Real money video poker sites

Video poker games offer some of the best value on the casino floor, which is why you will struggle to find any at land-based gambling dens these days. But fear not, as our top-ranked casino sites carry dozens of the most popular variants, all available for real money play.

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With proper strategy, the best video poker titles give an expected return of over 99 per cent. Find out where and how to play these top-value games on laptop and mobile, and why so many players (especially in the United States) prefer video hold’em to the slots.

Difference between video poker and slot machines

At first glance, a video poker machine looks much the same as any standard five-reel slot game. Once you put your coins in and start playing, however, the differences between the two become quite apparent.

Real money slots are creatures of pure luck. With the exception of the gamble feature and some of the more advanced interactive bonus games, players have no control whatsoever over the outcome of each spin. Everything is random and there is no skill involved.

In video poker, on the other hand, correct strategy is required to ensure the best possible odds of winning. Players can decide which cards to keep and which to discard, and knowing the right action for every situation, rather than playing by blind instinct and intuition, can put a massive dent in the house edge.

Popular real money video poker games

Top casino software providers such as Betsoft, Microgaming and Net Entertainment have created dozens of authentic video poker titles for instant browser play and desktop download. A number of these are available in the multi-hand format, where you can play several games at once for faster action and bigger potential wins per hand.

Jacks or Better – This is the grandaddy of all modern video poker games. Draw a pair of Jacks or higher to win and bet five coins per hand to activate a 4000-coin jackpot on the royal flush. For the lowest house edge, make sure to play only ‘9/6’ or ‘full pay’ Jacks or Better poker games where a full house pays nine coins and a flush pays six. Read our guide on how to play Jacks or Better.

Deuces Wild – Punters love Deuces Wild poker because, as the name suggests, all the Twos act as wild cards that can substitute for anything else in the deck. This creates a whole host of high-scoring opportunities, with special payouts for unique hands such as the wild royal flush and four Deuces. Learn how to play Deuces Wild video poker online.

Joker Poker – Also known as Joker Wild video poker, this extremely popular variant adds a single wild substitute to create a 53-card deck. Some versions require you to have at least a pair of Kings to win, while others stick with the Jacks rule while reducing other payouts. For twice the fun, try Double Joker Poker with an additional wild and even more chances to win.

Deuces and Joker – If you’re not satisfied with the number of substitute cards available in either Joker Poker or Deuces Wild, you can combine the two games and play with five wilds per hand. Drawing straights and flushes is a breeze, and the altered payout chart reflects that, but the 10,000-coin jackpot for hitting five wilds is what it’s all about.

All American – There are no added wilds in All American poker, but a modified payout chart offers plenty of incentive for players to draw towards straight flushes (200), fours of a kind (34 or 35), flushes and straights (both 8). There’s a catch, of course: you only get 1 for 1 odds on two pair, which pays 2 for 1 in Jacks or Better, and 8 for 1 on a full house.

Bonus Poker – The defining feature of Bonus Poker is a set of special payouts for fours of a kind in different ranks: Aces (80); Deuces, Threes, or Fours (40); and all others (25). These four of a kind bonuses are even more pronounced in common variants such as Bonus Deluxe, Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus.

All Aces – Available at all reputable Microgaming casinos, this quirky variant of Bonus Poker is a must-try for players who want maximum value for money. With the right strategy, All Aces video poker produces an expected return of 99.92 per cent – that is, a house edge of 0.08 per cent, which is lower than any blackjack game going around. Learn how to play All Aces video poker online.

Other popular video poker variants include:

• Tens or Better
• Joker Wild

How to play online video poker

If you have ever played five-card draw poker, you will have no problem picking up the rules to video poker. Each hand is played with a standard digital deck of 52 cards (sometimes with Jokers added) shuffled by a random number generator. The aim is to finish with a traditional poker hand valuable enough to earn a payout, as per the game’s pay chart. The gameplay rules outlined here apply to just about every variant you will find at our recommended real money casinos.

Betting and coins – To play a hand of video poker, you must first place a bet. Most games offer various coin options, from as little as $0.01 to as much as $5, and allow you to stake either one, two, three, four, or five coins per hand. As most Jacks or Better-derived poker games offer a jackpot on the highest-paying hand when five coins are played, the rule of the thumb is to always wager maximum coins.

Deal and draw – Once you place your coin bet, hit ‘Deal’ to receive your cards. You can then choose to throw out as many or as few of those five cards as you like and replace them with new ones from the deck. Press ‘Hold’ for the cards you wish to keep and then hit ‘Deal’ again to discard the rest.

Payouts – If your final five-card hand matches any of the options on the game’s pay schedule, you will win the amount of coins listed (note that your initial stake is not returned). For example: if you bet a single $1 coin and win at 9 for 1 odds, you will collect $9.

Gamble feature – Like many slots, video poker games often give you the option to gamble your winnings on a double-or-nothing punt. This is often a simple 50/50 proposition, such as whether a random playing card will be red or black. If you choose right, you win twice as much and can opt to gamble again; but if you pick incorrectly at any point, you lose the whole amount. The chances of winning and losing are even, so there is no effect on the overall house edge.

Mobile poker apps for iPhone and Android

Many of the popular games above are available for real cash play on iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and most other smart devices. Each of our leading video poker casinos is optimised for HTML5 browser play via Chrome, Explorer and Safari, while a few also offer dedicated casino apps for iOS and Android. Tap any of the icons below to download the free video poker app for your smartphone or tablet device.

Even if your favourite casino site doesn’t offer a native application for your type of device, you can make your own Web app in seconds by visiting any of the links below and selecting ‘Add to Home Screen’ from your in-browser settings. Refer to our casino table at the top of this page for our full list of recommended online casino sites, or head straight to Slots.lv as our top-rated casino site for players from United States.