Video Poker

Online Video Poker History

The first inception of Video Poker was in 1891, when gaming operators Sittman and Pitt developed a machine with 50 card icons and 5 reels. The Jack and 10 of Spades was removed to prevent players hitting too many straights, and wins were paid out with a selection of cigars and stiff drinks.

Then, in 1899, the first ever genuine slot machine (developed by Charles Frey) replaced the classic playing card symbols with hearts, spades, bells and horseshoes. Now, rather than hitting poker combos, gamers merely needed to land several similar icons on the reels to win.

Slot machines continued to thrive, and by the 1970’s gaming operators decided to reintroduce poker reels to the slot machine. Dale Electronics launched the first video poker machine, known as Poker-Matic, and placed them in casinos all over the US. In 1975, Walt Fraley commissioned hundreds of these machines to be built for his Las Vegas casino.

However, Video Poker was not an over-night success, and gamers were left doubtful that such a game could challenge their skills. It was up to video slots to save video poker from the casino scrap heap, with the release of the hugely popular Draw Poker slots. The game exploded across the USA and simultaneously boosted the profile of video poker – the rest is history, as the game quickly flourished all over the world and, later, the web.

During the 1980’s, the surge in video gaming technology took video poker gaming to amazing levels of complexity, with multi-hands, bonus features and fast-paced gameplay, complete with massive jackpot potential! By the turn of the century, the game was ready for the internet and delivered the unique gaming concept to locations that had never seen the game before. It was an instant success, and has since become one of the most popular games in the online gaming world.

Online Video Poker Strategy

Kings or Better Joker Wild Strategy

Joker Wild Video Poker instantly boosts your chances of forming a winning combo….but applying this simple strategy takes you even closer to success. Just apply a few moves to instantly play like a pro. In order to secure a win, it is well-advised to keep the following combos if you have a Joker:

Any 4-card Straight Flush and a 4-card Flushes containing Kings, Aces or both.
3-cards to a Royal Flush
Winning pairs of Kings or Aces (High Cards)
Any 3-cards to a Straight Flush
Any 4-card Flush with no King or Ace.
Consecutive 4-card Straights

If your hand doesn’t match any of the combos, simply keep the Joker.

On the other hand, if your initial hand does not contain a joker, keep the following combos:

Any 4-cards to a Straight Flush and any 3-cards to a Royal Flush.
4-cards to any Flush.
Any pair of 2's to Queens. - Any 3-cards to a Straight Flush.
Any 4-card consecutive Straight
2-cards to a Royal Flush if one of the cards is an Ace or King.
Unsuited King and Ace.
King or Ace alone.
2-suited Royal Flush cards lower than King or Ace.

If your combination doesn’t contain the joker or any of the above hands, draw 5 fresh cards.

Jacks or Better Video Poker Strategy

Jacks or Better might be the most basic video poker game, but that doesn’t mean you can’t apply a strategy to increase your odds. Here are a few tips to help secure a win.

If you’re dealt a wining hand, always hold it, unless you hit 4-cards to a Royal Flush. Doing this, you will always walk away with money unless you have a genuinely good chance of a big jackpot!

If you’re dealt a non-paying hand, keep the following combos:

Any 4-cards to a Straight Flush
Any 4-cards to a Flush
Any 3-cards to a Royal Flush
Any low pair (10’s or lower)
Any 2 high cards of the same suit
Any 3 cards to a Straight Flush
Any 4-card consecutive Straight - Any single high card
Jack, Queen and King of different suites
Any 2 high cards of different suites
Jack, Queen or King with a 10 of the same suit

If your hand does not match one of the above - draw 5 new cards.

Deuces Wild Video Poker Strategies

Deuces Wild Video Poker is one of the most exciting VP choices, thanks to 4 wild cards, but if you’re not using a strategy to guide your next move, you could be missing out! Apply these simple tactics and watch your success rate increase:

If you have no deuces, keep your paying hands, unless you land 4 cards needed for a Royal Flush, in which case you have a chance of a jackpot. Other hands you should hold include:

4-card straight flushes
3-cards to a royal flush
Any one pair
4-card flushes
Consecutive 4-card Straights
3-cards to a Straight Flush
Any two same suit Kings, Queens, Jacks or 10s

If you’re not dealt any of the above, draw 5 fresh cards.

Online Video Poker Rules

Video Poker is best described as a combination of table poker and a slot machine. However, the rules of Video Poker are distinctly different than traditional poker. While the hand ranking remains identical, there is no bluffing involved so players must rely solely on the cards they are dealt.

A typical games of video poker goes as follows:

Select a hand number
Use the + and – buttons to select a coin size
Click start
The machine deals 5 cards per hand
Hold or discard as many cards as you desire (click the icon below each card)
Click deal or draw to process your moves
If your new hand forms a winning combo, bank you payout

Video Poker Pay out Rules

There are hundreds of video poker machines in cyberspace, with a wide range of pay outs. It is, therefore, important to take a good look at the different types of Video Poker that are available, because the payouts can vary.

Jacks or Better is probably the most famous video poker genre, and it’s a perfect place for anyone new to Video Poker player to start, due to its basic nature. Here is a general payout table for Jacks or Better:

Jacks or Better hand rankings and pay outs:

Combination	Cards needed	Usual Pay out
Royal Flush	A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit	4,000 coins + with 5 coins. 250 coins when less than five coins are wagered
Straight Flush	5 consecutive same suit cards	50 coins
Four of a Kind	A hand with 4 same value cards (such as 2, 2, 2, 2)	25 coins
Full House	3 cards of one value, and 2 cards of another value (such as 2, 2, 2, 8, 8)	6-9 coins
Flush	Any 5 same suit cards	5-6 coins
Straight	Any 5 consecutive cards (not of the same suit)	4 coins
Three of a Kind	3 same value cards (for example 2, 2, 2)	3 coins
Two Pair	A hand containing 2 pairs	2 coins
Pair of Jacks or Better	A pair of Jacks, Queens, Kings or Aces	1 coin

In a game such as Jacks or Better, the odds of landing a Royal Flush are approximately 40000:1. However, the massive volume of VP played every day means that lucky gamers are landing huge payouts regularly. Additionally, Video Poker rules permit a wide range of wager levels, so the game can be played from as little as 0.10, up to bets of 200.00.

Video Poker Gamble Rules

Many video poker games include a “Gamble” feature, providing even more potential excitement and bigger payouts if you’re lucky! Whenever you strike a win, you’ll be given the chance to select one card, while the machine selects another. Whoever has the highest value card, wins. However, losing the gamble feature will leave you with nothing, so be careful with this option!