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The definitive guide to

Online Video Poker

Table of content
  • How To Play Video Poker
  • Step 1: What Is Online Video Poker and How To Play It?
  • Step 2: Choose one of the many Online Video Poker Games
  • Step 3: Choose your bet
  • Step 4: The 1st round
  • Step 5: To hold or not to hold?

How To Play Video Poker

Online video poker is one of the better online slots, based on Five Card Draw Poker. Just like in regular poker, you try to get the strongest hand with the help of 5 cards. The better your hand, the more you will be paid. Where standard poker adds an extra dimension because you compete against other players, in online video poker you are completely all yourself. You are trying to beat the casino login here, which is quite possible with the great payout percentages of online video poker machines. 

Read all about the rules and strategies of online video poker in this article. We guide you through a step-by-step video poker guide, so you can master this entertaining game in no time. 

Ready to play? Then look back to the top list of the very best online casino logins that we have put together for you.

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Step 1: What Is Online Video Poker and How To Play It?

Video poker was created in 1970 and after a difficult start, this variant quickly became one of the most popular slots. It was also no surprise that as soon as online casino logins saw the light of day, online video poker was also immediately available. The rudimentary video poker slots have since been replaced by numerous variations, ranging from the standard Jacks or Better to bonus games such as Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker and Triple Bonus Poker to wild card games such as Deuces Wild and Joker Poker.. 

Online Video Poker can be found everywhere, online casino logins around the world have one or more versions of the famous game at home. Before describing all of these wonderful games in detail, let's take a look at the basics of online video poker.

How to Play Online Video Poker?

One of the reasons video poker is so popular is because it is relatively easy to learn and start playing. If you can play poker, you can play video poker. You don't even have to be able to play that well, as long as you know the strength of your hands. And if you don't know the strength of your hands, you won't have any problems just yet because they show up on the machine.

Unlike live poker, video poker is not played against other players. The aim is not to make the best hand, but to make a hand strong enough to be paid out. On a "Jacks or Better" machine, the most popular version, you must have a minimum hand of a few jacks to be paid. As your hand gets stronger, you will be paid more.

Online video poker is simple and similar to regular poker in that you're aiming for a hand that gives you the most return. To play online video poker, click on the cards you want to keep using the hold button. As soon as you press deal / draw again, the other cards will be replaced. You win by holding a traditional poker hand, and the amount you win is determined by the online video poker game you play on.

In online video poker, just like in regular poker, you are dealt five cards. With those five cards you want to achieve a winning poker hand (royal flush, straight, full house, flush, four of a kind, three of a kind, two pair, jacks or better). To do this, you have the option to keep certain cards in your hand and exchange others to get new cards that can help you get a winning poker hand.

Online Video Poker - What do you see on the screen?

Every look of an online video poker is quite similar, so we can go through all the variants at once. An online casino login is usually filled with flashing lights and funny symbols. Online video poker is simpler at first glance. 5 cards, in a row, with some selection buttons at the bottom. Sometimes there is a payout table above or below the cards, while others can find it in the drop-down menu. Furthermore, there is nothing to be found within an online video poker game. The entertainment comes from the game itself, not from the extra hassle that most online slots show, where cinematic scenes are interspersed with rapidly increasing numbers..

At the bottom of the screen you will find some buttons:

  • Deal / draw button: Press the button after each hand to get the next hand. After selecting the cards you want to hold, press the button again to draw replacement cards. If you have a winning hand, the machine will add the correct number of credits to your balance.

  • Hold buttons: Directly below the cards are the hold buttons. After each new deal, press the buttons corresponding to the cards you have  in your final hand.

  • Help / Explanation / Payout table buttons: Click on one of these buttons and you will be taken to a separate menu where the entire game is explained in great detail..

Step 2: Choose one of the many Online Video Poker Games

There are dozens of different online video poker games in online casino logins. Different games have different returns, which means that if you win, some games will give you a higher percentage of your stake and others will give you a lower percentage. A "9/6 Jacks or Better" payout table is best because the return is 99.54%, which means that on average the casino login only has 0.46% of your money left.. 

  • You can find these Jacks or Better games by name, or look at the reward for the Full House and the Flush. The other categories pay the same for a pair, straight, or three of a kind, but the Full House and the Flush pay more for a "Jacks or Better" game..

  • If you are not sure how to find these games, you can contact us for the best online casino logins available in the Netherlands. We, at Safe casino login, only recommend the safest and most fun online casino logins. Fun guaranteed! Each of our recommended online casino logins have a wide range of online video poker games. 

  • When you have found the game with a pay table that is right for you, it is important to keep playing there. Do not constantly switch between games with the same payout structure as there will be exactly the same chance of winning. If it turns out that your online video poker game is not giving optimal prizes for some hands, switch to a game you like more.

Step 3: Choose your bet

Determine how much to bet before you start betting. Choose an amount that is correct based on your money management, we will share more about money management later in this article. 

How much you bet determines how much you win for each poker hand. Rare combinations will bring in a lot of money, but will occur so little that you can bet better on the smaller hands. Strategies for the many game types that online video poker has to offer will be discussed later. 

Once you have chosen an amount, you can continue playing the first round.

Step 4: The 1st round

You are all set to take your first bet with online video poker. Hit the deal / draw button and 5 cards will appear in your face. Now it is important to make the right choice. Whether and how much you win depends entirely on which cards you decide to hold (hold) and which cards you want to replace. You may have already made a winning poker hand and don't need to change anything, while other turns will only have lower cards in your hand. This does not make choosing which cards to hold any easier.

Step 5: To hold or not to hold?

After the first draw of the cards, three scenarios are possible:

  • You do not have a winning combination

  • You have a few cards that give you a winning combination

  • Three or more cards contain a winning combination

It is quite clear what to do in the last two cases; click on hold and hold the cards that give you a winning combination! Your hand can only get better on the second round. 

The first option is a different story and makes the game a lot more dynamic. Do you opt for a potential straight or do you hope to hit at least a pair by replacing all cards? We will discuss this question and others later in the strategy section of this guide.

Step 6: The second round

Hit deal / draw again and you will be dealt your last cards. If you are playing multiple hands at the same time, they will now be dealt as well. With each poker hand it is then indicated how much you have won. The online game will immediately add everything together and pay you credits or coins based on your winnings.

Not quick enough?

If it is not fast enough for you, there is the option to increase the playing speed. Cards are dealt faster with this and your win counter will increase faster. Although that is not fast enough, you can also turn on the automatic betting function. This feature will immediately deal a new hand once you are done with the second round. Choose the number of rounds you want to keep this feature on so you don't gamble too long!

Do you already understand?

Top! Then we can move on to the types of games that you can all encounter.

More about Video Poker

Online Video Poker Games and Variations

Online video poker comes in many shapes and sizes, each with their unique style. Whichever version you play, it's all the same basically. So you can make optimal use of our step-by-step guide for all game types!

  • Jacks or Better

Within video poker you will often encounter Jacks or Better (also known as Draw Poker). It is one of the most popular varieties of video poker and has high payouts. Jacks or better gets its name from the fact that there is no payout until you have a pair of jacks or higher. The round starts with the first bet (ante) before you as a player are dealt five cards. Which cards to keep and which to replace is up to you, but one strategy is better than the other, we'll get to that later too. After you have made your choice, you will receive new cards for your discarded cards in the second partial round. The hand is over and you are paid based on your strongest card combination. Of course, the ultimate goal is to score that Royal Flush, which pays out 1,000 times your stake! 

  • Deuces Wild

This poker variant is seen as exciting and fun, because the rules here are just a bit more unconventional than with most poker variants. As with Jacks or Better, you don't play this game against other players, but against the bank. Your goal is to make a hand with a three of a kind or higher, as long as you are below this you lose. But first you determine your bet, and you are dealt five cards by the dealer. You decide which cards you want to keep and can exchange the other cards for new cards. If you have a three of a kind or better at the end of this round, the payout will follow, which again depends on the exact strength of your hand. The nice thing about deuces wild, however, is that every 2 is a "wild card" (this occurs four times per deck), meaning that this card can be exchanged for another card that best complements your hand. This provides some extra spice in the game, because suddenly more card combinations are possible than in regular poker, such as the five of a kind..

  •  Joker Poker

In this poker variant, the joker is received with open arms. The game is played with a deck of 53 instead of 52 cards. This joker can take the place of other cards to strengthen your hand (just like the 2 in deuces wild). This game has very high payouts and the payout ratio is even close to 99%! Payouts for this game usually start with a pair of kings or higher. As with some of the variants discussed earlier, you will initially be dealt 5 cards, of which you can choose which ones you want to hold and which you want to exchange for new cards. The game distinguishes between payouts when your hand consists of a joker or not (for example, a street using a joker or a street without a joker). Depending on whether or not you have a joker, you can determine whether you want to get rid of certain cards. This also offers the option to adopt a particular Joker Poker strategy. As with deuces wild, there is also the chance of unique hands that do not occur in traditional poker. Only play this variant if you are already familiar with jacks or better, for example, because this game is slightly more complicated.

  • Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus

A bonus always sounds pleasant when an online video poker game speaks it out loud and clear when starting this game. Double Bonus and Double Double bonus have the same concept as with Jacks or Better. There are no wild cards such as jokers or deuces wild in this game. These two games specialize in the four of a kind, four cards of the same nomination. Special bonuses can be unlocked when you make a specific four of a kind. For example with Double Bonus; a four of a kind with aces pays out 200 times, while a four of a kind with four pays 100 times your stake. Double Double bonus takes that even further, an ultimate bonus is awarded when you make a specific four of a kind with one type of card fifth in your hand. Suppose; you have four of a kind aces with a three as the fifth card you get a bonus that increases your prize up to 400 times your stake!

  • Aces and Faces

Aces and Faces is very similar in performance to Jacks or Better. The emphasis in this game is on the cards with faces (faces) and aces (aces). When it comes to pairs, you should especially try to form combinations that include these cards, as pairs with the cards below (2-10) unfortunately do not pay out. The game starts with the bet, you determine how much money or credits you are prepared to bet for the next round and then you are dealt the famous five cards. Here you determine which cards you want to keep in order to exchange the other cards for new cards. The final score of this new hand is determined, and you are paid according to the strength of that hand. The game is therefore not very difficult. That is why you can usually play multiple hands of Aces and Faces at the same time in video poker. Also in this form of poker the house edge is quite low and the payout ratio quite high (98%), which makes aces and faces an attractive poker variant for many casino login enthusiasts. Mind you, this payout ratio assumes the perfect execution strategy. So make sure you practice before playing for real money!

  • 10's or better

This variant is extra nice, because you only need a pair of 10 or higher to earn a payout. So that gives you a high chance of winning, and since the game is quite simple to learn, this is a good variation to start with if you are new to the world of video poker. The implementation is actually the same as that of jacks or better. You start with the bet you want to make, which varies from online casino login to online casino login, but usually starts with a few cents and goes into the hundreds of euros. Then you are dealt five cards as the first hand, take a good look at which cards can potentially give you the best hand - which you are holding - and exchange the rest for new cards (you can exchange up to five cards). If you have a pair of tens or higher, you can already count on a payout. The stronger your hand, the higher your payout. This can range from 2-5 times your stake in a few to thousands of times your stake in a Royal Flush. Getting rich can go very quickly!

  • 1, 3, 10, how many hands do you want to play at the same time?

Online video poker can be played at a rapid pace. You don't have to wait every time for a single hand to be over, no, you can play multiple hands at the same time. You can bet up to 20 hands per turn. Now it would be difficult if you had to indicate which cards you want to discard and hold for each hand, so they have come up with something smart about this. For one hand only, you determine which cards are strong enough to carry to the second round, after which the second round is simulated as often as you want. Do you prefer to play for the big money and can't wait for that one Royal Flush? Then be sure to play with several hands at the same time, as it will go much faster!