Online Video Poker Casinos NZ: Tips & Strategies 2021
Video poker has grown from its original shadowy existence into one of the most popular casino games in online casinos . The mixture of poker and pokie machine is exerting a very special fascination on more and more players. We want to tell you more about this game's rules, variants, and strategies in this guide. To implement the right video poker strategy, you should play the game for free first and then make a real bet. Let’s dip into more specifics about this exciting game.
Online Video Poker: What you should know
- Video poker is the mix of a classic poker and a pokie machine
- The player’s hand determines the outcome
- A very popular game that is easy to learn
History of Video Poker
In contrast to other casino games, the origins of which can often be traced back to ancient times, video poker didn't come onto the market until the 1970s, although the game of poker had been known for two to three hundred years.
Si Redd, an employee of the US company Bally Technologies, had the idea for video poker in the mid-1970s. He wanted the company to make this game, but it was not interested in it. Then Redd went into business for himself and founded his own company, Sircoma. This company is now known as International Gaming Technologies, or IGT, and is still a leading game developer .
It took video poker a while to establish itself. Still, by the mid-1980s, the game found a new fan base in the new generation who had become accustomed to computer games and more readily accepted the concept of playing a game on a screen and evolved, especially in the casinos of Las Vegas, to great success.
Originally, video poker games were based on Draw Poker , where a two pair hand was the lowest possible winning combination. However, it was soon replaced by Jacks or Better, with the player having to have at least two jacks to win the game. Today, Jacks or Better is still the most popular video poker game .
With the advent of casino portals in the 1990s, video poker found its place in the history of gambling, and players can play it from the comfort of their own home. Almost all casino portals offer at least one video poker title, if not several, and video poker is in no way inferior in popularity to roulette and blackjack .
Online Video Poker: How to play?
Video poker is a perfect combination of fast-paced casino play and the appeal of poker's card game. Characteristic are the simple rules of the game based on five-card draw . Your goal is to reach the highest five-card poker hand. It is where the different variations of video poker come into play. The most common and well-known variant is Jacks or Better, where you need at least two jacks to win. However, there are also Tens or Better, where a pair of ten is enough.
Video poker can also be played with a joker, a placeholder. In Deuces Wild, for example, all twos are jokers. It means that even quintuplets are possible. There are also variants with a double bonus for four of a kind or other constellations. Apart from the simplest card combinations, i.e., a pair of jacks or tens, the hand ranking is the same as in standard poker.
A game round begins with you setting a bet. Then have the cards dealt, and you get five cards. You can now determine which cards you want to hold by clicking on the relevant card or cards and get dealt with the remaining new cards. The possible profit is determined and paid out using the profit table of the corresponding video poker variant.
The card hierarchy in video poker
Of course, every player should first study the respective game variant carefully before starting the game. Most video poker games are played on the same principle , but there may be a few differences. Therefore, video poker strategies also make sense. Because depending on the variant, there are different ways in which you can proceed.
We have listed below which card combinations can be formed and what they consist of. For the sake of clarity, we start with the lowest rating in the game:
- Two pairs : Two pairs are formed from a total of four cards, two of which must always be identical. Example: 7, 7, 8, 8
- Three of a Kind : Three of a kind are formed from three identical cards. Example: 8, 8, 8
- Straight : To be successful with a straight, players must have five cards in ascending order. Example: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q
- Flush : For a flush, the player must have five cards of the same suit. Example: 7, 9, J, Q, K, A - all in red.
- Full House : A full house consists of three of a kind and a pair. Example: J, J, K, K, K
- Four of a Kind : A four of a kind consists of four cards of the same value. Example: 10, 10, 10, 10
- Straight Flush : A straight flush combines the straight and the flush. Example: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q - all in red.
- Royal Flush : The Royal Flush is a straight flush with the five highest cards in the game. Example: 10, J, Q, K, A - all in red.
The progressive jackpot in video poker
One of the extra features in some video poker games is a progressive jackpot. It can be triggered by wagering the maximum bet from the start. The other way is to make a royal flush and enter the progressive jackpot round .
Types of Online Video Poker
In the meantime, a classic video poker variant is no longer played, but up to 50 in some casinos. We will now take a closer look at which of these are particularly popular and which properties each distinguish the game variants:
- Tens or Better : Tens or Better is a modified game variant of Jacks or Better. You can already guess - the players collect a price from a pair of tens. Again, of course, an even better combination pays a higher price.
- Deuces Wild : Deuces Wild Video Poker is also known as Deuces Joker Poker. Here, too, you can already guess the game variant by the name because the wild cards can be used to replace missing cards in a winning combination. For example, if there are 7, 7, 7, and a joker, a four-of-a-kind seven can be formed from this.
- Aces and Faces : If the winnings in some video poker variants are too low for the large combinations, then Aces and Faces is the right game variant. The valuable combinations, such as four of a kind aces or queens, are paid significantly higher than in other game variants in this game. However, only if this consists of picture cards or aces - hence the name Aces and Faces because the picture cards are called faces. It is important to know that prices for low winning combinations are slightly lower in this game variant.
- All American : All American Video Poker is a close "acquaintance" of Jacks or Better Video Poker. The game is played according to the same principle, except that the winnings for a flush, straight and straight flush are larger. Prices for the twins, triplets, or the full house are lower.
- Double Joker Poker : Double Joker Poker is a classic game variant. The only difference to the regular game is that two Joker cards have been integrated into the card deck and can replace the missing cards in a winning combination.
Online Video Poker: The best strategies
Before we give you tips, we want to educate you about it, and there is never one tactic that works 100%. It is particularly difficult to intervene when playing video poker because you can only deselect cards once. So your hands are tied when it comes to tactics. With other versions, Holdem and Co, you can let your poker face hang out earlier. If you dig into it for a long time, you will notice the difference.
As we have explained, there are a few different versions of the video poker game. As a result, it is impossible to develop a perfect tactic that works equally for all game variants. We would therefore like to concentrate here on the Jacks or Better video poker machines. Jacks or Better can theoretically be played with a perfect tactic. Mathematics dictates which hands you should swap which cards in which hands.
It's not as difficult as you might think . It's about analyzing your starting hand and then making the right decision about holding and trading poker cards. Logically, you should simply keep all five cards in a starting hand from four of a kind to royal flush. You are already guaranteed a high profit, so keep it, of course!
But the rest of the tactics are also logical and simple. If you already have a pair, two pairs, or three of a kind in hand, keep the corresponding poker cards and only exchange the other 1-3 cards . Likewise, if you already have 4 to a straight or flush, keep four cards in the hopes of getting the missing fifth card. If you don't have a pair, you can still hold two high poker cards (jacks or higher) in your hand and discard the rest. Otherwise, just swap them all.
Online Video Poker: Try it Now in Top 5 Casinos in NZ
You can find numerous video poker casinos, but we have highlighted the top five for Kiwi players. The ones listed below should provide you optimal conditions for your gameplay experience. You shouldn’t hesitate to sign up to any of these online casinos, get some juicy welcome bonus , and try your luck with video poker!
