CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE
Video poker online may seem complicated and at times it might actually be. But in its essence, video poker online is a very simple game. All variations of video poker here at Everygame Casino are based on five-card draw poker.
In video poker, gamers play against the pay table. The dealer has no role other than to deal the cards. Since video poker online is totally digital, the “dealer” is the software that deals the card.
We mentioned video poker online because the return to player rate in online video poker is often much higher than the return to player rate at land-based casinos.
How is That?
This has to do with two different pay tables in video poker. The pay table at Everygame Casino and at all reputable online casinos is about 99.5% if the player uses the best strategy on every hand. This is based on a 9-6 pay table.
What is That?
It means that gamers get 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush. An increasing number of land-based casinos now pay 8-5 or even 7-5! This reduces the return to player rate at these land-based casinos to well below 99.5%.
So, we recommend playing video poker online and following the best strategy on every hand.
How Can a Gamer Learn the Best Strategy for Video Poker?
Millions of hands have already been studied and the statistics are clear on most hands. Gamers can use a strategy card when they play but this slows the game down so the best way to play video poker is to learn the strategy by understanding what any move is meant to achieve.
Is There a Single Best Strategy for Video Poker?
Yes, there is.
It has been shown that playing the maximum number of coins is best because that qualifies you for the extra payout for a Royal Flush.
This also means that gamers will go for a Royal flush in certain situations. It also means that a gamer is best served by giving up a winning pair in order to try to get a much better hand that pays a lot more than a simple winning pair.
Can You Give Me a Few Examples?
Certainly!
Here is a case where you have a winning pair and also three other suited cards with at least one or two of them high cards. So, you might have two kings and a queen and jack of the suit of one of the kings. You also have another low card suited to the same king. In this case, you have four to a flush. You might also have four to a straight.
Go for a Better Hand
In this case, you should discard the unsuited king! You would be giving up a winning hand in order to go for a flush or a straight. In a very rare situation, you might be going for a straight flush!
Let’s see how many cards could give you a better hand than the winning pair.
There are 47 cards left in the deck. Nine of these cards are suited to the other for cards and would give you a flush. So, you have about a 20% chance of getting a flush. A flush pays six coins and a winning pair pays one coin. So, if you give up the winning pair and go for the flush and it comes up exactly once in five hands, you would lose 5 coins and win 6 coins!
In This Example There is More!
In some cases, there is also a straight possibility. You might have a 10 which is not a winning pair if it pairs up in Jacks or Better. In this revised case, a 9 or an ace would give you a straight. There are four nines and four aces which add not 8 but six cards to the 9 cards already cited since the 9 or ace that give you a flush are already counted.
Now you have a one in three chance to better your hand by giving up the pair of kings.
There is More!
You have a 10, jack, queen, and king after breaking up the pair of kings. You could still pair the jack, queen, or king! There are 3 jacks, 3 queens, and only 2 kings left. That’s 8 more cards added to the 15 already cited and, if you break up the pair of kings, you have about a 50% chance of either improving you hand or of getting another winning pair!
Thus, in some cases, breaking up a winning pair is correct.
However, for new video poker gamers, breaking up is hard to do!
This is a skill that gamers may have to learn the hard way. But, if you follow the strategy that has been revealed by statistical analysis of millions of hands, you will come very close to a full 100% return on your bets overall.
This means that a session of video poker online will normally end with a very small win or a very small loss. That makes it a great game of skill for online casino gamers!
There are a Few Other Advantages to Playing Video Poker
- Some gamers love poker as such but don’t like to have to deal with bluffs. There are no bluffs in video poker.
- Some gamers like the high return to player Arte in video poker as opposed to a much more difficult challenge winning overall in regular poker.
- Some players also love playing regular poker and use video poker as a great way with a high return to player rate to practice the skill of fast recognition of hands, odds, and other esoteric poker skills all good poker players have.
- The best strategy takes time to learn. The rewards for learning it is high!
- There are a few variations that have a higher return to player rate. Deuces Wild has a return to player rate of 100.8%; Double Bonus Video Poker has a return to player rate of 100.2%, and Aces and Eights has a RTP of 99.75%. In order to play any of these variations, a gamer has to learn the specialized strategy for each one!
One Final Advantage to Playing Online
Everygame Casino is available to gamers on a 24/7 basis. That means that gamers have no true incentive to play in extra-long sessions. You can always come back the next day to play.
Here at Everygame Casino, we encourage gamers to play in relatively short sessions because of the easy availability of our casino. Land-based casinos are not nearly so easily available!
There are many other advantages to playing casino games in general online but they are the subject of another article! Suffice it to say that Everygame Casino is a great place to lay one’s hat for fun and exciting casino gaming!
