The Different Types Of Video Poker Available Online

In the late 19th century the world’s first slot machine, “The Liberty Bell” was released in San Francisco. It was an immediate hit with the public which encouraged dozens of companies to invest in the new technology.

The most popular slot machine theme of the time quickly became poker and for the next 80 years, if gamblers wanted a light and quick alternative to poker, slots were their best option. Then in the 1970s casinos in North America began producing video poker terminals.

These machines, similar to size as slots featured a television like monitor screen and a solid state central processing unit that allowed players to play five-card draw poker. Just like the Liberty Bell, these machines became incredibly popular, especially in Las Vegas.

To this day, video poker remains one of the most profitable games in casinos all over the world, but unlike the 1970s, players now have much more choice. They can shop around from casino to casino or download a casino app on their phone and play online video poker.

There is also a great variation in video poker games which, for beginners can seem a little confusing and overwhelming. Which is why we decided to go over all the various forms of video poker and explain how they are played and what to expect from them.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about online video poker variations.

Full Pay & Low Pay

The first thing you need to know about video poker is that the game, like every other casino game, is designed in a way that favours the house. This means that on average, players will lose more than they win to keep the casino profitable.

In the world of video poker and slots, this edge is represented by something called ‘Return to Player’(RTP) percentage. This shows how much a player could expect to see returned to them for every £100 wagered on average.

For example, if a game had a 90% RTP that would mean that for every £100 wagered you would be returned £90 and lose £10.

Video poker is split into full pay and low pay games, which have different RTP’s. In full pay games, a Full House has a payoff of 9 times the bet and a Flush has a payoff of 6 times the bet. These Full Pay games – sometimes referred to as 9 & 6’s – have an RTP of 99.54%.

The low pay games offer payoffs of 6 and 5 times the bet respectively for Full House and Flush draws and have a lower RTP of around 95%.

On all reputable online casino sites, these figures will be readily available in the game description or at the top-right of your screen as you play.

Variations

Now you know what to look for in terms of payouts and value, it’s time to take a look at some of the most popular variants out there:

Jacks or Better
Video poker is based upon five-card draw which is the simplest and most accessible variant of poker. Jacks or Better is the simplest and most accessible variant of poker, so if you’re a newbie it’s the best one to start with as it’s ridiculously easy to pick up.

The lowest paid hand in the game is a pair of Jacks, every time you draw this hand or better, you will get the option to double your winnings in a bonus game. You will receive 5 cards, 1 face up and 4 face down, to win you have to choose the 1 of the 4 with the highest value.

Deuces Wild
In this game which is found in most land-based and online casinos, there are the standard 52 cards to play from. But what makes it different is that the ‘deuces’ or 2s serve as Wild Cards.

These Deuces can be used by a player to replace any card with one that completes a winning hand. For example, if you had 2 Aces, a 2, a 4 and a 7 of differing suits you could use the 2 as another Ace to complete a Three of a Kind.

The Full Pay version of this variant comes with a 100.76% payout so if you find one of these, you’re quid’s in!

Joker Poker
Similar to Deuces Wild, this game is played with a wild. Players draw from a deck of 53 which includes the Joker card. When it is drawn players can use it to replace another card and make a winning hand.

Aces and Faces
This game is slightly more complex and is probably more suited to experienced players as it does require a bit of mental acrobatics. In it, there are increased payouts for all Four of a Kind hands formed by Aces or Face Cards.

A hand of 4 Aces for example ranks higher than a Straight Flush and comes with a payout of 80 to 1 rather than 50 to 1. The RTP of Aces and Faces never tends to drop below 99.1%, so if you can get your head around it, it can be quite a lucrative game.

Bonus Poker
The final variant of video poker that we will cover is bonus poker that is like a souped up version of Jacks or Better. In it, the rewards for drawing relatively easy to configure hands are quite high so if you’re down on your luck and want that winning feeling, Bonus Poker is for you.

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