Online Video Poker toc Video poker is often the best game to play at an online casino. The house edge is usually lower at the best video poker games than blackjack, craps or any other table game. Starburst, Mega Moolah, Gonzo’s Quest – these are three of the most popular free casino games online. Slot games are by far the most popular to play for free, closely followed by video poker.
[toc]Video poker is often the best game to play at an online casino. The house edge is usually lower at the best video poker games than blackjack, craps or any other table game.
It is far superior to playing slots.
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Online video poker advantages over live casinos
There are many reasons to choose online video poker over machines in Las Vegas, Nevada and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The pay tables at online video poker are often much better. Online casinos typically post full-pay odds on their games. Nearly every site has 9/6 Jacks or Better, 9/7 Double Bonus and 8/5 Bonus Poker. This first number represents the payout on a full house. The second is the return on a flush. Nearly every single online video poker game returns 99 percent or better when playing perfect video poker strategy.
The denominations are often lower on the Internet. Some casinos have penny video poker. The highest minimum denomination is typically no higher than a nickel. There are also more denominations online.
The same machine may go from $.01 to $5 and offer every increment in between. This keeps the player from having to bounce from one machine to another. This is nearly impossible to find in a live casino.
Online casinos often offer a wider variety of video poker games. Some are not available at live casinos. Online video poker machines offer instant access to slots and table games. Players never have to move from one machine to another, even when wanting to play an entirely different game than video poker. Players can also take a break whenever they want.
Online video poker games permit clearing bonuses at most sites. This often cuts the house edge in half. Live casinos do not offer these types of bonuses for video poker or any other game.
The VIP program at online casinos is usually better than live casinos. Players can take the online comps in cash. Live casinos sometimes make players buy overpriced food or hotel rooms with comps earned from video poker.
Tips to playing online video poker
The best way to win at video poker is to learn the basic strategy. This is sometimes complicated. The best action for a hand may even change depending on the pay table on the machine.
The best game to start with is Jacks or Better. Make sure this game pays 9 on a full house and 6 on a flush. This pay table only has a .5 percent house edge. The basic strategy for this game is as simple as it gets.
The next game to play is Bonus Poker, making sure a full house pays 8 and a flush pays 5. This game has the exact strategy as Jacks or Better.
Another good game to play is Double Double Bonus. The pay table should pay 9 on a full house, 7 of a flush and five on a straight. The game only pays even money on two pair to offset this. It offers bonus payouts on four of a kind.
Once you master these games, try Deuces Wild or Joker Poker. The strategies are completely different but these games may offer a better return than the non-wild card games at some casinos.
Another important factor is making sure that the video poker pay table is a full pay. The payouts may change from one casino to another. Some versions of the same video poker game within the same casino’s software can offer different payouts. Choosing the IGT version ensures a full pay table.
Betting five coins is imperative. This turns the royal flush into an 800-1 payout as opposed to 250-1 when four or fewer coins are wagered. This cuts the house edge by 75 percent. It is better to bet five nickels than one quarter if the two games otherwise have the same pay table. Make sure that is the case before playing.
Playing poker online can be a lot of fun, and it can be very profitable, if you understand what you’re doing. We have a guide on how to play online poker for beginners, but, here, we’ll delve a little deeper into the nuances of online poker, which is much different than playing in a table game live at the casino.
You don’t need a poker face!
You’ll play in a ring game online, with a set group of players. Games can be played head-to-head or in groups, usually consisting of three, five or nine different players.
You’ll post an avatar and screen name, but the good news is this isn’t Skype or Zoom and players will not be able to ‘read’ your face, or look for tells. Sure, advanced players, over time, will be able to examine your betting behavior and whether or not you show your winning cards or ‘muck’ them, etc., getting valuable intel on your playing style. Most beginner and intermediate players aren’t that savvy.
Don’t get carried away bluffing
Everyone loves a good lie in poker, but some beginners and intermediate players try to do it too much. For whatever reason, even though playing online for cash is similar to a table game in terms of ‘real-ness’, people tend to play a lot more hands online. So, bluffing, or basically being deceiving and representing to the rest of the table that your hand is stronger than it really is, can be fatal at times. If you bet consistently and continue the ruse to the end, it might pay off, but any wavering in your play and an expert playing in your game will recognize it and hammer you, similar to playing in the real world.
Pick and choose your spots, and do a little reconnaissance yourself, examining the players around you. If you trust that you’re at a table with several ‘calling stations’, or people who will see everything, it might not be a good idea. If you’re playing against a lot of tight players who only bet if they have to, go for it!
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Top 10 Hands
In my personal experience, at least in the beginning, I’ll play Top 10 hands or hole cards. Statistically, these hole card pairings have the largest percentage chance of hitting a set, three of a kind on the flop, a straight, a flush, etc.
If I am playing at a table with a lot of loose early action, I’ll simply fold unless I get the following hands until the rookies have cannibalized themselves:
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A-A (pair of aces, or American Airlines, pocket bullets, pocket bulls, etc.)
A-K (Big Slick, a bullet and a cowboy, etc.)
K-K (pair of kings, pocket kings, pocket cowboys, pair of cowboys, etc.)
Q-Q (pair of queens, pair of ladies, pocket queens, pair of ladies, etc.)
A-Q (ace and a queen, bullet and a lady, etc.)
J-J (pair of jacks, pair of jakes, pair of hooks, etc.)
10-10 (pair of 10s)
9-9 (pair of 9s)
8-8 (pair of 8s)
7-7 (pair of 7s)
Suited connectors
Suited connectors are basically two cards of the same suit in succession. They give you a good chance of hitting a flush (five cards of the same suit) or a straight (five cards in numerical order) when involving the community cards in Texas holdem. It’s especially pleasing when you get suited connectors AND they’re a Top 10 hand, such as a Big Slick of the same suit. Having the ace is beautiful, as this gives you the best card against anyone else’s potential flush.
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