Laura Thornhill | July 21, 2022 | Updated on: March 4th, 2024
Learning how to play video poker is easy with our beginner’s guide. Video poker is based on five card draw poker and slots, and at times is referred to as “poker slots.” With this guide you will be able to play different video poker games like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild.
Whether you are playing at online casinos or elsewhere, how you play video poker stays the same. Just like poker, you must play the hand that you get strategically. And just like pokies, the cards are randomly lined up on five reels. Let’s get into showing you how to play and point you to some great online casinos that offer, a variety of video poker games and bonuses.
There are many variations of video poker from the most popular Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Joker Poker and others. Although video poker games work like slots, they have something that pokies miss – the skill element. All video poker games are based on the same principle. Players get five randomly drawn cards, and the point is to make the best five card poker hand. The element of skill comes in when you have one chance to discard some cards to get new ones and keep the cards you prefer. After you choose which cards to discard and keep, you will get a payout based on the hand you have made.
How to Play Video Poker Step by Step
Like pokies, video poker games allow you to choose a coin size and the number of coins to play. There are up to five coins that you can play per game. You can even play multiple hands at a time depending on the game.
Choose a video poker game
Make a bet by choosing a coin size and the number of coins to play
Click “deal or draw” to reveal your five-card hand
Select “hold” on the cards you want to keep.
Click “draw” to replace the cards you did not hold; you can discard and replace the entire five card hand.
You can only discard and draw new cards once.
Collect your payout based on the hand that you have assembled.
Understanding how the video poker pay table works is an important part of learning how to play video poker. When you know what hands are most valuable you can make better decisions about what cards to keep. While the video poker pay table will vary with each video poker game, for the most part, video poker pay tables are similar because they are all based on poker hand rankings.
How much you bet also influences how much of a payout you get. When you play video poker game, check the pay table to see what your payout will be based on your total bet (coin size + number of coins). The minimum paying hand changes according to the type of video poker game you are playing. In Jacks or Better, the lowest paying hand is a pair of Jacks while in deuces wild it’s a Three of a kind hand and in Joker Poker it’s a pair of Kings.
Hand | Bet
$1
$2
$3
$4
$5
Royal flush
$250
$500
$750
$1000
$4000
Straight flush
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
Four of a kind
$25
$50
$75
$100
$125
Full house
$9
$18
$27
$36
$45
Flush
$6
$12
$18
$24
$30
Straight
$4
$8
$12
$16
$20
Three of a kind
$3
$6
$9
$12
$15
Two pairs
$2
$4
$6
$8
$10
Minimum paying hand
$1
$2
$3
$4
$5
How to Play Video Poker FAQs
Is there a strategy to video poker?
Yes, there is a strategy when choosing which cards to keep or discard.
How do you play video poker rules?
Video poker rules follow the hand rankings of poker games, and you can only discard and replace cards once.
Can you consistently win at video poker?
Even with the opportunity to discard and replace your cards, it’s still a game based on chance, so one can’t say you can consistently win at video poker.
What cards should I hold in video poker?
The cards you must hold depend on the type of video poker game you are playing and poker hand rankings. In Jacks or Better it’s better to hold on to a J than a 2, yet in deuces wild you may prefer to hold on to a 2 than a Jack.
Is videopoker better than slots?
Video poker is better than slots for players who prefer the decision-making part of video poker when deciding which cards to keep or discard, otherwise both games are fun, exciting and have potential for great payouts.
Do you have to learn hands in video poker?
It helps to know the basic poker hand rankings in video poker so that you can keep the best cards and discard the right ones.
Is video poker a game of skill?
Video poker is not a game of skill per se, one could say it has a skill element considering that you must choose which cards to keep and which to discard.
