Video Poker Online

An Introduction to Video Poker Online

Since being introduced several decades ago, video poker has evolved into one of the most popular casino games. And now playing the game on the Internet is simultaneously dissimilar and similar to playing in a traditional casino. As a case in point, online video poker players are allowed to employ the use of helpful items including guidebooks and crib-notes during hands to increase their odds of making money, which they can't do in an actual casino. And just like they would in a traditional casino, individuals should examine a web-based casino's paytable to identify the video poker machines with the largest paybacks.

No matter where an individual engages in video poker, it is the only variation of a slots game that produces results that are, in part, contingent upon a person's skill. Therefore an individual must study and use the right strategy for the type of video poker he or she intends to play to win; make sure you've read up on Deuces Wild strategy if that's the variant you intend to play, for example. There are many books, guides and websites which explain the different strategies people can use in different video poker games.

Because a casino cannot manipulate the odds that a person will receive a given card when the cards are initially dealt in a game a video poker - they're 1:52 no matter what - they offer different paytables on different video poker machines. Reviewing a viral machine's paytable is important since this task empowers individuals to know which machines have the biggest payback percentage. Machines with higher payback percentages have the potential to be more beneficial or profitable for the people who play on them. Typically, machines that allow people to bet larger amounts have bigger payback percentages.

People can use what's known as the "Full House to Flush Ratio" to determine the differences between the payback one machine has compared to another. Machines with higher ratios have higher paybacks. For example, if a Jacks or Better machine has a Full House to Flush Ratio of 9:6, it will have a payback of 99.54 percent. If the same machine had a ratio of 9:5, its payback would be 98.44%, while the machine's payback would be 97.29% if its ratio was 8:5. Therefore it's advisable to play on video poker machines with the most beneficial Full-House-to-Flush Ratios.

It's also necessary to look at the different bonuses Internet casinos offer to those who play video poker. Some websites provide bonuses that are cashable while their competitors may offer non-cashable bonuses. Players can keep the amount they receive as a cashable bonus after satisfying a casino's wagering requirement. When a casino gives individuals a non-cashable bonus, they can only keep their winnings which means they can't keep the bonus itself.

Knowing the casinos that offer the best bonuses and figuring out which video poker machines have the highest payback are not enough to have success playing the game, however. You must also remember the P's of Video Poker as you prepare to begin playing:

1. Practice - Play video poker for free before you use actual money.
2. Patience - No one is waiting for you to make a move, so do not rush your decisions or fail to execute the steps necessary to keep valuable cards. If you play too quickly, you may miss out on a big pot because you failed to actually hold your cards.
3. Plenty - You'll need to play plenty of hands if you intend to win money playing video poker. It's likely that you'll play somewhere in the neighborhood of 40,000 hands over nearly 100 hours prior to holding a Royal Flush.
4. Place the Maximum Permissible Bet - Always, always, always bet the most you can when playing video poker online.