Play Video Poker For Free In 2023

How Do You Play Video Poker?

Whether you’ve been gambling for a while or are just getting started, it’s very important to fully understand the rules of a game before you start betting with real money. Video poker is no exception.

Video poker might be familiar to you if you’ve ever played 5-card poker before. However, in video poker, you need to get the best 5-card combination possible, and you’re not playing against a dealer or other players.

In a way, video poker is a bit closer to slot machines, but only up to a point. Video poker still allows you to make certain decisions to increase your chances of winning, so it’s just solely luck-based like slots.

But similar to slots, video poker does have predetermined return-to-player percentages.

Overall, the game can look something like this:

• Users place their bets 
• After pressing the “deal” button, users receive 5 cards
• After cards are reviewed, users can choose which cards to hold (if any), and which to discard
• Users press the deal button again and receive the final poker hand

If it’s a winning hand, then the user receives the payout.

Video Poker Winning Hands and Pay Tables

Video poker winning hands are the same as in regular 5-card poker, though some game variations may have slightly different rules. They will usually state them in the game description, so don’t forget to consult the rules before playing.

The hands are usually ranked in the following order:

• Royal Flush: Ten, Jack, Queen, King, Ace
• Straight Flush: five consecutive cards of the same suite
• Four of a kind: four cards of the same value
• Full house: one pair and three of a kind
• Flush: five cards of the same suit, in no order
• Straight: five consecutive cards from different suits
• Three of a kind 
• Two pair
• Jacks or Better: a pair of Jacks

The Royal Flush is the best possible hand you can get at video poker, and the Jacks or Better has the lowest rank.

Apart from working towards getting the best possible hand, your winning chances are also influenced by the pay table, which is the chart where you can see how winning cards are ranked, and the type of payouts each of them has.

Payouts are based on how rare or good a hand is, the game variations, as well as the value of the bet. The game developer and the casino can also influence the pay table.

When a user bets the minimum amount, they can earn the lowest payout corresponding to their winning hand. Commonly, pay tables start with Jacks or Better, which has a 1:1 payout – meaning if you bet one coin, you will win 1 coin.

For more valuable hands, the payouts are higher. For instance, a Full House has a 1:9 payout (earn 9 coins when you bet 1), and a Flush has a 1:6 payout (earn 6 coins when you bet 1).

Take these numbers with a grain of salt, however, since there are lots of types of video poker games out there, and they may have different pay tables.

Video Poker Main Features

Video poker games, when made by reputable developers, are usually very easy to navigate even if you’re a complete beginner. 

Still, some people like to know all the information beforehand, to make them a bit more comfortable.

In this next section, we’ll go over the main features of video poker, to help you know exactly what to expect.

Buttons

The game buttons allow you to place your bets and draw and redraw the cards you need to play.

There are usually four types of buttons:

• Bet – selects the coin and places your bet
• Deal and draw – get your cards
• Hold – allows you to keep your desired cards
• Max bet – allows you to bet your maximum available credit

Display

The display of video poker offers players additional information they may need to play the game. It will let you know everything from how much credit you have left to the type of coin used, how much you bet, and how much you won.

Most importantly, the display also shows information about the pay table, which is crucial to know to play the game right. Re-visit the above section if you need a refresher on what a pay table is!

Best Bonuses for Video Poker

When you’re looking for a place to play video poker, it’s not just the game itself that could help you win big. Many online casinos offer lots of exciting treats for players as a way to encourage them to sign up and keep playing.

For instance, it’s common practice for casinos to offer a “welcome bonus” which is usually a match on the first few deposits. Some of the online gambling sites can be quite generous, like the ones we listed above in our list. Others might not offer such a large bonus.

In any case, be sure to check out the types of bonuses and promotions a casino offers, to ensure you’re getting the most out of the experience.

Understanding Video Poker Returns, House Edge, and Payback Percentages

The expected return of a bet placed in a video poker game is calculated using the probability of winning and losing. 

You can multiply the probability of winning by the amount you’re set to win, multiply the probability of losing by the amount you’ll use, then add those two numbers to get the final number.

You can use a similar equation in video poker games to get the payback percentage, which is the amount you can expect to win from a casino for every $100 you wager. 

However, note that these calculations are more predictable when you consider the long run because, in a short time, anything can happen.

The longer you play, the close the results will be to the mathematical calculations. But the house edge is the amount of each bet expected to be kept by the casino. It’s the exact opposite of a payback percentage.

Together, a payback and house edge percentage always get to 100%. If a game has a payback edge of 95%, its house edge is 5%. For every bet worth $100, the casino expects you to win $95, and they expect to win $5.

Luckily, you don’t have to make very complicated calculations in your hand. There are lots of tools online that can make things a lot easier!

Useful Video Poker Betting Strategies to Test

It’s important to understand that every video poker game has its strategy that can help you get the best outcomes. One strategy will likely not get good results when used for different variants.

This is why we recommend testing the game on demo versions before you move on to the real-money version. This way, you can see what works and what doesn’t without risking your money.

Other things to include in your video poker play strategy can include:

• Finding a good pay table

Carefully analyze the game chart to ensure the pay table is what you are expecting and look for a house edge that is 9/6 or higher, since this is the most favorable.

• Don’t become overly confident

It’s important to pace yourself with any online gambling game when you’re playing with real money. If you’re doing well, you may feel encouraged to take higher risks, which is certainly a good way to maximize your winnings.

But higher risks mean higher potential losses, so be mindful of that.

• Read up on the game

It can be very boring to start reading about a game instead of playing, but if you want to use your hard-earned money, it’s best to do your homework first.

In this guide, we’ve gone over the rules of the game, but you can find even more resources online that go much more in-depth. 

Moreover, be sure to play demo or free versions of the games as you learn, to help perfect your skills at no cost, and with zero risks. 

Playing Video Poker for Real Money: The Steps

If you want to start playing video poker for real money, follow these steps:

Choose a reputable casino

The gambling industry is booming, and you can find lots of online casinos that claim to offer the best user experiences, bonuses, and chances to win. 

However, not all of them operate the same, so it’s very important to do some research and make sure the casino is trustworthy.

You can start by checking out the five casinos in our review since we’ve carefully vetted them already.

Analyze the incentives and perks

Casinos that care about their users usually give sometimes back, such as welcome bonuses, promotions, and other incentives. You should see which casino offers the most appealing perks to you.

Moreover, be sure to read the dotted line and understand whether these perks have any strings attached to them, such as wagering bonuses, or the ability to claim them only in very narrow time frames.

Set up your account

If you want to play for real money, you will need to create an account on the online casino’s platform and provide them with certain information.

The type of information you’ll be asked to give depends on the casino, as well as your local laws. Some may ask for ID verification to ensure you are over 18 since online gambling is prohibited for minors. 

Once your account is set up, you will need to make your first deposit before you can start playing. Casinos usually offer multiple types of payment methods, such as credit cards or cryptocurrencies, but you will need to check for a specific payment method or currency.

Choose a game and start playing

Most online casinos will carry different variants of video poker, all of which may offer different rewards or have their own rules.

Carefully analyze the games and choose the one that suits you best.

How to save money when playing video poker

• Understand the pay tables – don’t start playing until you carefully review the pay tables to see exactly what you can expect to win for each hand
• Look for low-variance games – if you’re a beginner, low-variance games are a great way to ease into the world of video poker, since they offer the best chances of winning, though payouts are smaller
• Experiment with strategies – don’t be afraid to test your knowledge. You don’t have to keep using the same strategy someone on a forum swears by, especially if you keep losing
• Set a budget – decide the maximum amount of money you’re willing to lose while online gambling, to avoid making mistakes that could affect your finances. 

FAQs Regarding Free Video Poker