7 Best Video Poker Game Variants to Play

Video Poker game is one of the best bets at online casinos. However, this card game is available in many variations, and they don’t play the same way. It is a game of skill, and as such, it helps you to make the moves that can impact the outcome. Here are the 7 Video Poker Variants.

Why Video Poker game is the Best Bet?

This casino game is a combination of a slot machine and a poker game. Video Poker pays higher prizes than any poker variant and also offers a pretty high return to the player. It means it comes with a low house edge. You can find some Video Poker variants with an RTP above 100%, which means that the player has an advantage over the casino.

The use of RNG to dealing the card is the similarity that makes Video Poker similar to a slot game. In Video Poker, you choose which cards you will keep and which of them you’ll discard to form the best possible 5-card hand. This’s what makes this game similar to Poker games.

The Lowdown on the Most Popular Video Poker Game

At Video poker, all payouts are listed in a paytable, so that’s the place you will find all the answers. Check out how much a full house and a flush pay works. What’s there in the paytable influences the theoretical RTP of the game.

The first version of the game is called full-pay. Let’s have an insight at some of the most popular Video Poker variations you can play online.

Video Poker Game Variants to Play

1.   Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild is a popular video poker variation that is played online and uses a standard deck of 52 cards. In this video poker variant, deuces (2s) are wild, and they substitute any other card on the deck to form a winning hand. 

It is a Video Poker variation that you can find at most online casinos. It shares most features with Jacks or Better. Here the deuces are the Wild that can complete your hands. The paytable starting with the lowest hand can earn you a prize being a three of a kind. You will find the most lucrative hand being royal flush, and if you complete it with no wilds included, you will earn 800:1, which is called a natural royal flush. In this game, the player has a benefit over the casino as its RTP sits at 100.76% in the full-pay version of the game. But, most gambling sites offer 8/5 Deuces Wild with an RTP of 99.73%.

How to play

Deuces Wild video poker is a simple and easy to play game as it plays in more or less the same way as most other video poker variants. A bet is placed at the beginning of a hand and players are dealt five cards. Players may hold all five or discard up to five cards to receive new cards in the quest for a better and winning hand.

The highest paying hand is a Royal Flush, and the lowest paying hand is Three of a Kind.

Deuces Wild Hand Rankings

• Royal Flush without a Deuce: This is the highest paying hand in Deuces Wild video poker, and it consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10, all the same suit.
• Four Deuces: This is the second highest paying hand, and it consists of four 2s.
• Wild Royal Flush: This is actually a Royal Flush, but contains two or more 2s.
• Five of a Kind: Is a hand containing five cards of the same value (four cards plus one 2).
• Straight Flush: Contains five successive cards of the same suit (e.g. 8H, 9H, 10H, Jack of hears, and Queen of hearts).
• Four of a Kind: Consists of four cards of the same value.
• Full House: Consists of three cards of similar values and two cards of different values.
• Flush: A hand with any five cards of the same suit, but not necessarily in consecutive order.
• Straight: Consists of five successive cards from different card suits (e.g. Jack of Hearts, 10S, 9S, 8C, and 7D).
• Three of a Kind: A hand with any three cards of same value.

Note that Two Pair and a Pair do not pay in Deuces Wild video poker.

2.   Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better

It is one of the most popular game variants, especially if you get the full-pay version. It’s the basic variation all other games have stemmed from. The primary aim in the game is to form a 5-card poker hand that is a pair of Jacks or higher. Initially, you receive five cards, and you have to select which of them you want to keep. The maximum payout is earned with a royal flush, and it pays 800:1 when you play the maximum bet of 5 coins.

How to play

Jacks or Better is also known as Draw Poker. This is among the most basic variations of video poker that you can play because you need only hold a hand with Jacks or Better to receive a payout. Jacks or Better is was the first variant of video poker to be produced, which is why its play closely resembles the original Draw Poker game.

When you play it in an online casino a hand of Jacks or Better begins with the player’s bet. He is then dealt five cards which he may keep or discard in search of a better hand at his choice.

The poker hands in this game are as follows:

• High: Any card that is a Jack or higher. Low, on the other hand, refers to all cards that are lower in value than a Jack. Examples of high cards include Ace, King, Queen, and Jack, while low cards run from 2 through 10.
• Royal Flush: Refers to five sequential cards of matching suit starting with 10 and ending with Ace. This is the highest paying hand in Jacks or Better.
• Straight Flush: Comprised of five sequential cards of similar suit up to 10 (e.g. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10).
• Four of a Kind: Refers to four cards of the same number. For instance, four Kings or four 2s.
• Full House: Consists of a hand with three of a kind plus a pair (e.g. three 7s and two Kings).
• Four to a Royal Flush: This simply means you hold four of the five cards needed to form a Royal Flush. For instance, if you have a 10, Jack, Queen, and King, you only need an Ace to complete the Royal Flush.
• Flush: Contains five cards of the same suit.
• Three of a Kind: A hand that contains three cards of the same number. For example, three 6s or three Jacks.
• Straight: Refers to five cards in sequential order but not necessarily of the same suit.
• Four to a Straight Flush: Simply means you hold four of the five needed cards to complete a Straight Flush.
• Two Pair: Refer to two pairs of cards, each pair containing the same number (e.g. two 4s and two Aces).
• Three to a Royal Flush: You hold three of the necessary cards needed to form a Royal Flush.
• Four to a Flush: Contains four cards of same suit.
• Four to a Straight: Contains four cards in sequential order, but not necessarily of the same suit.
• Three to a Straight Flush: Means you have three cards in sequential order and of the same suit to make a Straight Flush.
• Two to a Royal Flush: Two cards to securing a Royal Flush.

3.   Bonus Poker

Bonus poker

Bonus Poker is one of the most common forms of the game, now played at online casinos. It’s a game that offers a lot of alternative ways to win. This game is a little different from Jacks or Better. While the two games share most of the rules, there is one that makes this game entirely different. It is in the way a four of a kind hand pays. In Jacks or Better, all these hands, irrespective of the cards, pay the same. In Bonus Poker, four Aces pay 80:1. This is the top payout for this hand ranking, while other hands pay 40:1 and 25:1. The full-pay version of Bonus Poker contains an RTP of 99.17%. Yet, a full house and a flush pay 8:1 and 5:1 in it.

How to play

At the game the player choosing to make a bet of anywhere between one and five coins. Many games also allow you to play multiple hands at once; when this is the case, you’ll pay for each hand – so ten hands at five coins apiece will cost you 50 in total. It is often only possible to win the full jackpot amount for a royal flush (or whatever the highest ranking hand is) if you have bet five credits, so keep that in mind when you play.

Once you’ve made your bet and ask to be dealt a hand, you will be given five cards out of a standard deck (some also include one or more jokers, but that is not an issue for this game). You may choose to hold as many of those cards as you like. All other cards will be discarded and replaced with new cards from the deck. If you are playing a multi-hand game, each hand will receive new cards independently at this point, but all hands will keep the same held cards.

At this point, your hands are completed, and you will be awarded credits according to the strength of your hand(s). The minimum hand needed to win will vary depending on the type of game you are playing; in this case (much as in Jacks or Better), the minimum winning hand is a pair of jacks. As hands get stronger, the payouts go up. Keep in mind that all payouts are made on a “for one” basis: much like a slot machine, your initial bet is considered lost when you make it, and is not returned as part of a win.

4.   Double Bonus Poker

Double Bonus Poker

This is also a Video Poker and this variant offers you an edge over the house. It has an RTP of 100.17%, and it‘s very similar to Bonus Poker with the difference in payouts awarded by a four of a kind hand. All payouts for this hand are doubled when compared with those paid out in Bonus Poker. The pay that a full house and a flush pay is also different in this game. If you find the full-pay Double Bonus Poker variant, these two hands can earn you a payout of 10:1 and 7:1, respectively. Whereas, due to these lucrative prizes, low-ranking hands pay smaller amounts.

How to play

Double Bonus video poker is popular because of its increased wins for all Four of a Kind hands and big payouts on Four of a Kind Aces. The variance is also almost 2X that of Jacks or Better, and this makes Double Bonus more volatile with bigger ups and downs.

Double Bonus Hand Ranking

Below are the ranked hands for Double Bonus video poker, from highest to the lowest.

• Royal Flush
• Straight Flush
• Four Aces
• Four 2s to Four 4s
• Four 5s to Four Ks
• Full House
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a Kind
• Two Pair
• Jacks or Better

5.   Double Double Bonus Poker

Double Bonus Poker

You can have the edge over the house as Double Double Bonus Poker comes with an RTP of 100.07%. As the name suggests, it shares some features with Double Bonus Poker, yet the most primary difference between these two is in payouts, which are higher in Double Double Bonus Poker. It is higher for four of a kind hands going up to 400:1. Also, it will enable you to create these hands with the kicker.

How to play

Double Double Bonus, also known as 10/6 video poker, is another popular variant based on Jacks or Better. This game also uses the standard 52-card deck and offers all the same video poker fun and more. What makes this variant special is that it pays a premium for all hands containing Four of a Kind.

Double Double Bonus Hand Ranking

The list below shows the hand ranking of Double Double Bonus. The rank starts with the highest paying hand and ends with the lowest acceptable hand.

• Royal Flush
• Four of a Kind – Aces with a 2, 3, or 4
• Four of a Kind – 2s through 4s with an A, 2, 3, or 4 kicker
• Four of a Kind – Aces
• Four of a Kind – 2s through 4s
• Four of a Kind – 5s through Ks
• Straight Flush
• Full House
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a Kind
• Two Pairs
• Jacks or Better

6.   Triple Bonus

Triple Bonus

This is also a variation of Bonus Poker that triples payouts for four of a kind hands. It can pay you up to 240:1, which is three times as much as in Double Bonus Poker. The RTP for Triple Bonus is 99.94% with the right paytable. Although, you may find the game with an RTP ranging between 94% and 95%, which is not that attractive offer.

How to play

When you play Triple Bonus Poker Plus video poker game, you will be deciding on a wager of anywhere from one to five coins for each hand that you play. You can switch the size of your bet every hand if you choose to do so. Or you can keep your bet stable so that you can play the game more quickly.

Your best strategy when it comes to betting on hands of Triple Bonus Poker Plus video poker is to wager the maximum five coins every hand that you play. Doing so gives you the best odds for the royal flush, which is the rarest hand in all of video poker and also the highest paying.

If you bet between one and four coins, playing Triple Bonus Poker Plus video poker game and hit a royal flush, you’ll get paid back 250 coins for every one that you bet. That’s a pretty substantial payout. But it’s nothing compared to 800 coins for every one that you bet. That’s what you’ll receive if you get a royal flush on a five-coin bet. Such a massive difference demands that you go for the so-called “max bet” every hand that you play.

Once you make your wager, you’ll be ready to play out a hand of Triple Bonus Poker Plus video poker. If you’ve ever played the card game known as Five-Card Draw, you should be able to recognize the rhythm of play. You get a deal and a draw and are trying to make the best five-card poker hand that you can manage.

If you don’t have the cards to win that way, you can also bluff your opponents into folding their cards.

But there are no real opponents in video poker. Nor do you have to worry about bluffing. You just have to make a combination of cards that the pay table for Triple Bonus Poker Plus video poker deems to be a winning one.

Winning Hands

Here are the winning hands you’ll be trying to make when playing Triple Bonus Poker Plus video poker:

• Pair of jacks or better
• Two pair
• Three of a kind
• Straight (five cards of consecutive rank, like 3-4-5-6-7)
• Flush (five cards of same suit)
• Full house (three of a kind and two pair in the same hand)
• Four of a kind
• Straight flush (straight with five cards of same suit)
• Royal flush (ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of the same suit)

7.   Jokers Wild

Jokers Wild

Also termed as Joker Poker, which also one of the 7 Video Poker Variants this is also one of the popular video poker variants you’ll find online. It has 53 cards instead of 52 in play because of a Joker that serves as Wild and can complete your hands. It’ different from Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild thanks to a different paytable. To earn a prize, you have to create a hand consisting of a pair of Kings or better. If you could create a hand composed of two pairs, you will get even money instead of 2:1. You can also create a five of a kind hand that pays 200:1. Also, you can have a royal flush and a natural royal flush created without Wild. The latter pays 800:1.

How to play

Joker Poker, also referred to as Joker Wild, is a Jacks or Better video poker game variation with the Joker acting as a wild. This simply means that you can use the Joker to replace any other card on the deck for a winning hand. The presence of the Joker therefore means that you will be playing with a 53-card deck rather than the standard 52 cards that most online video poker games require.

How to Play Joker

In this poker game you will be dealt five cards. Your main objective should be to keep all best cards so as to complete the best paying winning hand. Discard all cards that you don’t want. You can keep the cards you want by clicking the Hold button below the card or by clicking the card itself. Hold all the cards you wish to keep and then click the Deal button. The dealer will automatically discard and replace all cards that you did not hold.

Joker Poker Winning Hands

• The winning hands in Joker Poker, starting from the highest to the lowest, include the following:
• Natural Royal Flush
• Five of a Kind
• Joker Royal Flush
• Straight Flush
• Four of a Kind
• Full House
• Flush
• Straight
• Three of a Kind
• Two Pairs
• Kings or Better

Learn the Strategies

After knowing the basics of the most popular 7 Video Video Poker game variants, it’s time to make sure to learn the proper strategy to increase your odds. This is the game that helps you to benefit from a high RTP provided you make the moves as per the defined strategy, just like in Blackjack.