Video Poker Guide: How to Play, Strategies, and Free Games

You see, video poker has lots going for it, not least the fact that video poker odds can be some of the best in any casino. It’s also exceptionally fun to play, plus there’s an element of strategy, so you can contribute towards your own success when playing.

You’ll find video poker machines at all good online casinos, both online and offline, so next time you pass by one, don’t ignore it. Instead, have a few turns and see why it should be seen as a top name in the casino world!

Want to play video poker online right now? If so, you’re in luck, as you’ll find an exhilarating version of video poker right here at WSOP. We’ve kept things simple but still thrown in a couple of curveballs to keep things interesting, so why not try out a few hands today? You can learn more about WSOP’s top video poker title by reading through the ultimate video poker guide below!

What is Video Poker?

At its simplest, video poker is a single-player game based on the rules of traditional poker. In land-based casinos, it’s played on video terminals, which often display somewhat rudimentary graphics, while online video poker games try to mimic this retro style.

The goal of video poker is to get a five-card poker hand that meets the minimum requirements for a payout. At WSOP, the minimum winning hand is two pairs. The better your hand, the more money you’ll win – land a Royal Flush and you’ll find yourself walking away with a huge boost to your bankroll!

There are many variations of video poker, including Jacks or Better (the original game), Deuces Wild, and Joker Poker. Nearly all follow the basic principle of trying to make a winning five-card poker hand, but the minimum hand can vary, plus wild cards are sometimes thrown into the mix – just like they are here at WSOP! The payout amounts for specific hands can also vary from game to game.

How is it Different from Regular Poker?

The main way video poker differs from regular poker is the lack of competition between players. In traditional poker, you’ll be attempting to outplay other people at the table, but in video poker, you only play the house.

This lack of real competition makes video poker a more methodical, mathematical game, with no way to influence the outcome using tactics such as bluffing. Overall, video poker is based almost entirely on luck (although there is an optimal strategy to use – more on that later), while traditional poker has a large element of skill attached.

Video poker is also a less social game, as you won’t be playing against others, or even have a dealer to interact with. It’s just you and the machine, in a battle for supremacy. But in terms of prizes, both are comparable, as you can win huge sums on any video poker or traditional poker hand. Of course, the amount you win is directly correlated to the amount you wager.

Finally, online video poker is more accessible than other forms of poker. With games like Texas Hold’em, you need to wait for a seat to become available at a table – something that can take a while at certain websites. But the number of people able to play video poker online is infinite – there will always be a video poker machine waiting for you, which is perfect for the more impatient players out there!

Basic Rules of Video Poker

Learning how to play video poker is a breeze, if you’ve played traditional poker before. But if you’re a complete newbie, we’ve created a free online video poker rules guide below.

To start, you’ll need to place a qualifying bet, which can be of various sizes. Five cards are then dealt, and you can swap as many as you want for new cards. But this shouldn’t be done randomly – instead, use your skill to determine which actions give you the best chance of making a winning hand.

There is no additional cost to swapping cards in video poker.

Then, your cards are swapped, and you see your final hand. Have you managed to make a qualifying hand? If so, you’ll win a prize, based on the game’s paytable. If you play video poker online, the prize will then be paid into your casino account straight away. If you’re in a land-based casino, you’ll win coins or tokens, as you would when playing a slot machine.

That’s all there is to playing video poker. As you can see, it’s an incredibly simple game, which anyone can learn within minutes. But if you’d like to practice before playing for real money, we’d suggest playing free online video poker first, which allows you to experience the game and learn the rules without risking a penny.

Video Poker Hands and Hand Rankings

Before you can play video poker effectively, you must understand video poker hand rankings – or at least have a reference to hand, showing you the different hands. Take a look below to learn about the video poker hands you might see while playing:

• Royal Flush: The best hand you can possibly get, consisting of 10, J, Q, K, A, all of the same suit. It’s unlikely you’ll hit this hand, but if you do, you’ll be rolling in winnings!
• Five-of-a-Kind: A hand featuring four cards of the same value, plus a wild card. For example, A-A-A-A-W. Not possible in video poker variations without wild cards.
• Straight Flush: This is a hand containing any straight (other than 10, J, Q, K, A), with all cards all of the same suit.
• Four-of-a-Kind: This one is pretty self-explanatory – it’s a hand featuring four cards of the same value, plus a kicker. For example: A-A-A-A-K.
• Full House: A full house is a hand containing three cards of one value, and two cards of another value. For example: Q-Q-Q-7-7.
• Flush: A flush is a hand containing five non-consecutive cards, all of the same suit. For example, 2-5-8-10-A, all of spades.
• Straight: A hand containing five consecutive cards, not of the same suit. For example, 2-3-4-5-6, of mixed suits.
• Three-of-a-Kind: Another pretty obvious hand, this features three cards of the same value, along with two kickers. These kickers must both be different suits – if not, you have a full house. For example, 7-7-7-8-Q.
• Two Pair: When you have two identical card values, along with another two identical card values, plus a kicker. For example, 5-5-A-A-K. Note: this is the lowest possible winning hand at WSOP’s video poker game.
• Pair: A pair is when you have two cards of the same value, along with three kickers, all of different values. For example, 7-7-8-10-K. At many versions of video poker, the minimum winning hand is a pair of Jacks.
• High Card: If you have none of the above hands, your hand is categorised by its highest card. For example, if you had 2-5-6-10-A, your hand would be ‘Ace-high” and would almost never be a winner.

A quick note here about wild cards: there are some games using wild cards that lower payouts for video poker winning hands containing a wild.

For example, some video poker games offer bigger payouts for a ‘natural’ Royal Flush (a Royal Flush containing no wilds), than they do for the same hand containing one or more wilds. Check the paytable of the game you’re playing for more information.

Also, in case you’re wondering, a kicker is a card not used to make the hand. For example, in a four-of-a-kind hand of 5-5-5-5-7, the 7 is the kicker. It can be important in regular poker, as a tiebreaker between two otherwise identical hands, but doesn’t play a role in video poker, so there’s no need to worry about it.

Finally, a note on video poker odds. As you’ve probably guessed, the better the hand, the lower the odds are that you’ll hit it. But the exact odds vary from game to game, as even small tweaks to the rules can cause the chances to vary significantly. We’d recommend checking the exact odds of the game you’ve chosen before you start playing.

How to Play a Hand of Video Poker on WSOP

Now you know about video poker rules, as well as the hand rankings, it’s time to look at how to play video poker online at WSOP!

We’ve designed a fantastic video poker game, offering all the twists and turns of the regular game, along with a couple of exciting features to pump up the action even more.

To begin, you’ll need to select the video poker option from the lobby. Then, the game will open, ready for you to play!

Of course, before you play, you’ll need chips. Not got as many chips as you’d like? If not, you can purchase more in seconds, meaning there’s no delay in getting to your game of online video poker.

You’ll then notice that there’s a yellow wild card, with a number underneath. This shows how many wild cards you could get in each game. These are really important, as they hugely boost your chances of landing several winning hands.

Cards Are Dealt

Now the action begins, as you’ll hit the ‘Deal’ button and receive five entirely random cards. This will give you your first look at the strength of your hand. Have you managed to hit a winning combo already? Or do you need to rely on new cards to win you a prize?

Note here that you don’t just have one hand: instead, you have 20 identical hands.

Draw New Cards

Whatever your hand looks like, you’ll next need to choose which cards to hold by clicking on them. If you’ve got any wild cards in your hand, they will automatically be held. After all, why would you trade away a wild?

The cards you’re keeping will be mirrored across all your hands. Made your choice? Then hit the ‘Draw’ button to receive your new cards.

You’ll then receive your new cards. However, they won’t be the same in every hand. Instead, each hand will receive randomly selected cards, making 20 unique hands.

Showdown

You’ll now be able to see how many of your hands are winners. Each winning hand will pay a prize, based on its strength – the better the hand, the more you’ll win. You’ll be able to see all the benefits by clicking the ‘+’ icon next to the rewards.

And that’s all there is to it. You’ll find it incredibly easy to play video poker at WSOP, regardless of whether you’re a newbie or an experienced hand. And if you want to be the best video poker player possible, make sure you read through our video poker strategy section further down the page!

Playing Video Poker Online

Playing video poker online is very similar to playing video poker in a land-based casino.

You’ll find video poker rules are very similar online and offline, although different games can always have small quirks attached – it would be pretty boring if every game was exactly the same. They also have similar paytables, with the Royal Flush always being the highest-paying hand you can get.

However, aside from the convenience of playing online, there is one big advantage to playing video poker online: bonuses. When you play online at sites like WSOP, you’ll get much more bang for your buck. This is because nearly all video poker casino sites give bonuses to anyone depositing.

What’s more, online video poker players regularly get rewards for playing their favourite video poker games, even if they play free video poker. These rewards generally come in the form of free chips. You can be sure you’ll receive plenty of perks when you play video poker here at WSOP!

But how can you be sure you’re getting a fair and honest game when playing real money or free video poker games? The answer comes in the form of the RNG, which stands for Random Number Generator.

The RNG is a highly complex algorithm that randomly selects the cards your hands will be populated with. It is all-but impossible to influence, ensuring you have the same chance of winning as everyone else.

What’s more, RNGs used by reputable software providers – including here at WSOP – are independently tested and verified, ensuring a third-party has declared the game to be entirely fair.

It should also be noted that RNGs are also used by land-based video poker machines, for exactly the same reason. They are also independently tested. So, providing you play at a reputable online or offline venue, you can be sure the video poker casino games are completely trustworthy.

Strategies for Video Poker

As with many online casino games, video poker isn’t entirely about luck. Instead, there are a few things you can do to bump up your chances of winning. Check out our handy video poker strategy tips below.

Basic Strategies for Video Poker

Basic strategies could and should be implemented by everyone, even the newest of players. They’re really simple to understand and will have a marked effect on your video poker experience.

• Understand the paytable: It’s vital that you look at the paytable before you start playing. You need to know exactly how much each winning hand will pay, so you can make educated decisions on which cards to keep, and which to swap.
• Choose the right game: If you’re looking to play the best version of video poker around, you should always choose to play at WSOP. But if you do choose to play elsewhere (why would you?), you should pick the game offering the best RTP. This will ensure you have the best possible chance of winning. Some video poker games even have RTPs in excess of 100%!

Advanced Strategies for Video Poker

Been playing video poker online for a while and want to take your game up to the next level? If so, check out the couple of tips below.

• Use optimal strategy: Every video poker game has optimal strategy. This tells you exactly what to do in every situation, to maximise the RTP. Fail to play at optimal strategy and the RTP falls.
• Use strategy charts: You might be wondering how to remember optimal strategy. Well, you don’t need to, as you just need to download a video poker strategy chart. You can then keep this close by and refer to it while playing. Just make sure you use the right chart for the video poker game you’re playing.

Insider Tips

We’ve been playing video poker for years and like to think we know a thing or two about the game. Here are some of our top video poker tips to boost your experience while playing video poker online…

Bankroll Management

You absolutely must use bankroll management when gambling online, regardless of what you’re playing. This essentially means being careful with your money and not spending everything in one session.

Instead, you should set aside a small portion of your bankroll – many top gamblers say around 5% – and use this for your gambling session. If you lose this 5%, you should have the discipline to stop and take a break. Doing so will let you gather your thoughts and come back in a better mood, which could up your chances of winning.

If you don’t use bankroll management, you could find yourself losing lots of money regularly. This will mean constantly topping up your account balance with real money – hardly ideal.

Also, one aspect of bankroll management that people often forget is this: set yourself a winning limit too. If you manage to win this predetermined amount, step away and protect the money you’ve won.

Recognising and Avoiding Mistakes

As with many aspects of life, it’s very easy to make mistakes while playing video poker online. And perhaps the biggest of these is getting too greedy. It’s only human to chase after the big paydays, but this shouldn’t be done by ignoring the smaller winning opportunities.

So, if you have a made hand, never swap parts of it for new cards, unless you’re one card away from hitting a Royal Flush (and even then, you should think long and hard about it). Take the easy wins and treat the bigger wins as a bonus.

Staying Focused and Maintaining Discipline

It might not sound too exciting, but video poker – just like nearly all other online casino games – involves lots of discipline. You must stick to your strategy, as defined by the video poker strategy chart you’ve hopefully acquired. If you don’t, you’ll damage the RTP.

But we also know that video poker isn’t just about winning – it’s more about having fun. So, it’s okay to occasionally break out of the shackles and play a little more riskily. Just understand that this won’t be doing your chances of winning any good and that you’ll need to switch back to optimal strategy soon.

Continuous Learning and Improvement

Always remember that there’s always more to learn in the world of online gambling. Very few people can call themselves perfect.

When it comes to video poker, you should constantly analyse how you can improve. Are you veering away from optimal strategy too much? Are you chasing the big prizes when smaller ones are easier to land? Are you playing video poker at a time you’re awake and alert?

So, cast a critical eye over yourself and honestly assess ways in which you could become a better video poker player.

If you do identify that you’re struggling to improve, you might consider using a video poker trainer. These can help you learn how to win at video poker. If you don’t want to spend any money, you should easily be able to find a free video poker trainer online.

Final Thoughts

Video poker is one of the most undervalued games in an online casino. It offers loads of fun and some huge potential prizes, plus the RTP can be incredibly generous.

Hopefully you’ve learned about some top video poker tips in this guide, and it has encouraged you to play video poker online. And when you do start to play, remember that WSOP offers the best video poker games around, so why not sign up and start playing today?