Video Poker Online

Video poker games are an integral part of every US casino, both online and land-based.

If you want to find quality casino sites where you can play some of the best video poker games online, you’ve landed on the right page. Apart from identifying top casino websites in the US, this article will also discuss how real money video poker works, what to look for when choosing a casino, how to play free video poker and which bonuses to use when playing.

If you don’t have a lot of experience playing online video poker, you should pay close attention to our tips and strategies section. In it, we will teach you how to minimize your risks and improve your chances of winning big.

CA casino players: Mobile online casinos are not available in California. You do have the option of playing at a sweepstakes or social casino site. These sites offer similar games, allowing you to win cash prizes playing video poker, and more. Below is our list of recommended sites.

Best online casinos with video poker

Playing real money video poker online

Since video poker machines are single-player electronic games, it’s no wonder that their transition to the online world was rather smooth. There are no major differences between land-based and online video poker, at least not when it comes to different game variants and rules.

However, playing video poker online has the upper hand because of two things — convenience and bonuses. Namely, instead of traveling to a local casino, you can simply to your online casino and play video poker online with real money from your home. Furthermore, unlike land-based casinos, online gambling sites award bonuses to both new and existing players, and these bonuses are usually compatible with the operator’s online casino games.

Free video poker vs. real money video poker

Most playing free video poker:

List of video poker games you can play for free

Game King currently holds the monopoly for online video poker. It supplies video poker variations to each active casino. You can see which variations are most likely to be available at video poker casinos below:

Legal casinos with video poker

Legal online video poker is available in those states that have legalized online gambling, such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan and a few others.

If you live in one of the states that has not yet legalized online gambling, you likely can still play video poker online at a sweepstakes casino. In any case, here is a list of top online casinos that operate in the states where online video poker is legal and regulated.

How to play video poker online

You can play video poker within a few steps, even if you’ve never played online before. The following steps will help you get started as quickly as possible.

Casinos with full-pay video poker games

Full-pay video poker games are those games that offer the highest possible odds and theoretical returns, with short-pay games being the opposite.

Full-pay games pay proportionally more for the highest possible hand (royal flush), but only when you bet the maximum number of coins. The return to player on full-pay games is often close to or exceeds 100% when playing with the optimal strategy. Also, full-pay video poker games offer a 9/6 pay table for a full house or flush, compared to 8/6 or 8/5 pay tables in other games.

While some casinos hide their RTP numbers, leaving the players clueless as to how much they pay in the long run, some casinos are generous enough to provide a full-pay table. Some of the most popular full-pay video poker games you can find in US online casinos include Double Double Bonus Poker and Game King.

Standard video poker payouts

Online casinos offer a variety of pay tables throughout the online market. Each of these vary, depending on the specific game.

You should choose games that meet your expectations as far as risk and volatility. For example, Jacks or Better is the least-volatile video poker variation.

It offers a standard pay table that’s void of bonus tables. You can see the Jacks or Better pay table below:

Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal Flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Straight Flush	50	100	300	400	500
Four-of-a-Kind	25	50	75	100	125
Full House	9	18	27	36	45
Flush	6	12	18	24	30
Three-of-a-Kind	3	6	9	12	15
Two Pairs	2	4	6	8	10
Jacks or Better	1	2	3	4	5

You may seek a more-volatile video poker variation that offers extra payouts. In this case, Bonus Poker should prove satisfactory.

Here’s the pay table for Bonus Poker:

Hand	1 Coin	2 Coins	3 Coins	4 Coins	5 Coins
Royal Flush	250	500	750	1,000	4,000
Straight Flush	50	100	300	400	500
Four Aces	80	160	240	320	400
Four 2s-4s	40	80	120	160	200
Four 5s-Ks	25	50	75	100	125
Full House	8	16	24	32	40
Flush	5	10	15	20	25
Straight	4	8	12	16	24
Three-of-a-Kind	3	6	9	12	15
Two Pairs	2	4	6	8	10
Jacks or Better	1	2	3	4	5

Currently, there are no progressive video poker jackpots in either the PA or New Jersey casino markets. The most you can win is 4,000 coins through a royal flush on a five-credit bet.

Perhaps these internet casinos will eventually add progressive jackpots. However, the most significant current payouts revolve around a royal flush and bonus prizes.

How to win at video poker

Video poker is a strategic game that gives you a better chance to win if you use proper strategy. When thinking about your strategy to win at video poker, you should keep the following tips in mind when playing online.

Choose games with a high RTP

Video poker games with high RTP improve your long-term chances of winning. Variations with higher casino payout percentages will award you more winnings over time.

The highest paying online video poker variants include:

• Jacks or Better: 99.54% RTP
• Double Double Bonus Poker: 99.51%
• Bonus Poker: 99.17%

You aren’t guaranteed to win more money with these games. After all, anything could happen in the short run. Nevertheless, high payout percentages boost your odds of winning profits.

Always bet five coins

You must wager all five coins per hand if you want to achieve the highest payback. By betting five coins, you unlock the full value of the royal flush payout.

Below, you can see how much a royal flush pays, depending on the number of coins you wager:

• One-credit bet = 250 coins
• Two-credit bet = 500 coins
• Three-credit bet = 750 coins
• Four-credit bet = 1,000 coins
• Five-credit bet = 4,000 coins

Use a video poker trainer, strategy chart

Optimal payback requires expert strategy; however, the perfect approach varies, depending on which video poker game you’re playing.

Jacks or Better, for example, requires a different strategy than bonus poker. That said, you need to find the relevant materials for whatever game you’re playing.

Here are the two best resources for improving your video poker skills:

• Strategy Chart: This shows the order of importance for each hand.
• Trainer: This allows you to play video poker hands while correcting your mistakes.

You can significantly increase your video poker knowledge by using either of these tools. Again, you must use strategy materials that match the variation you’re playing.

Practice with free video poker

After you for an at an internet casino, you gain access to free video poker. Free video poker makes for great practice when you’re learning the game. You can implement the strategies you learn through charts and trainers in the free version. Once you feel comfortable, you can move on to real-money video poker with a better strategy.

Tips and strategies for playing video poker

Video poker can be a very rewarding game, as you won’t have to rely only on your luck but also on your skills and tactics. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you start playing:

Be responsible

Always decide on your bankroll and make sure not to exceed it. This is easier said than done, as video poker, like any other casino game, can be very addictive and push you to spend more money than originally intended.

Look for progressive payouts

Many video poker games feature life-changing jackpots that players can win with the right strategy and a little bit of luck. Try to find the games with progressive jackpots, as they allow for massive payouts and reduce the overall house edge.

Always bet the maximum amount

To add on to our previous statement, you should always max bet if your bankroll allows it. While this can be a risky strategy, betting the maximum amount is the only way you can get the jackpot.

Jacks or Better is the best alternative

If no full-pay games are available, try to find Jacks or Better, as it represents one of the highest-paying video poker games. What’s more, Jacks or Better is one of the easiest video poker games to learn, making it ideal for beginning players.

Video poker – History and development

Video poker appeared on the gaming scene in the 1970s when the technology arose to combine primitive computer technology and a TV monitor.

For those who recall what TVs were like in the mid-1970s, the VP monitor was certainly no LED flatscreen. Players used a row of buttons below the monitor to hold the cards that appeared on the screen before drawing to a final poker hand.

By 1979 and into the 1980s, IGT made video poker one of the most popular new games in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. They did so with their title Draw Poker. IGT then released Jacks or Better. This is still a popular version of video poker today, and IGT became a booming, publicly traded company.

As technology progressed in the following years, the appearance of VP machines stayed about the same. However, touch-screen capability relieved players of having to hit physical buttons.

One of the most popular VP terminals in the world is IGT’s Game King. The machine represented the pinnacle of digital casino technology for decades. It remains a favorite of regular video poker players. The Game King allowed casinos to offer multiple VP variants and denominations in a single terminal.

Ultimately, expect to find a variety of video poker iterations on one machine. Some of the most popular include Deuces Wild, Double Bonus, Double Double Bonus, and Ultimate X. that not all video poker is created equal, so check the pay tables and freshen up on the optimal strategy for the variations.