Video Poker

Video poker is a game that adds balance between poker and slot machines, as its a mix of the two. Since I, myself, come from a professional poker playing background, I am aware of many players who got into poker exactly because of these gambling machines. I must add that video poker is one of the few casino games where its possible to have an edge against the house. Before you do jump out of your chair, I must add that it’s very rare for this to actually be the case. In order for it to work, you must find the perfect machine, such as a full pay deuces-wild machine!

The rules for this game are incredibly simple – you select the number of coins, hit a single button and the game is on! Ok, lets break it down in a couple of steps:

• A single standard deck of cards is used, when playing, including jokers for certain game variations.
• Choose between 1 and 5 coins to play for and press the ”deal” button. You will get 5 cards dealt right away.
• The game is based on common poker hand valuation where creation of 5 card hand is required.
• Once the 5 cards are dealt, you can choose between keeping or exchanging any of them. You are under no obligation to hold or exchange any cards.
• After cards are replaced, your hand strength is determined and you will be paid according to pay-table.

Jacks or Better

This is the common variation of the game and one that returns approximately 99.5%, when played according to optimal strategy. The game has its name from the minimum combination required to earn a payout – a pair of jacks.

You can play jacks or better video poker machines at all online casinos, but if you want some specific names – Vegas Paradise, Omni Casino and Jackpot Paradise Casino all have this machine type available.

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Deuces Wild

Widespread variation of the game and one that I also favour myself – deuces wild video poker. Its played with a standard 52 card deck, no jokers. Though, all deuces (twos) in the deck are wild substitutes, meaning they can replace any other card in the deck.

Full pay deuces wild, when played with optimal strategy, offer a return that exceeds 100% – yes, it’s actually possible to have a positive expectation while playing a casino game. Though, good luck finding a machine like this!

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Tens or Better

Similar game type to jacks or better, but instead of a pair of jacks being required to qualify for a payout, in this variation you will earn one with a pair of tens and better!

Although this machine isn’t as widespread as the two pointed out above, it’s still a game you will find at any reasonable online casino.

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Video Poker Variations With Jokers

Jokers poker, jokers wild and a dozen of other variations are available with names quite similar to these two. Well, there isn’t much different with all these joker variations compared to deuces wild. Instead of using a 52 card deck, a 54 or 56 card one is used, depending on the amount of jokers in play. As you might feel already, jokers are wild symbols in this game and will substitute for any other cards.

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Progressive Video Poker

Video poker can also be a progressive jackpot game, where the highest possible combination (royal flush) awards you with a jackpot payout instead of a fixed credit prize. While not as commonly found as other game types, these are still available at a decent variety of online casinos, such as Vegas Paradise where SupaJax and Jackpot Deuces poker games are offered – both with a progressive payout potential!

Variations Offered by MicroGaming

MicroGaming offers a total of 18 video poker varieties, as of this article being written. Truth is, that their offerings for this game are among the best out there. Not only is this the case in regards to actual games types being offered, but also quality and return percentages of games. The best game to play from MicroGaming’s portfolio is All Aces, returning 99.92% in expected value.

Note that all percentages are calculated considering that you play that particular game type by following the optimal strategy, which you can find in the specific article of each game reviewed.

MicroGaming also offer two progressive jackpot video poker machines – SupJax and Jackpot Deuces. Progressive payouts with these often reach mid six figures, so it definitely is worth it to give them a shot.

Other than that, you will find an up to date list with current video poker machines available at MicroGaming casinos along with their payout percentages.

• All Aces – 99.92
• Jacks or Better – 99.54
• Deuces Wild Multi-hand – 99.37
• All American – 99.37
• Aces and Faces – 99.25
• Bonus Deuces Wild – 99.15
• Tens or Better – 99.14
• Bonus Poker – 99.17
• Double Bonus – 99.11
• Aces and Eights – 99.09
• Deuces and Joker – 99.07
• Double Double Bonus – 98.97
• Joker Poker – 98.60
• Bonus Poker Deluxe – 98.49
• Double Joker – 98.10
• Deuces Wild Single Hand – 96.76
• Louisiana Double – 93.45

Variations Offered by PlayTech

PlayTech is a giant online gambling company standing behind some of the world’s finest gaming brands, such as Omni Casino. They also have an online poker, bingo, binary and sports betting platforms developed making them one of the largest gaming software developers out there.

When it comes to video poker, PlayTech delivers 8 regular game types and a progressive jackpot variation, known as Mega Jacks. Below is a listing of the game types offered along with payout percentage for each:

• Two Ways Royal – 99.80%
• Jacks or Better Single Hand – 99.54%
• Aces and Faces Single Hand – 99.25%
• Deuces Wild – 99.81%
• Joker Poker KOB – 98.60
• Tens or Better – 97.96
• Jacks or Better Multi-Hand – 97.30
• Aces and Faces Multi Hand – 95.44

If you’re looking to play video poker games powered by PlayTech, I would suggest joining either Omni Casino or Fly Casino, both of whom are my personal favourite brands from this software developer.

Variations Offered by NetEnt

Net Entertainment is a Scandinavian game developer that I personally consider miles ahead from their competitors, at least right now. Their games are high quality, with attention to detail and offer great RTP’s!

Currently seven video poker game variations are offered by NetEnt and can be played at casinos using their software, such as Guts Casino or Prime Slots. These are the following ones:

• All American Poker
• Classic Deuces Wild
• Classic Jacks or Better
• Deuces Wild
• Jacks or Better
• Joker Wild

Best Bonus Offers

Since video poker is a game where casino doesn’t have much of, if any, advantage over you as a player, it’s not really a surprise that it won’t be easy to find casino bonuses that allow video poker as an option for casino bonus clearing.

One that I have found as quite good is Bovada’s offering – four $250 casino bonuses for table games players with a 40x wagering requirement. Use a bonus code ”CASINO250” to claim this offer up to 4 times. Visit www.bovada.lv to get started!

Mobile Video Poker

If you desperately want to play video poker on your iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, or whatever other devices are out there, I suggest that you join Jackpot Paradise Mobile Casino. It’s a sister site to VegasParadise.com online casino both offering mobile video poker games from Microgamng and NextGen. What’s better is that this casino has a 10 free no deposit spin bonus + 100% welcome bonus up to $£€200  Free