Photo: Slot floor, Casino Montreux — Lantus, CC BY-SA 3.0
Rules of the Game
The rules for playing standard online video poker games are really quite simple. Most titles are played with a standard 52-card deck. Any games that include jokers will include one of more jokers in the deck. To begin you select the amount you want to wager and then press the deal button. The game will then randomly select five cards and you choose the ones you want to keep and the ones you want to discard. The game will then replace your discarded cards and you are paid according to the poker value of the cards in your hand. The payout rates are listed on the pay table so be sure to check them out. Usually, the highest payout rates come from top-rated casinos, meaning that you should always cast round for thebest online casino if you are expecting a memorable video poker game.
How to Play Video Poker for Fun
Playing video poker for fun is a great way to hone your skills. To start the game all you have to do is select how many credits you want to bet. The typical range is one to five. The amount you can win depends on the wager amount and you will see this listed in the pay table. Once you choose your video poker game and the amount you want to bet, you will be dealt your initial five cards. The object of the game is to get the best five-card poker hand possible. You can discard and hold cards in your hand and once you made your choices, the game will continue. In order to win a payout, you will need a certain qualifying hand. In the video poker game, Jacks or Better, players must get at least a pair of jacks. The better your hand is, the more you can win. By playing for free you can see which cards to hold, which ones to discard, and which games have the best payout rates.
How to Bet
To place your bets on online video poker games you must decide the number of coins you wish to use. This is usually between one and five. In some variations of the game, you can also choose the coin size. Once you do this you hit the deal button and the software will deal you five cards. When you are playing for free you will be playing with casino credits, but the same options will apply. Free games will allow you to assess how long your bankroll will last and the hands you need to win the most.
Strategies on How to Win Real Canadian Money
Below you will find our top five tips on how to win real money playing online video poker games. These strategies have been proven to work and you can test them out at our recommended free online video poker game sites.
- Start with Jacks or Better: There are lots of different variations when it comes to online video poker, but for starters, we recommend sticking with the basic game of Jacks or Better. A pair of jacks or queens in this video poker game will payout five coins, but in a game that uses wildcards, they pay nothing.
- Bet the Maximum number of Coins: Video Poker is known for having a low house edge so it pays to bet as much as you can. There is a maximum of five coins that you can wager with and doing this will give you a better chance of a higher payout.
- Know what cards to hold and when: Before deciding which variation of video poker to play, it is worth taking a look at the pay tables. You should look for the best pay tables as this will help you decide on the hands to go for. Strategy cards are available and they will advise you on the cards to hold and the cards to discard. Your aim will be to get the best possible hand after redrawing so you should focus on this.
- Play free games: If you are new to video poker or you wish to try out a new variation of the game, the best thing you can do is play some free games. This will allow you to assess the game and the hands you need to get for big wins.
- Play at a Good Online Video Poker site: When it comes to playing for real money, Canadian players need to find a great site. You want a site that offers at least a dozen video poker variations and some progressive jackpots games too. The casino should also have plenty of traffic to ensure large prize pools too. All our recommended online casino meet these requirements so be sure to check them out.
Online Video Poker Bonuses
Video poker bonuses are a great way to get some free games whilst still winning real money. All of the casino bonuses we list allow you to pay video poker. There are two main types of video poker bonuses. These are:
- Cashable: these are bonuses that you get to keep after you meet your wagering requirements.
- Non-cashable (sticky): These are bonuses you can wager and keep your real money winnings, but you cannot keep the bonus.
No deposit bonuses are a great way to play for free and win real money. Check our site regularly for the best casino video poker bonuses for Canada and boost your bankroll today. If a first-time player, test the Luxury casino games that also include the best video poker titles. They come with excellent no deposit bonuses and there is no registration required for claiming them.
Glossary of Terms
- Average Payout: the average amount you can win if you play over a period of time
- Bet max: the maximum bet amount
- Complete hand: a hand that uses all the cards in a combination
- Deuces: cards with a face value of 2
- Discard button: a button located at the bottom of each card which is pressed when you want to discard the card.
- Double up: some games allow you to double the bet on your winning hand
- Draw: to get replacement cards
- Edge: the advantage in the game
- Expected Return: the average amount of money paid back on a particular bet
- Flush: a hand containing five cards of the same suit
- Full House: three of a kind and a pair
- Garbage hand: a hand that will not win anything
- Hand: the five cards you hold
- High card: a Jack, Queen, King, or Ace
- Hold: the cards you keep in your hand
- Inside straight: four cards to a straight with a missing card in the middle
- Jackpot: a bonus paid when the highest hand is hit
- Jacks or Better: The original video poker game
- Kings or Better: An online video poker game where a pair of Kings is the minimum winning hand
- Max Bet: the maximum amount of coins played per spin, must be used if playing for a progressive jackpot.
- Multi Play: Games that allow you to play numerous hands at the same time.
- Odds: the probability of drawing a hand of any kind
- Pair: two cards of the same value
- Pat Hand: where your initial cards make a winning combination
- Payout Table: a table showing the number of coins paid out for each winning hand
- Progressive Jackpot: a jackpot that grows as more people play the game. Generally linked to other video poker games with massive wins possible.
- Quads: four of a kind
- Rag: a card that doesn't fit into a hand. A useless card
- Rejected cards: cards you discard following a round of play
- Royal Flush: a hand containing Ten Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit
- Straight: five cards not of the same suit but in sequence
- Straight Flush: five cards of the same suit and in sequence
- Strategy Card: a card showing the correct plays for every possible hand on a particular video poker game
- Three of a kind: a hand with three cards of the same denomination
- Two pairs: a hand containing two pairs
- Wild Card: a card used to substitute for any other card in the deck
- Wild Royal: when a wild card is used to make a royal flush
- Winning hand: a hand that gets you a payout
Now that you know all about online video poker and how to win real money, the next thing to do is practice and play for fun. Visit our recommended free Canadian video poker sites where you can play with no download and no registration. Learn the rules, test out the different strategies and when you are ready to play for real money, claim one of our great video poker bonuses.
Game screenshots
Bonus PokerBetsoft
Aces and FacesMicrogaming
All AmericanNetEnt- Aces and FacesMicrogaming
Double Double BonusMicrogaming
Joker PokerMicrogaming
Jacks or BetterRTG
Aces and EightsMicrogaming
Bonus PokerMicrogaming
Deuces WildMicrogaming
Bonus Deuces WildRTG
Loose DeucesRTG