Play Video Poker Games Online At Royal Vegas
Video poker games are ideal for players in search of a fast-paced casino game that takes some skill to play. Just like other card-based table games like blackjack, the basics are very easy to pick up, but you can spend a lifetime improving your video poker strategy and never stop learning from the game. This makes for a very rewarding experience that you can enjoy on any connected device, whether it’s your desktop PC at home or your Android or iOS mobile. These poker video games are also great for pokies fans who may be looking for something a little more challenging than hitting “spin”. All in all, your gaming experience isn’t complete until you’ve played video poker in a casino online!
Video poker games explained
Video poker machines were invented back in the 1970s to fill the gap between chance-based games with purely random outcomes such as pokies and roulette and more strategic games of skill. The first example of video poker was Jacks or Better, based on a variant of five card draw. You hit “deal” and the machine deals you five cards from a 52-card deck. You then get one chance to switch out cards for new ones in order to build the best poker hand you can. Then you get your replacement cards, the outcome of the hand is revealed and you’re on to your next hand. Jacks or Better video poker gets its name from the rule that says the more high cards (Jacks or better) you have, the better the payouts you receive.
Explore our range of casino poker games
- The original Jacks or Better is available to play here at Royal Vegas New Zealand, but there are numerous other variants to choose from too. Each one has its own paytable that pays out differently according to what you have in your hand. Here are some of the video poker games you can enjoy:
- Jacks or Better video poker: the minimum winning hand is a pair of Jacks or better
- Deuces Wild video poker: twos are wild so they can substitute for any other card, just like wild symbols in online pokies
- Bonus Poker: a version of Jacks or Better that pays a bonus if you have four of a kind
- Double Bonus Poker: Jacks or Better, but with a bonus for four aces.
- Aces and Faces: you get a bonus for four of a kind of aces, kings, queens and jacks.
Video poker strategy
Video poker is one of those games where the player’s knowledge has an impact on the game. Do you understand the difference between a royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card? These are the poker hand rankings, and it’s a good idea to learn them before you log in to an online casino for video poker. Beyond hand rankings, video poker strategy can add to your enjoyment of the game. This is basically the attempt to play video poker online in a mathematically optimal way. The maths is pretty complicated, so it helps to know that there are online video poker strategy charts for all the different variants. You look at the cards you’re dealt and run down the chart from top to bottom until you find the highest hand that corresponds to your hand. The chart will tell you how many cards you should switch out and how many you should keep.
