Video poker machines provide an excellent opportunity for casino visitors to
play a game that is both fun and lucrative. These machines can be found in just
about any casino of note throughout the world, and they are often the choice of
those who want a combination of slot machine and table game qualities. Even with
online video poker becoming more popular every day, the area on the floor full
of video poker machines is usually one of the hottest spots in the casino.

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When you play
video poker in a casino, you do so on machines that are dedicated to the
activity. These machines have come a long way from their original incarnations
when the results weren’t always so random, and they could be manipulated
somewhat by people behind the scenes. The results now are based entirely on the
probabilities of making poker hands and the payouts for each of those winning
hands.

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In the beginning of video poker’s heyday, there were only a few brands of
machines that were available. Most of those were based on the Jacks or Better
model, which was itself based on five card draw poker. But the game has grown
immensely over the past couple of decades to the point where you can find many
different variations of video poker machines in your local casino.

The exciting thing about video poker machines in the modern era is that you
can easily find one that fits the style of gambling that you prefer. If you are
the conservative type, sticking to the Jacks or Better games will be the right
way for you to go. But the more adventurous among you can shoot for the bonus
pay tables, wild card games, or twists on video poker that can be easily found
in the casinos.

As a gambler, the wide variety of video poker machines available to you
really gives you the freedom of choice. But it’s important to be able to tell
how those games are different from each other when you spot them in a casino. To
do that, it’s crucial that you also know how to use even the simplest video
poker machine before branching out to the more complicated versions.

In the following article, we’ll take you through the basics of video poker
machines and why they are such a popular item in casinos all over the world.
We’ll also talk about the different games and crucial aspects of play like pay
tables and payback percentages. Finally, we’ll explain how online video poker,
which has become increasingly popular, simulates the action of video poker
machines, and how the online games differentiate from the basic machines.

How to Use a Video Poker Machine

The good news about video poker is that it’s an extremely simple game to
learn. If you know a little bit about Five Card Draw poker and understand how
different combinations of cards make up winning poker hands, you can be at a
machine and playing in hardly any time at all. Even newcomers to the concept
should be able to adjust pretty quickly and get started on video poker machines.

Video poker machines are most often located amidst the slot machines in a
casino. In fact, people often think of them in the same manner as slot machines.
But, as we’ll show you, gameplay is actually quite different.

Basically, a casino can be broken down into sections for table games like
poker and blackjack and then sections for slots, video poker, and other
self-contained machines. Let’s assume that you come upon a video poker machine
for the first time. Here is a step-by-step walkthrough of how you would play the
game.

Step 1: Establish a Bankroll

This is the part of the process where you insert money into the machine. In
the old days of video poker, this was done with coins like quarters or dimes.
Although you might still happen upon machines like this out in the world
somewhere, for the most part, coin-operated video poker machines have become
replaced by newer technology.

These days, video poker machines are usually funded with either paper money
or a ticket. There is usually a slot for you to insert bills.

Or you can take a ticket that you have gathered from playing other games in
the casino and enter that into the machine. In either case, the amount that
you’ve entered will be represented within the machine as “credits” or “coins.”

The value of a credit or a coin is equal to the denomination of the machine,
such as a quarter or a dollar. Some video poker machines give you the
opportunity to choose among several denominations. Others have a set
denomination to which you must adhere.

To determine how many credits you will get upon inserting your money, simply
divide the amount by the denomination.

If you put in $10 and are playing on a quarter machine, you will start with 40 credits, which is 10 divided by .25.

You should always decide the size of the bankroll by the length of time that
you wish to play and by the style of the game. Some games are set up so that you
can expect to stay afloat for a long time even with a modest bankroll. Other
video poker machines are more volatile, which means that you run a bigger risk
of losing all your credits if you don’t put in a substantial amount.

Step 2: Make a Bet

Most video poker machines allow you the opportunity to play between one and
five credits per hand. There are some games with twists to basic gameplay that
allow you to bet even more, often up to ten credits. These machines are somewhat
rare, but they are becoming more popular by the day with casinos and with online
gambling sites (which is why we talk about them below).

While you have the option of betting between one and five credits on basic
video poker machines, it’s always recommended that you play the max bet, which
is five coins. The reason for that is that most pay tables award a higher
proportion of payout to the royal flush hand, the most difficult hand in the
game, achieved with five coins played than they do for one through four. You can
take the chance of betting less, but you’ll be sorry if you are lucky enough to
hit the royal flush but get short-changed for it.

Step 3: Playing the Hand

Each hand played on a video poker machine begins with the deal. From a
simulated 52-card deck (sometimes 53 if there is a Joker involved), you will be
dealt five cards. It’s important to understand how this works, as it will help
you from making ill-advised decisions in terms of your strategy.

Inside the software of most video poker machines is a random number generator
or RNG. This essentially keeps the simulated deck of cards used in the game
constantly shuffled. At the moment that you hit the deal button, the shuffling
stops and the top five cards in the deck are dealt.

You will inspect these five cards for any potential winning hands. If you’re
lucky, you might have a winning hand right off the bat. But even if you don’t,
you can always improve on the hand with a draw round, which we’ll talk about in
a moment.

As for winning hands, here are the most basic winning hands that come into
play in most forms of video poker. Keep in mind that rank refers to the
numerical or face card value of the card, such as 8 or jack, while the suit
refers to whether the card belongs to the hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades.

• Pair of jacks or better: Two cards of the same
  rank, but only with jacks, queens, kings, or aces comprising the pair.
• Two pair: Two sets of cards of the same rank.
• Three of a kind: Three of the same rank.
• Straight: Five cards of consecutive rank.
• Flush: Five cards of the same suit.
• Full house: Three of a kind and a pair in the
  same hand.
• Four of a kind: Four cards of the same rank.
• Straight flush: Five cards of consecutive rank
  and of the same suit.
• Royal flush: Ten through ace of the same suit.

The list above is ranked in order of how likely a player is to achieve the
hand during gameplay. In other words, the pair of jacks or better is the most
common of these hands, while the royal flush is the rarest. The rarer the hand,
the higher the payout on most video poker machines, although there are some
exceptions to this when it comes to bonus-style games.

After looking at your deal, you will then have to decide which cards you will
hold (if any) and which cards you will discard (if any). This decision will be
based on the probability of your receiving certain cards on the draw. Let’s take
a look at a sample deal so you can understand:

With this deal, even though it doesn’t yet constitute a winning hand, there
are several promising seeds which could lead to a winning hand on the deal. The
pair of fours could lead to all kinds of possibilities, while the four hearts
means that you would need to draw just one more heart for a flush. Most tempting
of all is the possibility that you could get a royal flush by drawing the ten
and ace of hearts.

Because of the massive payout for the royal flush, your correct mathematical
play would be to hold the jack, queen, and king of hearts. This would be the
play that would return you the most money if you were to play the hand an
infinite amount of times.

Let’s say that you make the decision to keep the three high hearts. At that
point, you would hit the “Hold” button underneath the specified cards on the
machine. You would then hit the “Draw” button.

Keep in mind that while you were making the decision, the RNG was constantly
shuffling the 47 cards remaining in the deck. Once you hit “Draw,” the top two
cards will be drawn for your hand, replacing the two you have discarded. At that
point, the hand is over, and it will be scored based on whether or not you have
made a winning hand.

Why is it important to understand the concept of the RNG within video poker
machines? It’s to prevent wrong-headed thinking in making your decisions about
what to hold and discard. Understanding that the RNG is present will help you
realize that every deal and draw is random and has nothing to do with any
previous hands played on that machine.

What does that mean? Well, let’s go back to that sample hand that we played
above. Imagine that you had been playing at that video poker machine for a while
and had noticed that you hadn’t received a four in quite some time on the draw.

Those who don’t understand the RNG might think then that they were “due” to
receive more fours. If they did, they might make the mistake of keeping the pair
of fours from the deal in the hopes that the other two in the deck might be
coming. That would mean that they were making a play that wasn’t mathematically
sound.

Because of the RNG, you will always have a one in 52 chance of receiving a
particular card on the deal. You will then have a one in 47 chance of receiving
a particular card from the rest of the deck on the draw. That never changes, and
you always have to keep that in mind when making your decisions.

Step 4: Cashing out or Playing Again

When you have credits remaining in a video poker machine, you will have one
of two choices after completing a hand. You can either play another hand, going
through steps two through four as long as you desire and have credits left to
play. Or you can cash out your remaining credits and receive a ticket which
shows how much money you have left to use in the casino.

You can take this ticket to other machines and play with the money that you
have remaining. Or you can take the ticket to a redemption machine or window and
receive cash for it. If you lose all your credits from a video poker machine,
you’ll have to insert more to continue playing.

Why People Love Video Poker Machines

If you are a savvy casino-goer, you probably understand that video poker
possesses a lot of advantages. Even if you’re a newcomer to the game, we’re here
to tell you that the game contains the best qualities of both slot machines and
video poker. Let’s take a look at how this is so.

Video Poker Machines Advantages Over Slot Machines

• Video poker allows you some control over your gameplay. This is because
  of the draw round that allows you to choose which cards you will use and
  which you will discard. In the case of slot machines, you have no control
  over the outcome of each spin.
• Video poker is
  bound by probabilities. You know how much of a chance you have of making
  each winning hand going into gameplay. When playing slot machines, you’ll
  have no way of guessing how often a winning spin might show up during one of
  your sessions.
• Video poker machines generally pay back more than slot machines. First
  of all, video poker allows you to calculate the payback percentage (more on
  that below) by combining probabilities and pay tables. Slot machines don’t
  allow this, but studies have shown that payouts for slots generally lag
  behind the payback for video poker machines by several percentage points.

Video Poker Machines Advantages vs. Table Games

• Video poker machines are played by people alone at a machine. This means
  that they don’t face any of the pressure of the table games environment,
  where there are certain protocols to follow and unwritten rules to abide.
  That means that video poker can be played far from the scrutiny of angry
  patrons or disapproving casino employees.
• Video poker is relatively easy to play. Many table games can become
  quite involved with the different rules and bets involved. By contrast,
  video poker can be learned in minutes and can be played well even by
  beginners.
• Video poker is extremely competitive in terms of payouts with table
  games. When you consider the other advantages, it’s understandable why
  people would go with video poker over even the most popular table games.

Pay Tables on Video Poker Machines

When you set up at a video poker machine, the first thing that you should do
is locate the pay table. This is a chart showing all the winning hands and how
much they pay depending on how much you bet. You can usually locate the pay
table on the screen or sometimes on the outside body of the machine in question.

Pay tables will tell you exactly what type of video poker machine you are
encountering. It will help you decide on strategy and how much you should keep
for a bankroll. And, when combined with the probabilities of making winning
hands, it will tell you exactly how much payback you can expect during an
average session on the machine.

Let’s take a look at a common pay table for a video poker machine. This is a
Jacks or Better pay table, which means it belongs to one of the most common
video poker machines around. In addition, it’s a full-pay version of Jacks or
Better, which means that it’s the most lucrative version of the game in terms of
expected payout for gamblers.

9/6 Jacks or Better Pay Table

To read a pay table, all you have to do is follow the winning hand that
you’ve made over to the amount that you’ve bet.

Let’s say that you managed to come up with a flush on a hand on which you bet five coins. Following
the “Flush” row over to the “5-coins” column reveals the number 30, which means
that you’ve won 30 coins for that hand (or a 25-coin profit, since the original
five coins are included in that total).

You might notice the discrepancy among payouts for the royal flush. For one
through four coins played, you’ll get odds of 250 to 1, but that jumps to 800 to
1 for five coins played. That’s why, in the section above about making your bet,
we recommended the max bet on each hand you play at a video poker machine.

The goal when you play this game is to measure your odds of making certain
hands against the payout you can potentially get for those hands. This will
become second nature as you play video poker machines on a regular basis.
Correct strategy will increase your expected payouts.

Payback Percentages of Video Poker Machines

As we stated above, video poker machines don’t really hide anything from
players. When you step up to a machine and see the pay table, you have all the
information you need to determine the payback percentage. You can do this by
doing a set of mathematical equations or, and this is the much easier way to do
it, you can simply look up the pay table online to see the expected payback
percentage.

In terms of payback percentage, you have to understand that these figures are
not meant to be predictions of how you will do playing at a video poker machine
over a short period of time. Instead, they represent what a player can expect
back from a machine on average. The more that you play certain video poker
machines, the more you can expect them to return something close to their quoted
percentage.

For the 9/6 version of Jacks or Better that includes the pay table that we
displayed above, the payback percentage is 99.54%. That means that you can
expect to walk away with 99.54% of your starting bankroll during an average
session. It also means that the house edge, which represents the amount that the
casino will take from you, is .46%.

In monetary terms, this means that $10,000 of action in the machine would, on
average, leave the gambler with $9,954 in their bankroll. That’s a loss of $46.

But that doesn’t mean that you’ll come in at that percentage every time. On a
single session, you could get lucky and put together several lucrative winning
hands in a hurry. Or you could conceivably lose a bunch of hands right off the
bat, which would push your specific percentage way down in a hurry.

The math dictates the percentage will eventually come very close to 99.54% if
you play the game over a long period of time. Keep in mind, however, that the
percentage is based on the notion of perfect play. In other words, to reach that
99.54% percentage over time on that Jacks or Better video poker machine, you’ll
have to make the correct decision on what to hold and what to discard in every
single hand that you play.

That might seem like a tall task, but it’s achievable if you get some help.
Video poker training software can show you your mistakes while playing out
simulated hands. Strategy cards allow you to look over your hand, compare it to
the combinations on the strategy cards, and how which cards are the essential
ones and which can be thrown back.

Types of Video Poker Machines

As we noted at the beginning of this article, there are now many different
types of video poker machines available on the market. They can usually be
broken down into four main categories. Here are those four categories, along
with detailed descriptions of each.

Jacks or Better

We’ve already talked about Jacks or Better a few times throughout this
article. It remains the standard for video poker games, and all variations on
video poker machines essentially spring from the original. You can see the pay
table for the full-pay version listed above.

Jacks or Better is the perfect game for beginning video poker players. There
are no real twists to it. It’s just a deal and a draw and a player trying to
make the best possible hand with his five cards.

The reason that many people choose Jacks or Better, beyond the ease of play,
is that it can actually be one of the more competitive games in terms of
payouts. Especially if you can find the pay table above, you are looking at a
payback of over 99%, which is a percentage which we would always recommend that
you try and take advantage of should you come across it.

Jacks or Better also stands out as the least volatile of all video poker
machines. You can expect to play a session for a long period of time without
having to worry too much about losing all your credits. That’s the case even if
you don’t bring too much money into your session.

Yet Jacks or Better lacks for some people because it’s extremely hard to pick
up a jackpot-style hand. Only the royal flush really stands out in that regard,
and your chances of picking up one of those are slim, even if you play hundreds
of hands. In fact, the lack of that jackpot component is one of the reasons that
video poker machine manufacturers began to branch out to some of the versions
listed below.

Bonus Poker

When you’re talking about bonus video poker machines, you are talking about a
whole branch of machines that generally all change the game in the same way. The
extent to which they make these changes varies from machine to machine. But the
main way that they veer from Jacks or Better is usually uniform among all the
bonus games.

What bonus video poker machines promise are higher payouts for hands at the
top end of the pay table. Specifically, bonus poker machines reward four of a
kind hands much more aggressively than Jacks or Better machines. In fact, you
can usually get paid more for a four of a kind on a bonus machine than you could
for straight flush, even though the straight flush comes up less often in
gameplay.

Although the four of a kind payouts on bonus machines still lag behind what
you can achieve with a royal flush, you can expect them to be in the same
ballpark. In fact, the longer the name of the bonus game, the more aggressively
they tend to pay out for a four of a kind.

Triple Double Bonus video poker machines will give you more for a quad than just your
run-of-the-mill bonus game.

In addition, bonus machines sometimes spice up the four of a kind payments
even more by including the notion of a kicker in the equation. When you get a
four of a kind, the kicker is the fifth card in the hand not included in the
quad. For example, look at the following hand:

In that hand, the two of hearts is the kicker. Depending on what the pay
table specifies, getting a four of a kind with certain kickers can really boost
your winnings in a bonus game. It brings a whole new level of strategy into play
as well.

Bonus games generally give you much more of an opportunity for a large payout
on a single hand. Yet to do this, these video poker machines have to compensate
somewhere else on the pay table. And that is where bonus games start to lag
behind Jacks or Better versions.

When playing bonus video poker, you’ll probably notice lesser payouts for
some of the more common winning hands. Two pair is the hand that is most
generally affected. Bonus video poker machines often pay out only even money for
a hand of two pair, compared to 2 to 1 in Jacks or Better games.

That might not seem like a lot to give up for the chance at hitting more
jackpot-style payouts. But what you have to realize is that the two pair hand
will come up often in gameplay. And getting less for those hands will eventually
start to chip away at your bankroll if you don’t manage to get a four of a kind
or better hand.

As a result, you will find it harder to sustain your bankroll playing a bonus
game. Even though the payback percentages of bonus poker video poker machines
are right in the same range as Jacks or Better, that’s assuming someone playing
for a long time and eventually hitting those quad hands. Someone only playing
for a little while might watch their bankroll diminish quickly if they aren’t
lucky enough to land a rare hand.

Wild Card Video Poker Machines

Anyone who has ever played poker at home is probably familiar with the
concept of wild cards. A wild card is any card that is designated before the
start of gameplay that can be changed into whatever rank and suit the player who
gets the card desires. When you play poker with a wild card, rare hands come
into play much more often.

Video poker manufacturers, sensing how poker players enjoyed the concept of
wild cards, soon began incorporating them into their machines. As a result, it
isn’t hard to walk into a casino and pick out many different wild card video
poker machines to play.

There are generally two kinds of wild card video poker machines that you
might encounter in a casino. Deuces Wild is played with a standard 52-card
simulated deck and designates the four 2s in the deck to be wild cards.
Meanwhile, Joker Poker includes a 53^rd card in the deck, the joker,
which is designated as wild.

So how does a wild card change video poker play? Consider the following hand:

If you were playing video poker without wild cards, you would have a losing
hand if you ended with those five cards. But imagine that you were playing on a
Deuces Wild video poker machine. Suddenly you can change the two 2s into the
following:

That hand, because of the wild card, is now a straight flush. Instead of a
losing hand, you now have one of the rarest hands in the entire game.

Wild card games have their own pay tables, which tend to be top-heavy as if
they were a bonus game. That means that they can be equally volatile. But the
presence of the wild cards really adds a new element to the video poker machines
that allow them.

Hands like the straight flush, four of a kind, or even the royal flush are
much more likely with wild cards. In fact, you can even get a five of a kind
with the use of a wild card, something that isn’t even possible with a normal
simulated deck.

But many people note the wild cards and immediately think that they are
dealing with a more lucrative video poker machine. What they may not realize is
that the pay tables have been adjusted to account for this. Hands which pay
handsomely in Jacks or Better pay much less on a wild card machine since they
are much more achievable with the wild cards.

In addition, hands at the bottom of the pay table that pay off in Jacks or
Better or even bonus poker, such as a simple pair, won’t return you anything on
wild card video poker machines. A three of a kind is usually the minimum hand to
pay off in a wild card game.

The bottom line is that you should assess wild card games in the same way you
would any other video poker game. Check out the pay table and do some online
research to see what the payback percentage might be. If you find a favorable
one, you shouldn’t hesitate to go for it.

Specialty Video Poker Machines

This last category is a bit trickier because the games that can be included
in this category tend to add their own unique twists to the proceedings. They
can usually be assessed in the same way as more normal video poker machines,
with pay tables and accompanying payback percentages. But there is usually some
sort of extra component that alters the usual way of doing things in the game.

One of the most common ways that these specialty machines make their unique
mark is by requiring players to make an extra bet to activate the twist. It
might be just a single coin more, or it could be double the max bet. That makes
these games a bit more expensive and volatile.

Of course, the extra element added by the bigger bet usually adds to a
player’s payback percentage. That means that it’s usually advisable with games
like this to make the extra bet and take your chances. As a result, you have to
be prepared for that larger bet on each hand.

So, what are these twists and extras? Well, as we said, they can vary wildly.
Sometimes you might be able to achieve free spins during gameplay, meaning that
you can win credits during these hands without running the risk of losing any.

Multipliers are also a common component in these special video poker
machines. In other words, you would get winnings that were increased by the
amount of the multiplier.

If you made a winning hand that was
normally worth 25 coins that was attached to a 3x multiplier, you would win 75
coins instead.

Certain games might give you a second draw if you are dealt certain cards.
Others might give you a spin of an imaginary wheel if you play for a while and
achieve certain milestones, with each spot on the wheel attached to a different
prize.

These video poker machines continue to pop up as manufacturers come up with
new ideas. Just as with the games above, however, you should do your research on
the game and see if the payback percentage is worth the trouble. You should also
make sure you understand the rules completely so that you don’t make any
unnecessary strategic errors if the decision-making process is altered by the
twist to the game.

Video poker machines like these offer intriguing variety to gameplay. And
they usually increase your chances of high payouts in one fell swoop. You just
have to understand how these games stack up and how they are properly played
before dipping your toe in the pool.

Multi-Hand Video Poker Machines

This technically wouldn’t be a category like the others since the games
mentioned above could easily be included in a video poker machine that includes
multi-hand play. Essentially, a multi-hand video poker machine allows you the
opportunity to play several hands at once from the same deal.

That last phrase is the key aspect of multi-hand play. You receive one deal
only. The hands then play out with distinct draws after you make your choices on
what to hold and what to discard from that original hand.

Let’s see how that might play out with a multi-play machine that allows you
to play three hands at a time. We’ll assume that the game is based on the Jacks
or Better pay table above. Here is the initial deal:

From these cards, you decide that you want to keep the three consecutive
hearts and get rid of the jack and the ace. That decision will now govern all
three hands that you are playing. The RNG will now deal out three different
draws taken from separate decks containing the other 47 cards (besides the five
cards you were dealt).

In this case, let’s imagine this is what you get in your three hands:

In the first draw, you made a flush, while the second provided a two pair.
The third draw was a loser. You would then tally up your winnings.

Assuming you bet five coins per each hand, you would currently be sitting at a 25 coin profit.

It’s important to note that the king of hearts showed up in two hands. That
can happen in multi-hand video poker since there are different decks used for
each draw.

Also, note that you must make a wager on each hand to play. Considering that
it’s important to make a max bet, just as you would if you were playing on a
single-hand machine, multi-hand video poker machines require more of a financial
commitment than normal video poker machines.

The volatility levels also rise with the more hands you play. You can play
five, ten, or even more hands at once on multi-hand video poker machines.
Everything, from the amount that you can win to the quickness with which you
might lose all your credits, rises exponentially the more hands that you add.

When considering a multi-hand video poker machine, you have to take into
account the expense. But you can also consider the kind of payoff you can walk
away with in a hurry if your initial deal is a good one. And the rush of playing
all those hands at once is hard to deny.

Comparing Online Video Poker to Video Poker Machines

Top gambling websites all over the world include video poker as one of their
prize offerings to their patrons. After all, video poker translates very well to
an online version. Looking at the screen of a computer, tablet, or smartphone
for your deal is very similar to looking at the screen of an actual machine in a
casino.

The mechanics of video poker gameplay is essentially the same on one of the top gambling websites as they are
in a physical casino. You’re still looking at your deal and deciding which cards
to hold and which to discard. And you’re also dealing with an RNG that is
driving the action and keeping it random from hand to hand.

Yet playing online has its own sets of advantages and disadvantages when
comparing it to play on an actual video poker machine. On the one hand, the
freedom of being able to play anywhere for real money is a good thing. Instead
of having to battle traffic and crowds as you make your way to a casino, you can
play video poker in absolute comfort.

In addition, you can take advantage of the fact that there won’t be crowds
around you in other ways. For example, we mentioned above how strategy cards are
one way that you can hope to achieve perfect play for video poker. But unless
you memorize the cards, which can be very difficult, you might have a hard time
utilizing the cards in a casino.

You could print out the cards and bring them into the casino perhaps, but
certain casinos might have some qualms about you sitting at their video poker
machines and consulting a kind of cheat sheet. Even if they don’t, you might
feel self-conscious about the act of holding a card at the machine while other
players gawk at you.

But if you’re playing video poker online, you can sit there with a printed
card in front of you and consult it on every single hand. As long as the card is
accurate, you can ensure perfect play. And that means that you can max out your
winnings.

In addition, you can really look around and find pay tables and payback
percentages that are beneficial to you. It might mean that you have to sign up
for several different casinos. But you are not in any way limited by the choices
as you would be at a local casino with finite space for video poker machines.

Yet there are advantages to playing at a local casino’s video poker machines
over playing online. If you have an issue with a game when playing online, it
can be extremely difficult to get help from a site that might be located
thousands of miles away. But your casino will have employees at the ready to
help out should a problem arise at a machine.

In addition, you might find that the rewards that are offered by the casino
can be a bit more lucrative. By signing up for a club card and using it in your
video poker machine, you will be eligible for all kinds of bonuses and rewards.
Those perks also exist in online casinos, but they are usually subject to
stricter requirements.

Finally, playing a video poker machine at a casino offers you an experience
where you can gamble without any interference. By contrast, you would have to
sign up for an account to play at an online casino. That means sacrificing
personal information and, perhaps, credit card numbers to create an account, and
that might constitute too much of a loss of privacy for some people to handle.

When you get down to it, you can make a case for playing video poker machines
over playing simulations of them online and vice versa. It all comes down to
your own personal preference in the end.

Conclusion on Video Poker Machines

Video poker machines offer an easy and exciting way for you to spend your
gambling dollars when you enter the casino. And, if you do a little research,
you will quickly improve your chances of winning at the game as well. Chances
are, once you locate the video poker machines section of your local gambling
establishment, you might not want to go anywhere else on the grounds for the
rest of your stay.

Video poker and slot machines are the most-popular forms of machine based
gaming. That said, these two games are often compared in a variety of aspects.

Many players who take a beating on slots become curious about video poker due
to its strategic element.

Likewise, those who don’t want to bother with video poker strategy become
interested in slot machines due to their simplicity.

If you fit into either of these categories, or you’d just like to know how
slots and video poker compare, keep reading as we break down all of the
important aspects.

Later, we’ll also discuss how video poker and pull tab machines compare since
the latter is also a popular machine game.

Difference Between Video Poker and Slot Machines

# 1 Difference: Video Poker has More Strategy than Slots

One key difference between slot machines and video poker is that the latter
involves intricate strategy.

You begin every video poker hand with 5 cards, and you decide what to keep
and discard. Each decision you make has a long-term impact on pay back.

Let’s look at an example:

1. You’re playing 9 / 6 Jacks or Better
2. You’re dealt: 10c, Js, 9c, 4s, 6s
3. The correct move is to keep Js and discard everything else.

In the situation above, the only correct strategy decision is to keep the
jack of spades. Anything else results in a higher house edge and lowers your
chances of winning.

Contrast this to slot machines, where the biggest strategy aspects involve
bankroll management and choosing games with high pay back.

Once you accomplish these two goals, there’s literally nothing else to do
besides hitting the spin button.

Some of the newer slot machines feature skill-based bonus rounds. But these
bonuses only account for around 5% of overall pay back.

Video poker contains far more skill than this, and there’s no comparison to a
skill-based slot.

# 2 Difference: Slots Offer Bigger Progressive Jackpots

Slot machines are well known for offering progressive jackpots worth millions
of dollars.

Of course, only a small percentage of slots offer this much money. But the
point is that you can make a fortune by winning a slots jackpot.

Below you can see some historic online and land-based slots jackpots.

• $39.71 million

  Won
  by a 25-year-old software engineer at Las Vegas’ Excalibur Casino.

• $34.56 million

  Won
  by cocktail waitress Cynthia Jay-Brennan at Vegas’ Desert Inn.

• €17.88 million
  (approx. $22m)

  Won by British soldier Jon Heywood at an online casino.

• $22.62 million

  Won
  by Johanna Huendl on her way to breakfast at Bally’s Las Vegas.

• €17.86 million ($22m)

  Won by a Finnish player at an online casino.

These are just a few examples of the massive jackpots that slot machines
offer. But they show you the type of fortunes that are available when a
progressive prize grows large enough.

Most video poker games offer a royal flush payout worth 4,000 coins, although
some have progressive jackpots too.

The largest progressive video poker jackpot that we’ve seen is a $670,000
payout. Poker pro Huck Seed won this prize in 2011 while betting $500 per hand.

This is definitely a big payout, but it doesn’t come anywhere close to the
largest progressive slots.

Play Video Poker Slot Machine Images

# 3 Difference: Video Poker Offers Higher Pay back

While video poker machines don’t give you the opportunity to get rich, they
do offer much higher pay back than slots.

Below you can see some of the highest-paying variations in video poker:

• Full-pay Deuces Wild =
  100.76% pay back
• Full-pay Joker Poker =
  100.64% pay back
• 10 / 7 Double Bonus =
  100.17% pay back
• 10 / 6 Double Double
  Bonus = 100.07% pay back
• 9 / 6 Jacks or Better
  = 99.54% pay back
• 8 / 5 Bonus Poker =
  99.17% pay back

Even if you play 8 / 5 Bonus Poker, you’ll earn higher pay back than any slot
machine can offer.

The best slots pay back is typically found in online casinos, including the
following games:

• Mega Joker – 99% pay
  back
• Jackpot 6000 – 98.8%
  pay back
• Blood Suckers – 98.0%
  pay back
• Megaspin Break Da Bank
  – 98.0% pay back
• Fishy Fortune – 97.90%
  pay back
• Kings of Chicago –
  97.80% pay back
• Hot Ink – 97.50% pay
  back

These games offer a far better return than what you’ll find in
brick-and-mortar casinos. But they still don’t offer as high of pay back as
video poker games.

If you want a better chance of winning, then video poker is your best bet.

# 4 Difference: Slots are More Relaxing to Play

Earlier we discussed how video poker features a lot more strategy than slots.
But on the reverse side, slot machines are more relaxing for people who don’t
care about strategy or a higher return.

To illustrate this point, let’s look at the process for playing both slots
and video poker:

Slots

1. You select your bet size.
2. You spin the reels.
3. Sometimes you’ll trigger a bonus round or free spins.

Video Poker

1. You select your bet size.
2. You receive a 5-card hand.
3. You decide what cards to keep and discard.
4. You click Draw to complete your hand.

Even if we include free spins or a bonus round, which only happen
occasionally, the slots playing process features one less step. Compare this to
video poker, where you may spend 5-10 seconds thinking during the draw round
(third step).

Again, if you’re just a casual gamer who wants to relax and play some casino
games, then slot machines are a good choice.

# 5 Difference: Video Poker Pay back Is Easier to Figure Out

You can find pay back for plenty of online and land-based slot machines
through research. But what if you can’t find pay back for the particular game
you’re playing?

This would involve looking at the paytable, playing countless spins, and
trying to figure out the frequency of each payout.

Video Poker Vs Slot Machines Which To Play

Obviously nobody wants to do this because it would cost a fortune and require
endless hours.

Video poker paytables, on the other hand, are much easier to understand. You
just need to know what payouts change the pay back for specific video poker
variations.

With Jacks or Better, you need to concentrate on the full house and flush
payouts. Here are some examples:

Some video poker variations have more than two differing payouts on the
paytable. But as long as you know what payouts to look for with any given game,
there’s no mystery involved in the pay back.

# 6 Difference: Slots Offer More Comps

The big downside to slot machines is that you’re dealing with a larger house
edge. But the upside is that slots offer you more comps too.

Let’s illustrate this point with comp examples for both slot machines and
video poker:

Slots Comps

1. You earn a 2% comp rate on losses.
2. You’re playing a slot with a 5% house edge.
3. You bet $2,000.
4. Your theoretical losses are $100 (2,000 x 0.05).
5. You’d receive $2 in comps.

Video Poker Comps

1. You earn a 2% comp rate.
2. You’re playing 8 / 5 Bonus Poker (0.83% house edge).
3. You bet $2,000.
4. Your theoretical losses are $16.60 (2,000 x 0.0083).
5. You’d receive $0.33 in comps.

A common casino gaming tip is to never play strictly for comps. After all,
you can see that your video poker losses would be $83.40 less than slots under
these circumstances.

But the good news is that you’ll at least receive more comps to soften the
blow.

# 7 Difference: You can Win Long-Term Profits in Video Poker

Play Video Poker Slot Machine Videos 2020

It’s not easy to find video poker machines that offer positive expectation
(+EV). But you can still find +EV video poker in certain parts of Las Vegas.

Contrast this to slot machines, where you won’t find a single game anywhere
that offers over 100% pay back.

As for +EV video poker games, let’s review the four that were mentioned
earlier:

• Full-pay Deuces Wild =
  100.76% pay back
• Full-pay Joker Poker =
  100.64% pay back
• 10 / 7 Double Bonus =
  100.17% pay back
• 10 / 6 Double Double
  Bonus = 100.07% pay back

Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus don’t offer a very big edge, even with
perfect strategy. But full-pay Deuces Wild and Joker Poker offer noticeable
profits to skilled players.

Here are win rate examples when perfect strategy is used on the following
games:

• Deuces Wild

  You’d
  win $7.60 for every 1,000 hands played.

• Joker Poker

  You’d
  win $6.40 for every 1,000 hands played.

• Double Bonus

  You’d
  win $1.70 for every 1,000 hands played.

• Double Double Bonus

  You’d win $0.70 for every 1,000 hands played.

None of these win rates will earn you a full-time living. But pro players can
make a living with Deuces Wild and Joker Poker when they take advantage of
double and triple point promotions.

Assuming you don’t care about being a video poker pro, then you can earn
profits through Double Bonus and Double Double Bonus while also entertaining
yourself.

# 8 Difference: Slots Pay More Online than in Land-based Casinos

In point #3, we mentioned how online slots normally pay more than those in
brick-and-mortar casinos.

While there aren’t any uniform figures on these differences, here are some
estimates:

• Online slots = 96%
  return to player (RTP) on average.
• Land-based slot
  machines = 93-94% RTP on average.

Compare this to video poker, which doesn’t change when moving from online to
land-based casinos.

If you’re playing a 9 / 6 Jacks or Better game, it’s going to offer 99.54%
pay back in both online and brick-and-mortar casinos. If you’re playing a 9 / 7
Double Bonus game, it’ll pay back 99.55% anywhere.

The one caveat is that you’re more likely to find 9 / 6 JoB in online casinos
than in land-based venues. The reason why is because internet operators don’t
have to cover as many overhead costs, and they can offer more high-paying games
like 9 / 6 JoB.

# 9 Difference: Video Poker Requires Max Bets for Top Pay back

The golden rule of video poker is that if you want max pay back, then you
need to make the max bet (5 coins). The reason why is because you’re eligible
for a much-larger royal flush payout when you wager 5 coins.

You can see this below:

• 5-coin bet =
  4,000-coin royal flush
• 4-coin bet =
  1,000-coin royal flush
• 3-coin bet = 750-coin
  royal flush
• 2-coin bet = 500-coin
  royal flush
• 1-coin bet = 250-coin
  royal flush

The 3,000-coin jump in the top royal flush payout is why you should bet 5
coins on every hand.

Some slot machines also require that you make specific bets to quality for
the jackpot and / or bonus rounds. Here’s an example: you’re playing a
50-payline game and you need to play all 50 lines in order to qualify for the
progressive jackpot.

But this is the exception, rather than the norm. You’re not required to make
qualifying bets on most slots – especially online – to qualify for bonuses and
jackpots.

Similarities Between Video Poker and Slot Machines

# 1 Similarity: Both Operate through a Random Number Generator

Random number generation involves creating a sequence of numbers that can’t
be predicted. And both slot and video poker machines use a random number
generator (RNG) to ensure that every round is based on random chance.

Many video poker and slots myths arise because players don’t understand how
an RNG works. Certain players think there’s a pattern or strategy that will
result in guaranteed profits.

But the RNG ensures that every outcome is totally independent of the last.

# 2 Similarity: Video Poker and Slots are Good Alternatives to Table Games

Picture this scenario:

1. You visit a casino and you’re new to table games.
2. You sit down to a blackjack table because you’ve heard it has a low house edge.
3. You touch your cards on the first hand, and the dealer warns you not to touch them.
4. You make a few strategy mistakes and are lectured by the player next to you.
5. You take too long to make decisions on most hands, drawing groans from the table.

Based on this experience, chances are that you won’t be thrilled to play any
more table games. Of course, you may also be too intimidated from the beginning
and avoid the tables altogether.

This is where video poker and slots become perfect alternatives in land-based
casinos. If you don’t want to deal with the pressures of learning table games,
you can sit down to a video poker or slot machine and play at your own pace.

# 3 Similarity: The Same Video Poker and Slots Games can Offer Different Pay
back

Earlier, we covered how the same video poker variant has different pay back
based on the paytable. Slot machines are also this way because casinos can order
different pay back for a specific game.

This is mostly the case in land-based casinos, where the same slot machine
might offer 92% pay back at one casino, and 89% pay back at another.

Online slotsmakers normally offer a uniform payout percentage with each
individual game, no matter the casino. But some internet slots can also feature
different pay back as you move between casinos.

One example is Microgaming’s Mega Moolah, which can offer anywhere from
88.12% to 95% pay back.

# 4 Similarity: Both Games Have Betting Options

You can change betting options to your preferences in both video poker and
slot machines.

Let’s check out some wagering options that you’ll see in video poker:

• Bet 1 to 5 coins per
  hand.
• In online casinos, you
  can change the coin denomination (ex. $0.05 to $0.25).
• Play multiple hands
  per turn (in triple play).
• Make side bets for
  multipliers (special video poker variations).

Now let’s look at slot machine betting options:

• Change coin size (ex.
  $0.01 to $1.00).
• Adjust paylines (ex. 1
  to 20).
• Change coins per line
  (ex. 1 to 5).
• Use double-up option
  after wins (in certain games).

Some betting options in video poker and slot machines are nearly the same,
including the coin denomination and coins per hand / pay line.

How To Play Video Poker Slot Machines

Video Poker vs. Pull Tab Machines

What are Pull Tab Machines?

Pull tabs are special gaming tickets that involve pulling open perforated
windows on the ticket’s backside. The goal is to pull open symbols that match
the winning combinations listed on the frontside.

Most pull tabs cost $0.25, $0.50, $1, $2, $3, or $5 per ticket.

Pull tab tickets can either be sold by hand or through machines. The latter
is similar to video poker or slots because you put money into a machine, then
receive your ticket.

Electronic pull tabs are another option, allowing you to play through a
tablet device. Electronic pull tabs offer everything that physical tickets have,
except that you don’t physicallypull the tabs – you merely swipe them.

What are the Similarities between Video Poker & Pull Tabs?

• Machine-based
  Play – Both video poker and pull tabs are played through machines.
  Pull tabs can also be distributed physically by vendors (normally through
  charities).
• Transparent
  Odds of Winning – Video poker paytables are transparent and allow
  you to easily figure out pay back. Pull tab players can see how many
  available prizes (predetermined) and tickets are left through a tally sheet
  or electronic display.
• Varying Prizes
  – Video poker and pull tabs feature varying payouts, with the royal flush or
  highest-symbol combination (pull tabs) offering the biggest prize

What are the Differences between Video Poker & Pull Tab Machines?

• Pull Tab
  Payouts are Predetermined – Each pull tab game is released with a
  set number of payouts and tickets (ex. 5k prizes for 50k tickets). When the
  prizes are all won, distributors can either offer another round, or get rid
  of the game completely.
• Video Poker
  Payouts are Totally Random – Each video poker payout offers
  specific odds of winning, just like a pull tab game. But the key difference
  is that video poker prizes aren’t predetermined. Even though a royal flush
  payout (4,000 coins) happens roughly 1 in 40,000 hands, it could
  theoretically happen 4 in 40,000 hands.
• Pull Tab Games
  Don’t Involve Much Strategy – The biggest strategy to pull tab
  machines is finding out how many prizes are left versus tickets. This gives
  you an indication of whether or not you should play based on the odds. Video
  poker strategy, as covered before, is far more involved.
• Every Video
  Poker Outcome is Independent of the Last – Given that video poker
  payouts are based on an RNG, past results never determine future hands.
  Contrast this to pull tabs, where every loss removes one losing ticket from
  circulation, thus improving your future odds.
• Pull Tab
  Machines Play More Like Slots than Video Poker – Considering that
  pull tab machines involve matching symbols with winning combinations,
  they’re similar to slot machines. Meanwhile, video poker is an
  electronic-based version of draw poker.

Conclusion

While video poker and slot machines share similarities, they’re also
different in a variety of aspects too.

We highlighted nine differences, but the key ones that stand out include the
following:

1. Video poker has far more strategy.
2. Slots offer bigger jackpots.
3. Video poker offers higher pay back.
4. Slots deliver more comps (due to high house edge).
5. Video poker has +EV games.

These differences define each game and make them appeal to specific crowds.

Those who enjoy using skill to improve their chances of winning will
appreciate video poker. Meanwhile, players who want to chase big jackpots and /
or play without considering strategy will like slot machines.

These comparisons don’t prove that one game is superior to the other.
Instead, they highlight the aspects you want to consider when deciding what to
play in casinos.

The same goes when pitting video poker and pull tab machines against each
other.

Pull tabs are like a hybrid between slots and the lottery because you buy
tickets and try to match symbols. This offers another luck-based game that
appeals to a different crowd than video poker lovers.

Of course, nothing is stopping you from dividing your play up between video
poker, slots, and / or pull tab machines. We find that this is a fun way to
enjoy a variety of gaming experiences.