Video Poker Guide

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Video Poker is an answer to those who love the thrill of online slots, but also enjoy the thought involved in poker. In some ways very similar to the slots games that everybody knows and loves, video poker can be found in all online casino sites, and is fast becoming one of the most well loved games around.

A video poker game will consist of a screen on which images will appear. When you put your money in, or in online terms commit your credit to the game, 5 cards will be dealt and will be visible on the screen. All video poker games are based on a 5 card draw game, and thus you have the opportunity to swap card if you so wish. All video poker games have different rules; whilst they are all based on 5 card draw, a video poker game may be Jack or Better, or Deuces Wild, or one of several other variations. The wilds and the aims of these different games must be understood before play, and will be explained clearly by all sites. For example, in Jacks or Better, which is the most common video poker to be found, payoffs begin only with a pair of Jacks; thus a pair of 10s wouldn't win a prize.

Once you have committed your money and have been dealt your cards, you simply hold the cards you wish to keep, and hit the deal button – the cards you didn't select to hold will disappear, and new ones will appear in the place. If your hand makes up a winning poker hand, you will receive the credit – if not, the screen clears and you can play again. Thus video poker is really one of the most straight forward games in the online casino to play, but it has the advantage of requiring some knowledge and thought, and thus requires a little more interaction than slots.

In terms of video poker strategy, there is nothing that beats being informed. Unlike in regular poker where you're strategy will revolve around betting and bluffing, there is no such possibility in video poker. Thus, it is very important to know the machine that you've playing on; know what its rules are, and know what its pay-tables are.  Once you know what the payable hands are, and what the likelihood of them is, you will find yourself in a position to determine the need to change cards. It is highly advisable to play on free play games to begin with in order to familiarize yourself with the game play, as well as the probabilities of the various hands. Your specific style of play will depend very much on the type of player you are – some will choose to play safe; keeping a 2 pair hand, whilst others would break up a sure-thing-payout in the hope of a better hand – this is simply personal choice. Thus, take things slow, get in lots of practice, and keep your eyes open to what's happening around you – this is the best video poker strategy there is.

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