How to play video poker – Learning to Play Video Poker

Video poker is one of the most popular online casino games and it is very easy to learn how to play video poker. There are many games available at online casinos and one of the most sought-after games is video poker. Just like all new games, there is always something to learn – and in order to play these games well, the more one knows about the game the easier it will be to win. The game it its current form has been around for almost 40 years, but only in the last decade has online video poker been so accessible. This has opened up the door to online video poker players around the world to experience one of the most popular land based casino games.

What is video poker?

Video poker is in essence a combination of basic 5 card poker and slots. If a player has a base knowledge of poker then the game should be simple to grasp in a very short period of time – and even those who have no idea how to play video poker should have little problem.

How does it work?

To begin, the player must place a minimum of one credit as a bet. This single credit will vary between online casinos and which version of video poker is being played. The player has an option of playing between one and five credits, with five credits being called the “max bet”.

Although there are merits to playing the max bet all the time due to the fact that the payouts will be bigger, this will also decrease a player’s bankroll 5 times faster than playing with single credits if luck is not on the player’s side. This should depend on the level of experience as well as how much the player is prepared to lose. However, players should keep in mind that only max bets are eligible for the progressive jackpot.

The cards are then dealt – 5 in total – and the player has to decide which cards to keep and which to discard. The cards which have been discarded will then be re-dealt and those are the cards which symbolize the final hand.

How does a player win?

Each hand has a different rank and this will determine how much the player is paid out for a winning hand. This pay list should be displayed in the online video poker area. A winning player will also get the option of “doubling up”. This works by the computer drawing a single card and the player having to pick one face-down card. If this card is higher than the computer’s card, the player’s win will double.

Although there are many varieties of video poker, the most common prerequisite for a winning hand is a pair of jacks which should pay out one to one. As the hands get stronger, so does the amount a player receives get bigger.

Good luck

Much of video poker boils down to luck and there are certain ways to play the game which should increase the odds of a player winning bigger.