VIDEO POKER
Are you a big poker fan? If so, you’d probably value the chance to play wherever, whenever you want. We know, video poker isn’t exactly the pinnacle of the most popular card game, but at least it’s the most easily accessible type.
Here at FreeSlots99, you’ll find dozens of free video poker games to sharpen your skills, but what about real money play? Our lists can help you with that since our experts have been in the industry for decades, so we know how to find the best casinos. While you can check our guides for that, the big question here is – how to pick a decent video poker game?
There are hundreds, if not thousands of video poker titles coming from different software providers, so sometimes choosing the right one can be pretty challenging. Don’t worry, we’ll jump to your rescue there!
We want to help you book a seat behind some of the best video poker games online without breaking a sweat. Stay tuned to find out how we pick the best ones.
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Once your strategy is solid, these casinos offer real-money video poker with verified pay tables and regulated payouts.
Game Types
Before you go on to play video poker online, you’ll first need to know more about the different variations available. In most cases, you’ll get a wide choice of «Jacks or Better» variations, but that’s not necessarily the case in all online casinos.
Some feature different types of video poker, and they all come with a different set of rules, hand values and return rates. Of course, that also means you’ll be able to use different strategies. We’ll get into the details shortly, but first, let’s take a look at some common video poker variations:
Let’s start with the most common one, and also one of the easiest variations to understand – Jacks or Better. This one requires you to have at least a pair of jacks to qualify for a winning hand, and the paytable structure follows the rules of classic poker variations, but the payout odds can vary depending on the variant.
Tens or Better follows a similar pattern, only with a pair of tens as the lowest qualifying winning hand. From there, other variations have different rules. For instance, the All American poker follows a single, 52-card deck and Texas Hold’em rules, making it perfect for the fans of one of the most popular poker variations.
On top of that, you can mix things up with a Deuces Wild or Joker Poker. At the same time, Deuces Wild includes the number two as a wild card, so that’s a very popular option as well.
Joker Poker is a bit different – you have a bit more freedom to decide which cards you’ll keep and switch, and the minimum qualifying hand requires a pair of Kings or a King and Jack. It all depends on the specific variant.
Sometimes you’ll just need a Kings or better hand to win. We’ve got one more exciting variant to discuss and that’s Double Bonus Poker.
We’ve seen more and more players tempted to try this one, and it’s no wonder since it’s more or less a boosted variant of Jacks or Better. The rules of the game remain the same, but you get an extra payout if you hit a four–of–a–kind hand.
Step by Step
Another question that we frequently get asked is how to play video poker online, so let’s give you a few useful tips. First off, you’ll need to find a place where you’ll be playing, and that depends on whether you wish to play for real money or for free. If you’re just getting started, we suggest trying out a few options here at FreeSlots99 since you’ll get to learn the rules and practice before taking on a real money game. If you wish to jump straight into the real money mode, here are some steps to take:
The first step is always to find a suitable online casino to play at. That means you’ll have to check the licenses and fairness certificates since video poker online works based on RNG, and some games might be rigged. That is if you go for a shady site. Make sure you’re playing at a safe and vetted casino, and you shouldn’t have any issues finding fair poker variations.
Next up, you’ll need to browse the available types of video poker games offered and learn a bit more about the rules. We’d advise you to start with the good old Jacks or Better and move your way from there as you get better and better.
Every poker variation has a different paytable and odds, but did you know that even the same type of video poker might have different odds? For instance, if you go with a 90-9-6 Jacks or Better, that means you’ll get an x900 payout for a royal flush and an x9 payout for a full house. However, variations like the 940-9-6 feature an x940 payout for a royal flush, so make sure to check that before playing.
Finally, we have to remind you to always look for the highest RTP since it’s easy to find different payout rates depending on the game variation.
Know Your Hands
Despite so many different video poker online variations, some things are more or less the same. That mainly goes for poker hands and their ratings, and while the odds can be very different, at least hand values themselves are usually the same. To explain how these work, we’ll be based on some common variations like the Jacks or Better.
| Hand | Description | Payout Range |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Flush | All five of the highest-ranking cards in the same suit | x800 to x976 |
| Straight Flush | Cards of the same suit laid out in a straight order | 50 to 1 |
| Full House | Three–of–a–kind and a pair in your five-card hand | x25 |
| Flush | All cards matching in suit | x6 to x9 |
| Straight | A sequence of five cards ordered from lowest to highest in rank | 4 to 1 |
| Four–of–a–kind | Four cards matching in rank in your hand | 4 to 1 |
| Three–of–a–kind | Three of the same cards matching in rank in your hand | 3 to 1 |
| Two Pairs | Your five-card hand has two pairs | 2 to 1 |
| Jacks or Better | One pair of cards of the same value, at least a pair of Jacks | 1 to 1 |
As for the payouts, the royal flush pays the most, but it varies depending on the game variation. So, it goes from x800 to x976 of your bet size. A straight flush pays 50 to 1, while the full house pays x25 of your bet. You can also win decently with a regular flush, paying from x6 to x9 of your bet.
Lower-tier payouts are arranged for hands like three–of–a–kind, two pairs, pairs or a straight, going from 4 to 1 to 2 to 1. A Jacks or Better hand pays 1 to 1.
Free vs Paid
If you’re in it for the thrill of the game, you don’t have to play real money video poker. Instead, you can just play free video poker no download right here at FreeSlots99 and sharpen your skills or learn the rules the easy way, at your own pace.
Of course, the real money aspect is always an important one for those looking to become winners, but we’d suggest playing the free version for some time first, just to get to know the rules.
There’s much more to video poker than meets the eye, and some variations allow you to get immersed into the game and control the outcome by deciding which cards you’ll be keeping in your hand, and which ones you’ll discard.
That’s also why we would recommend learning the rules throughout first, and that’s the best way to go if you’re still new to the game. To help you get off to a great start, our team at FreeSlots99 added loads of free versions you can try without having to lay down a penny on the table.
These include some exceptional options like Game King Video Poker, Jacks or Better, Tens or Better and other popular variants. Just visit our platform, type in video poker in the search bar and enjoy the game!
Play Smarter
Out of all card games out there, poker allows for the most strategic thinking and using some already proven strategies. We’ve decided to give you just a few tips first before moving on to discuss the main strategies to help you get started:
The first piece of advice we can give you is to always check the type of online video poker machines. Different variations come with different rules and payouts.
On top of that, we also want to remind you that the payouts can be very different as well, even between two games of the same type like Jacks or Better, as we’ve explained above.
Overall, it’s best to go with a high-return game that has the best payout for its type. That’s why it’s so important to also compare the RTP rates since they can be very different from one game to another.
Overall, it’s best to go with a high-return game that has the best payout for its type.
And one more thing – if possible, you can try and go with a progressive jackpot variation of video poker. There are various different kinds of machines you can try online, including some jackpot releases, and who knows – maybe you’ll be the lucky player to hit the jackpot next!
Beginner Strategy
Now that we’ve gone through the basic tips, it’s about time we discussed video poker strategy options. You’d be surprised by how much a strategy could influence the course of your gaming session, especially in variations where you are allowed to create your own hands by choosing which cards you wish to keep and which ones to discard. So, if you’re a newbie among poker fans, here’s our two cents on the best strategies you can apply:
Key Strategies
The best types of video poker games online include Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker and Double Bonus Poker. They are mostly based on Texas Hold’em when it comes to payouts and hand rankings, but you can also find some unique options like jackpot poker.
Well, it all depends on your skills and the type of poker you’re playing, but it could be useful to hold on to high pairs, not breaking up the cards making high-valued hands, and using a payout chart.
Payout charts in poker include the statistical probability of landing a win with your next hand depending on your dealt cards, so they are pretty useful when playing video poker online.
Yes, some video poker games require skill as they are based on Texas Hold’em and they allow you to swap cards hoping to make a winning hand.