Playing video poker is great fun. This guide is here to boost your video poker knowledge and debunk 5 popular myths.
What is Video Poker?
Video poker has been around since the 1970s. During this time, it has become a popular game in land-based casinos. Plus, throughout recent years, it’s also become incredibly popular to play online.
Video poker is very similar to slots. In fact, this is why video poker is sometimes referred to as ‘poker slots’. The game is based on the 5-card draw version of poker, with the aim being to get a 5-card hand that’s as strong as possible. The better the hand, the more rewards you get.
How Does Video Poker Work?
Whether you play on a machine in a land-based casino or through a smartphone at home, the process of video poker generally remains the same. Here’s detailed on this source if you want to play video poker games online.
- Place your wager
- Get dealt a hand of 5 cards
- Decide which cards you want to switch out for fresh ones
- Sit and wait to see what your final hand value is
If you finish with a high-value hand, such as a ‘four of a kind’, then you’ll receive significant winnings.
In video poker, even a ‘two of a kind’ (one of the lowest ranking hands) can get you to win, so make sure to bear this in-mind.
Sometimes, if you’re dealt a really strong hand at the beginning, you might not want to change any cards at all. This is completely fine – however, you’re more than welcome to take a risk and switch the ones you want to.
5 Video Poker Myths: Debunked
Now that you understand how video poker works, let’s start to debunk some popular myths about this all-time classic casino game!
#1 You Need to be an Expert to Play
This is completely untrue. When playing video poker, you aren’t going up against any other players or a dealer. It’s just you – and only you. The aim is to build a high-value hand, which is a very simple process. You don’t need to worry about the traditional poker process of putting money into a pot, keeping a poker face, or anything like that. Remember, video poker is essentially the poker version of slots!
Even if you’re a total beginner, you’ll quickly get the hang of video poker. If you have previous history with slot machines, then that’s even better, as you’ll pick things up faster. All you need to do is memorize the different poker hands. After doing this, you have everything you need to know.
#2 You Can Only Play in Land-Based Casinos
Again, this is false.
Yes, video poker can be played in land-based casinos. For example, you could head down to Las Vegas and play video poker in almost all the casinos they have to offer.
However, it can also be played online using either a computer, smartphone, or laptop. All you need to do is find an online casino, make an account, deposit your funds, and you’re good to go!
Whether you choose to play video poker on a site-based machine or your own device is a matter of personal choice. Nowadays, a lot of people play video poker online because it’s more convenient. After all, it enables people to play from any location they want, whether they’re on a break at work or riding a stationary exercise bike.
#3 You’re Guaranteed to Win
Some players assume that video poker is a guaranteed game to win at – especially when a machine has not paid out for a while. Sadly, this simply isn’t true. Every game of video poker is conducted by a microprocessor, meaning it’s completely random. Even if 10 people have lost in a row, that doesn’t mean the 11th person is more likely to win! Make sense? Great. Let’s move onto the next myth.
#4 Video Poker Doesn’t Offer Bonuses
This is untrue. Video poker machines (and online versions) do offer bonuses. For example, if you bet the maximum amount prior to a game (which would be 5 coins), you’ll receive a bonus payout if you get a royal flush on most video poker machines. This bonus amount will vary from machine to machine, but it will usually be pretty high.
#5 Betting the Maximum Leads to Higher Payouts
Sadly, even if you bet the maximum number of coins (5) during a round of video poker, this does not make you more likely to win. However, as mentioned above, it does typically offer the opportunity to earn more bonuses if you get a good hand. Have fun!
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