The Grand Challenges of Online Video Poker
Online video poker is one of the most profitable games in online casinos. The structure of the game lends itself to a low house edge and high payout. While most consider online video poker to be a variation of online slots, it is a far cry from the simple click and spin game. It requires a modest amount of poker knowledge, and proper strategies as well.
Online video poker may be more difficult than your normal slots, but this also translates to more control, and thus, greater opportunities to win. The games are also cheap, oftentimes ranging from $0.25 budget games to the high-roller $5 games.
The Rules of Online Video Poker
To play video poker, you simply need to deposit a minimum amount (usually around $20). Once you deposit money, you are ready to play. You only need to choose your game, choose how much you are willing to wager, and play.
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Online video poker is actually only draw poker. If you are not familiar with the game, here are the general rules, adjusted for online video poker:
1. The goal is to have the best poker hand -- which would consist of five cards. Click on the deal button, and you will be given five cards.
2. As with draw poker, you can choose several cards to replace in order to create a better hand. Online casinos differ in the allowances of the number of times you can replace cards. If you are already given a good set of five cards, you can choose to hold all the cards instead of replacing them.
Here are the poker hands, arranged from highest to lowest:
High Card: If no pattern is made with the five cards that you have, the hand is scored according to the highest card included.
Pair: A pair is made by having two cards with similar ranks, and three different-ranking cards (which are called 'kickers'). An example is 3 of hearts, 3 of spades, 6 of clubs, 8 of hearts, Queen of diamonds.
Three-of-a-kind: This is made by having three cards with similar ranks, and two kickers. For example: 3 of hearts, 3 of spades, 3 of clubs, 2 of hearts, Ace of diamonds.
Two Pair: This poker hand is made by having two pairs and a sole kicker. For example: 2 of hearts, 2 of spades, 3 of diamonds, 3 of spades, 6 of hearts.
Straight: A straight in poker is made by having five consecutive cards, with the suit having no importance. For example: 3 of hearts, 4 of diamonds, 5 of diamonds, 6 of clubs, and 7 of spades.
Flush: A flush in poker is made by having five cards of the same suit, not minding the rank. For example: 2 of hearts, 4 of hearts, 5 of hearts, Queen of hearts, Ace of hearts.
Full House: A full house is made by having three-of-a-kind and a pair. For example: 4 of spades, 4 of clubs, 4 of diamonds, Jack of hearts, Jack of spades.
Four-of-a-Kind: This hand is sometimes called quads. This is made by having four cards of similar ranking, and a sole kicker. For example: 4 of hearts, 4 of spades, 4 of clubs, 4 of diamonds, and 6 of hearts.
Straight Flush: A straight flush is created by having five cards of consecutive rank, which are of the same suit. The highest poker hand, royal flush, is a simple straight flush, but with the five highest cards (Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10).
Take note that in most online video poker, a high card would not give any winnings, as are pairs below Jack. Also, because some online video poker games offer a 'wild card' aspect, there are some hands exclusive to those games only. One of this is the five-of-a-kind, which is made up of four cards of the same rank and a wild card.
3. Once you are satisfied with your hand, you can click "collect" to get your winnings.
4. Some online video poker offers a "Double Playoff Round." This is offered to those who get a winning hand, and is a gamble to double your winnings. It's basically a chance-based mini-game, wherein you must predict whether the next card revealed would be higher or lower than an already revealed card. If it is higher, you get to double your winnings. If the card is lower, you lose your winnings. If it is tied, it is a 'push' and you get to keep your original prize.
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