A quick overview of Video Poker

Based on the traditional Five Card Draw Poker variant, Video Poker is one of those online games that resemble slot games quite a bit, in look and feel. Since different hands offer different payouts, it’s then obvious that the whole point of the game is to make sure you receive the highest possible hand. It is interesting to note that, a fact that many experienced players still are not aware of, Online Poker is one of the most advantageous games a gambler can access, as its rate of payout is over 95%.

Why is Video Poker so insanely popular? Well, for the same reason that classical land-based casino Poker has been for centuries now: not only is the game based on luck but it actually mixes that with player skills in order to run a successful game. This one of the few table games that can essentially influence the flow of gameplay, considering that player skills are a variable that no one can foresee.

Before the cards start being dealt out by a dealer, and some casinos offer a Live-Dealer feature that you can take advantage of, every player must make their bet. Following this initial action, you can hit the Deal button and receive your five cards face up. Now you can assess your hand and decide what cards you want to stick with and what ones you want to get rid of.

You receive fresh cards out of the deck, equal in amount to the number of cards discarded. You have reached the point of no return. No more cards can be drawn or discarded and what you’re looking down at now is the final hand. You’re stuck with it. If you have a high enough hand you get a payout, if not, the game finishes and you get to hit Deal again to begin a new game. The Royal Flush sometimes comes with a progressive jackpot, but not all casinos offer this.

Below is a line-up of all possible and valuable hands you can wager with in Poker:

• Royal Flush is the highest hand and you need an A, K, Q, J, and a 10 with matching suit.
• Straight Flush is directly below the Royal in value. It requires any 5 cards from the same suit to have the same suit.
• Four of a Kind means you must have four cards of the same rank, regardless of the suit. An example might be 10, 10, 10, 10, and a 3 (which doesn’t really influence the hand at all).
• Full House and this is when the game starts to get interesting. A Royal Flush is much harder to obtain but a Full House not so much. You need three of a kind a pair in order to complete the hand.
• Flush does not care what number or face value your cards have, as long as they are of the same suit. So, you can have a random A, 9, 7, 5, and 2 of the same suit and still have a pretty good hand.
• Straight is when you have five cards in a sequence, the suit doesn’t matter so much.
• Three of a Kind, of course, means, guess what? Exactly, that you must show three cards of the same rank in order to have a valid hand.
• Two pair means just that, two cards of one rank couple with two other cards of the same rank.
• Jacks or Better is almost like an extra. You must have either A, K, Q, or J in a pair to be considered for this hand.