| For all poker lovers out there, playing a conventional game of poker offers lots of excitement looking for that one big hand that makes their night. Imagine, if you had the chance to hit that big hand more than once in a day or week. That is what Video Poker offers to everyone that loves playing the game of poker. Unlike Traditional poker, when you may only play 15-25 hands an hour, with the speed of Video Poker, you could literally play Hundred’s of hands per hour, giving players the chance to see more hands. With more hands per hour, the more chance you have of hitting that monster hand with a big payout.
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Top Video Poker Online Casinos for USA Players |
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The difference between conventional poker and Video Poker, play during conventional poker usually involves playing against other poker players at the tables, while Video Poker pit’s a player against a computerized dealer within a machine. During Video Poker play, players try and get the best hand possible and winning hands are paid according to an odds chart. Video Poker is a mix of conventional poker plus video slot machines, equaling Video Poker.
In all Video Poker play, the value of hands are the same as any other form of poker. Knowing winning combinations of poker hands are extremely important during any poker play. Most poker is based on draw or stud poker, where a player is dealt 5 cards, and if playing draw poker, usually a player may discard unwanted cards one time, to try and make the best possible hand. Winning hands are as follows in order from lowest to highest:
High Card: No hand is made and only high card is possible.
Pair: Two cards of the same index. ( 77, JJ, AA )
Two Pair: Two separate pairs ( Q, Q, 7, 7)
Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same index. ( 3,3,3 )
Straight: Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit.( 5,6,7,8,9 )
Flush: Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence. ( 3clubs, 5clubs, 8clubs, Jclubs, Aclubs )
Full House: Three of a kind combined with a pair. ( K, K, 3, 3, 3 )
Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same index. ( Q, Q, Q, Q )
Straight Flush: Any five card sequence in the same suit. ( 4clubs, 5clubs, 6clubs, 7clubs, 8clubs )
Royal Flush: A, K, Q, J, 10 all of the same suit. ( Aclubs, Kclubs, Qclubs, Jclubs, 10clubs)
Once the hand values are understood, Video Poker is a very simple game to understand. A player will be dealt 5 cards, depending on the hand value at that point, a player may discard as many cards as he or she chooses, to try and improve his or her hand. If the player decides to discard any cards, the ones selected for discard will be thrown away, and new cards will be drawn to replace the discarded ones. At that point, the game is over and the hand will be determined if it’s a winning hand or not. If the players hand is a winner, the Video Poker machine will pay out according to the payout chart.
There are many versions of Video poker to choose from including Multi Hand Video Poker. Depending on the version of Video Poker you choose, will affect the odds and payouts of that version. For example, Jacks Or Better Video Poker is one of the most popular versions that Video Poker players play. Jacks Or Better means a player must have at least a pair of Jacks to win. Anything less than a pair of Jacks, will be a losing hand. The payout for this version will pay 1:1 and a flush usually pays about 8:1. Another version of the game is Deuce’s Wild, in which all two’s act as wild cards. With wild cards, obviously the odds change during play of this game, and so the payouts also change. Now, instead of needing a pair of Jacks or Better to have a winning hand, a player playing Deuce’s Wild usually needs at least a 3 of a kind or better to win. 3 of a kind usually pays out 3:1 during Jacks Or Better To play, but because the odds have changed, the payout for a 3 of a kind for Deuce’s Wild is only 1:1. A flush during Deuce’s Wild play will now payout around 3:1 instead of the 8:1 paid during Jacks Or Better play. Some versions allow a player to double down their win on a high/lo style side game. Players sometimes are allowed to double their winnings up to 4 or 5 times, making for quite large payouts!
There are advantages and disadvantages of playing different versions of Video Poker. USA online casinos have made it much easier for a player to access any and all Video Poker versions. With online Video Poker, A player can play just about any version of Video Poker they want and find out what version suits their style the best. |
