two, often paid at 15 credits per credit bet.
In Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better and Two Pair often do not reward a payout and the minimum winning hand is Three of a Kind.
Video poker odds and strategy
Rules For Video Poker
If you want to learn more about the odds and probabilities involved in Video poker and therefore how strategy can be applied to it, read our guide to Video poker odds and strategy.
Jacks Or Better Video Poker Rules
Play Video poker on Pinnacle Casino
Video Poker Rules And Strategy
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