Video Poker Games and Variations
The term "video poker" doesn't describe any one game in particular; it describes a category. Under this broad umbrella there are tons of different varieties of video poker games. Most of these are based on the same basic foundation but each one has a lot to offer and some take a completely innovative approach. Below, you will find a brief description of seventeen of the most popular video poker games on the Internet and in casinos around the world. For more details, and to learn any of the rules, you can read the full articles that cover each game.
Here we have the game that started it all. Jacks or Better is just a simple five-card draw poker game that was digitalized and made available everywhere. The hand rankings go in the standard order, there are no special bonus payouts, and the odds are typically pretty good. If you don't have much (or any) experience playing video poker, Jacks or Better is going to be the perfect game for you to learn the ropes and get some practice.
For players who already have some experience playing video poker, Aces and Eights takes the basic Jacks or Better format and modifies it. Like the name says, there is a lot of value placed on Aces and Eights, both of which are used to make up special bonus payouts for Four Of A Kinds. These modifications require you to update your strategy, but playing Aces and Eights is worth the effort. The payback percentage, assuming full pay rules, is somewhat higher.
Bonus poker, just like Aces and Eights, gives you a chance to hit even larger payouts by constructing hands with certain Four Of A Kinds. In an effort to differentiate itself, this game has re-written the pay tables to give you a real reason to start holding on to the lowest cards in the deck. This is an exciting game with an unusual twist, but be ready to make some counterintuitive decisions if you want to succeed here.
The next step up from Bonus Poker is, obviously, Bonus Poker Deluxe. Utilizing a similar pay table with Four of A Kind bonuses, the most important payouts at the top are particularly large at the expense of some of the easier to get hands; this could be a good thing or a bad thing depending upon your luck. Bonus Poker Deluxe also has a fun Double or Nothing bonus game that can be played after every winning hand you get.
This game takes the standard Bonus Poker game and turns things up a notch. The payouts are bigger and the pay table is a bit more complicated. This definitely isn't the kind of game that you'll succeed at unless you take your time to study and learn the winning strategies. You'll know that you really understand how to play Double Bonus poker when you start breaking up weak winning hands in hopes of hitting a serious jackpot. This is not a game for the faint of heart.
Here we have the highest level of Bonus Poker. Double Double Bonus Poker gives you a very long pay table with different payouts for five different types of Four Of A Kinds! This video poker game also includes an optional Double or Nothing bonus game that gets unlocked after every winning hand you have. The strategy isn't ridiculously complicated, but there absolutely are some counterintuitive guidelines for successful play.
No other wild card video poker game can compete with Deuces Wild: this is a true classic. Twos are, obviously, the wild card in this game and can be used in place of any other card. This makes winning hands that much easier to create and there is even a special payout for Four Of A Kinds consisting only of deuces. Some players complain that the lower hands have small payouts, but with a wild card in the mix, they are all significantly easier to get.
The name of this game tells you exactly what to expect. This thrilling adaptation of five-card draw combines a wild card (deuces) with loads of bonus payouts when it comes to Four Of A Kinds. The pay table might look like it excludes the lower winning hands (ie. all pairs) but that's just because the inclusion of a wild card makes it easier to put any winning hand together. Appearances aside, Bonus Deuces Wild has a solid payback percentage.
Loose Deuces falls somewhere in between Jacks or Better and Bonus Deuces Wild. After you look through all of the hype, this is just a standard video poker game with a wild card. The only other major additional payout is Four Of A Kind deuces, which is definitely a nice touch. Even in spite of these helpful modifications, the lower hands still have relatively strong payouts, which is important for the majority of players.
With Double Jackpot poker there is a lot going on. A whole series of hands with bonus payouts, the Double or Nothing bonus game, and you still only need a pair of Jacks or better to get a winning hand. There is an optimum way to play Double Jackpot video poker, but it's not simple by any means. The only players who should really spend any amount of time playing Double Jackpot video poker are the ones that are willing to take some time and get their strategies perfected.
This video poker game is very closely related to Double Jackpot Poker. The only differences can be found in the pay table and the fact that the bonus hands are made even more specific and even more lucrative. Just as with Double Jackpot (and maybe even more so), Double Double Jackpot poker demands that you have a deep understanding of the game's true winning strategy.
Deuces Wild might be the biggest wild card video poker game around but it isn't necessarily the best. Lots of video poker enthusiasts have discovered Sevens Wild and decided to make the change. With a wild card, not only is it easier to create strong hands, but including Sevens into your Four of A Kinds brings an even bigger payout. The payback percentage in this game can vary widely depending upon what kind of pay table your casino has decided to use.
Like so many themed video poker games, All American Poker is essentially based on Jacks or Better. The makers of this game had to tweak the pay tables a bit to allow for larger jackpots but there aren't too many differences. The coolest specific feature that it has to offer is probably the Double or Nothing bonus round. Other games have this feature, but if you don't want to deal with the convoluted pay tables, All American Poker is a safe bet. Assuming that you already have a good grasp on Jacks or Better strategy, this should be an easy game to transition to.
Instead of focusing on just one area of the gaming experience, the people behind Joker Poker managed to take every aspect of the game to an extreme. The Joker card is introduced as a full-fledged wild card, you can play in the Double or Nothing Bonus game after every win, and if you manage to hit a Royal Flush, you can cash in on the unmatched 10,000-coin bonus payout! This game is an absolute must for any video poker player that gets excited about big jackpots.
With every other video poker game out there, you know exactly what you're going to encounter. Mystery Bonus Poker takes things in a much less predictable direction by literally having a Mystery Bonus on every hand. The pay table looks light until you realize that the Mystery Bonus doubles the payout of one kind of winning hand each and every time you play. This might be a great theatrical ploy, but it's also a stellar way to give you larger than life video poker payouts.
It has become standard for video poker games to be based upon five-card draw. In fact, every one of the video poker games listed above follows this same basic pattern. For players who want to break away from the pack, however, Seven Stud poker gives you two more cards and three more wagers per hand. Since it is a completely different game, you are going to have to change your strategy entirely if you want to take advantage of its small house advantage.
Here is another game that defines that status quo. Pick 'Em poker is a five card poker game that doesn't even show you two of your cards until the end of the game. Despite this fact, it is still a very simple game to play and there are some advanced strategies that can be used to earn a 99.9% payback with full pay tables. Players of all kinds can resort to Pick 'Em video poker when they're looking for a great way to shake things up.
No matter which game you decide is best for you, it makes a lot of sense to stick with it for the long term. Successful video poker players don't jump from one game to the next. They pick one, study the optimum strategy, and then start to practice. After you've refined your skills, you can increase your coin size and start trying to generate some profit. Once you reach this point, you will probably be able to decide for yourself whether or not it makes sense to tackle a new video poker game.
