Online Video Poker Casinos CA: Tips & Strategies 2021
Video poker has many advantages over classic poker, especially for beginners. Video poker is all about your hand since you don't compete with other players. The pressure that your hand has to withstand against the hands of the opponent is completely eliminated. For players who are gaining their first experience in poker at an online casino and want to memorize the hand hierarchy in poker, video poker is a perfect way to familiarize themselves with the game.
Online Video Poker: What you should know
- Video poker is not played against a person or a dealer
- The win is determined solely based on the player's hand
- Video poker is easy to learn and a pleasant game for many players
History of Video Poker
Of course, the history of video poker doesn't go back as far as the history of the classic game of poker. After all, a real game of video poker requires a poker machine with a monitor, processor, and the appropriate programming. At least for the modern variants. The first forerunners of today's video poker were machines that first appeared on the scene in 1898. " Card Bells " was the name of the game. This was a poker slot machine where players were paid out directly for the card combinations they were given.
A few years later, an improved design followed - the game was called " Skill Draw. " The new machines made it possible for the player to draw and hold cards. It meant that the game was no longer over immediately after the cards were issued but could continue to be played for at least one round.
Video poker machines only became economically attractive with the advent of technology. In the mid-1970s, the time had finally come: the world's first computer-controlled video poker game was developed. On this day, the triumph of video poker machines began in land-based casinos worldwide.
Today, for example, you can find entire halls in Las Vegas full of video poker machines. These machines are just as popular in many casinos as classic slot machines. By the way, SIRCOMA was one of the first companies to get involved in building video poker machines across the board. Today, SIRCOMA has merged into IGT and is considered one of the leading software and game developers for land-based casinos and modern online casinos.
Since the 1990s, when technology progressed, video poker machines have been getting better and more attractive. Today they are a very important factor in every online casino and also in most land-based casinos. The fact that the RTP can increase to up to 99.5% naturally also ensures wide acceptance by the players.
Online Video Poker: How to play?
The functions of video poker are easily explained. The player takes a seat in front of the machine - or alternatively clicks on the respective machine in the online casino. After the bet has been placed, the cards are issued by the computer using a random generator. The player can now decide whether he wants to keep his cards or exchange them . Pressing the cards will show this to the computer. Then all cards that the player did not press are exchanged.
In most cases, this is the end of the story. Now it is checked which cards the player has in hand. It depends on whether a profit was made or not. Video poker never goes against other players, in principle not even against a dealer - with one exception in the online casino. In most cases, there is only the player and the machine.
Online Video Poker: Important Rules
The rules in video poker vary slightly from game to game. In terms of the course of the game, however, most video poker variants are largely identical. The stake is determined at the very beginning. The player throws in a corresponding coin in the land-based casino or uses the previously exchanged game currency. Then the game can start.
At the start of the game, five cards are dealt. The player can now decide which cards to hold and which to swap. To do this, the player either presses the hold button under the respective card or taps the card directly. Afterward, the cards that the player did not hold are exchanged for new ones.
In the vast majority of the variants, the game is already over after this. Now it is checked which cards the player has and whether he has reached the minimum payout. If he has that and gives the card a payout, the winnings are first credited and then paid out at the end of the gaming session.
The card hierarchy in video poker
As in normal poker, there is the hand hierarchy, which determines which hand is considered good and which hand is given which payout. However, there is a crucial difference between video poker and the classic poker game. While the better hand beats the worse in traditional poker, there is no better or worse hand in video poker. Here it is only checked which winnings the player can achieve with his hand. The following winning hands are possible:
- Pair : As a couple of two cards with the same value, respectively. An example of this is two 6 cards or two jacks. There are quite a few video poker games in which a pair is only entitled to payouts from the jack. It would then mean that a pair with two 6 cards and no other winning cards would not be enough to trigger a payout of the small win that the player has made.
- Two pairs : Two pairs are two-card combinations as described above. For example, a 6 + 6 and a 10 + 10.
- Three of a Kind : Three of a kind is scored when a player has three of a kind in his final hand of five. For example, three jacks or three eights.
- Straight : A straight is when a player has five cards in a row. The color of the cards does not matter. Not even where the sequence of cards begins and where it ends.
- Flush : A flush is a hand in which the player has five cards of the same suit in his hand without them being placed in direct order. So if you have a 6, an 8, a 10, a jack, and a king and all five cards are of the same suit, we speak of a flush.
- Full House : A full house is scored when the player has a pair and three of a kind.
- Four of a kind : In poker, one speaks of four of a kind when a player has four identical cards to show.
- Straight Flush : The straight flush is one of the most powerful winning hands, and not without reason. Because this is a combination of the flush - five cards of the same suit - and a straight - five consecutive cards. Here, too, it doesn't matter from where to where the row of cards goes.
- Royal Flush : As the name suggests, the royal flush is the king's hand - nothing beats this hand. Even if this is rather irrelevant in video poker, the player can look forward to a hefty payout here. The royal flush is a straight flush that starts with the ten and ends with the ace.
The wild card
Some video poker games contain the joker card, while others do not. The joker card can be used as you like to get a good pair or another winning hand. The joker card always takes exactly the card slot that the player assigns it. However, it is important to be careful here. Because by installing the joker cards, of course, the player's chance of a positive hand increases enormously . In most cases, this means that the minimum hand for a payout is set even higher.
The progressive jackpot in video poker
Some video poker machines also have a progressive jackpot . However, this is usually only activated if the player places the maximum bet from the start. In some cases, this is enough to trigger the Progressive Jackpot. In other cases, a royal flush must be made for the progressive jackpot to come into play.
Types of Online Video Poker
Like in some other casino games , there are many variations in video poker. Here are the most important ones at a glance.
- Jacks or Better : In this variant, the player needs two jacks in hand at the end so that one hand is sufficient for the minimum payout.
- Ten or better : In this case, the house advantage is much lower since two ten cards are enough to meet the minimum requirement for a payout.
- Deuces Wild : The Deuces Wild is played with Joker cards. In this game, the 2 cards take on the function of a joker card. These can replace any card and thus increase the player's chances of victory many times over. On the other hand, the minimum hand requirements for the payout are significantly higher here.
- Joker Poker : This game comes with corresponding joker cards from the start. Again, the player's chances of getting a good hand increase. However, it is here that the requirement for a withdrawal hand is also very high. The fact that a payout is only made from a minimum hand of 2 kings means that there is still some money left in the casino.
Online Video Poker: The best strategies
There is no classic video poker strategy, unlike blackjack . However, various tables show the probability that the player can turn a certain hand into a certain winning hand by holding and surrendering cards.
However, it is already a video poker strategy for some players that in every case in which they have a pair in hand that is authorized to payout, it is held. Some players always play with the maximum stake. It can lead to two benefits. On the one hand, there are many video poker machines where there is a chance of a progressive jackpot if the maximum bet is applied. On the other hand, the maximum bet at some machines means that the payouts for the various winning cards skyrocket .
Online Video Poker: Try it Now in Top 5 Casinos in CA
There are many video poker casinos in the online casino area. However, not every casino offers optimal conditions for the players. Ranging from rather low payout tables to conditions in the online casino bonus area that are not tailored to video poker players, there are many points to consider when choosing a suitable casino. We have put together the five best video poker casinos for you here. It is best to register directly and try your luck playing with the poker machine.
In principle, the video poker game is structured like a slot . The player sits in front of the machine and presses a button to make the cards appear. But at this point, the player gets their own decision. He can decide which cards he wants to keep and which cards should be exchanged. That alone can have a significant impact on the result.
If you look at pure slot games in comparison, you will notice a considerable difference here. It's because the player has almost no influence on the development of the game. The question of whether or not he gets a win depends entirely on the results of the slot machine. Of course, it is not possible to intervene in the game to trick it in your favor.
