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How to Play Video Poker Machines in 2024

Emma Smith | January 10, 2023 | Updated on: January 10th, 2024

How to Play Video PokerIf you are looking for an easy-to-follow guide on how to play video poker, you have come to the right place. Learning and understanding the fundamentals of video poker is a great way to make money with this casino game.

The popular machine is based on a five-card draw game, and it offers players an opportunity to beat the house realistically. If you are starting out with video poker and learning the basic video poker rules and strategy, this is a great way for you to conquer the game. With that, we have tasked our experts with sharing everything there is to know when learning how to play video poker.

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How to Play Video Poker Games

How to Play Video Poker at Casino

There are thousands of new video poker players every day. So, if you are new to online video poker, there is no need to worry, as this step-by-step guide is the perfect way to get started with the game. The one thing you will notice is that the steps in learning how to play video poker are easy to understand and to follow. Whether you are learning how to play video poker for beginners or are a seasoned player looking to refresh your gameplay.

Here are the five steps to learning video poker:

  1. Select the number of coins you would like to bet between 1 and 5.
  2. Click on the button that is labelled deal.
  3. Once you have been dealt five cards decide which card you would like to keep and which ones you’d like to a discard.
  4. Click on the button that is labelled drawn. This option will discard the cards you no longer want and replacing them with new card.
  5. You will be paid out depending on your final hand and on the paytable of the game you playing.

These steps are the only ones that you need to play the game. However, a piece of advice we would recommend is that you start with free video poker games before playing for real money. This will allow you to get down the basics of the game and be able to execute a proper strategy. Also, make sure that you’re playing at a licensed and repeatable casino site such as the ones that we recommend on the site

How to Play Video Poker and Win: Pay tables

The second most important part of learning how to play video poker and winning is understanding how to read the pay table. Before you can place any real money bets consulting the pay table is vital. Each video poker variation has a different pay table, and luckily, these will be displayed on the machine. This allows players an opportunity to see what each hand pays out. Therefore, when deciding which cards you would like to keep or discard, you have an idea of what your final hand is in a paid out.

There are three main classifications of video poker games which include full pay and short pay. A full-pay video poker game will have an average return of 99%. Unfortunately, this does not mean that you will win 99% of the time.

What this means is that, if you were to make a 100-coin bet on a machine, you could make back 99% of your investment. Some machines will boast an RTP of 100%. While that seems unachievable to some players, it is possible when using the perfect video poker strategy

Apart from the game displaying the RTP, you may notice that some machines label the game with a 9/6. A full-pay video poker game is a 9/6 machine. This means that a full house on this machine will payout 9 to 1, and a flush will pay 6 to 1. Below is an example of what a 9/6 Jacks or Better paytable looks like

video poker pay table

How to Play Video Poker Correctly: Hand Rankings

Video poker is a game that pays out depending on the poker hand that you have. Understanding the various video poker hands will ensure that you make wise decisions when choosing which card to keep and which ones to discard. To make things easier for you, we describe each video poker hand below.

Hand Explanation
Royal Flush This is a hand that has a suited 10, Jack, King, Queen and an ace card.
Straight flush A hand that consists of 5 cards in sequence from the same suit.
Four of a kind In this hand, you will have four of the same cards.
Full house This hand includes three of the same cards and a pair.
Flush This hand has five cards from the same suit, but they don’t have to be in order.
Straight With this hand, you will have five cards in sequence, but they can be from different suits.
Three of a Kind The hand includes three identical cards and two other cards.
Two pair

 

 This hand includes two pairs such as two sixes and two threes or two fours and two nines.
One pair The hand only has one pair and three other cards.
High card This hand would only include one high card.

 

Types Of Video Poker Games

When learning how to play video poker, you need to remember that there are several variations of this game. Each of these games will be played differently therefor before you start playing, make sure you know which variation you want to play. Below are the most popular variations of video poker that you can play online.

  • Tens or Better
  • Jacks or better
  • Aces or Eights
  • deuces wild
  • Bonus poker
  • Joker poker
  • Double bonus

How to Play Video Poker Like A Pro

To play video poker like a pro, you will need two things, a strategy and money management. Playing for real money means you will be risking money to make money. Therefore, you need to use a strategy to improve your odds.

There are various strategy cards that you can use which tell you how to play each hand you are dealt. For instance, if you have four cards to a royal flush, you will discard the card that isn’t in the royal flush for a new card. There are many other ways in which to play different scenarios.

With money management, it is all about being able to play games that are suited to your budgeted amount. This means finding and playing games that you can afford. Remember, gambling is meant to be fun, and playing with money you can’t afford to lose isn’t a good idea.