Video poker, once mastered, is one of the easiest and most enjoyable games to play either online or at a land-based casino. Online video poker uses a 52-card deck and all variants of video poker games are based on the 5-card draw system of poker. In order to play free poker slots, you’ll need to follow a few quick and easy steps: 1. Online Video Poker Real Money. Playing online video poker for real money is simple. However, there are complicated strategies that players need to learn if they want to improve their chances of winning. If US players are interested in playing video poker real money first, they have to find the best real money video poker casinos on the internet.

If you're a fan of online video poker then you'll want to check out our free no-download games. Play some of the most popular versions of video poker including Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Double Down Stud, Jokers Wild and Deuces Wild. It's a great way to get to know how the game is played and to practice you skills at the same time. Check out single deck and double deck video poker games and play whenever you want, as often as you want.

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Poker is a card game that conjures up many images. Most prominent of these is the picture of pioneer cowboys

Poker is a card game that conjures up many images. Most prominent of these is the picture of pioneer cowboys

Video poker is in the Hall of Fame of gambling activities; at least, it would be if such a thing existed. The game finds a perfect mix of chance and strategy, combining aspects of slot machines and poker to create this prevalent form of real money gambling. Furthermore, there are numerous styles and rulesets available to suit any preferences.

The player is dealt a series of five cards from which they attempt to create poker hands. You may hold or discard any of those initial five. Whatever is dumped is then replaced by cards of random value. If a winning poker hand is made, you win.

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The best strategies for determining which cards to hold and which to have re-dealt is dependent upon the version of video poker being played and the probabilities. Each ruleset has a unique recommended playing style that maximizes the players’ odds. We will share some of these systems later in the article.

Whichever style of video poker you inevitably enjoy, the most critical matter is finding the right places to play. That’s why we’ve scoured the web for sites offering the best real money video poker online. Where you gamble is just as significant as what game you choose and how you play it; we’ll explain why in the next section.

Why These Sites Are the Best

Legitimate and Trustworthy

There’s no single factor that we value more than the safety of our readers as they venture into the world of online gambling. After an unfortunate encounter with a rogue site, LegitGamblingSites.com was founded with a mission to prevent this from happening to anybody else. There are too many high-quality, ethical gaming operations out there to have our readers wasting time with any frauds.

Our team of experts digs deep into every website we rate and review. They comb through a site’s past, analyze their reputation with previous customers, and examine the terms and conditions for anything troubling. If an online casino finds itself on our list of recommendations, you can be sure it passed all of our tests with flying colors.

Variety

Having a wide range of games and options available to our customers is another quality that we take extremely seriously. This becomes even more significant when discussing forms of gaming like video poker, where there are many similar versions with slightly different payouts, odds, and rulesets.

We want there to be plenty of choices when you sign up with an online casino so that you may find a version that best suits your needs. The websites found in our recommendations are where you’ll find a bevy of the best real money video poker games anywhere on the net.

Good Betting Odds

Sure, having tons of variations of video poker to play on a safe website is fantastic, but it won’t be fun for long if it’s impossible to ever win! That’s why our team looks into the rates of return for games offered at the online casinos we vet. While it’s expected that the house will always have an advantage (Vegas wouldn’t have all those beautiful buildings otherwise), if the balance is too far in the casino’s favor, it stops being fun.

The locations found on our recommended list offer the best real money video poker online by setting fair betting odds that allow readers to get the most bang for their buck. In some regions, the winning probability of gaming machines is regulated by the licensing authority in the jurisdiction, while in others, it’s not. Our experts take all of this into account when formulating our rankings.

Unique Versions of Real Money Video Poker Online

Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better is the most commonly found video poker game in existence. Its lasting power can be attributed to its simple ruleset and decent payouts. The full house pays 9 to 1, while the flush returns 6 to 1, making this a reliable option, especially for beginners.

Jokers Wild

In Jokers Wild, you’re trying to build the same poker hands as always, only joker cards are added to the deck as well. When one of these jokers is dealt, they become a wild card, capable of being any other card necessary to help create a winning hand.

The inclusion of wild cards makes getting a five of a kind possible, which pays out more than anything other than a natural royal flush. However, it means many of the other hands pay less. For example, three of a kind only pays 2 to 1, and a straight is only 3 to 1.

Deuces Wild

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The most popular form of video poker is arguably Deuces Wild. Instead of only having a couple wild cards like in Jokers Wild, in this game, all 2s are considered wild. This makes winning hands much more probable but drastically reduces most hands’ payouts as well. For example, four of a kind only pays out 5 to 1. However, getting four 2s pays 200 to 1, which makes things interesting.

Double Bonus

Double Bonus Poker is a thrilling variation because following every win, the player has the option to participate in a mini-game to either double or lose the cash they just won.

If you chose to go for the double, you’re dealt five new cards, with only one facing up. You then select one of the remaining four, and if the value of your pick is higher than the face-up card, you’ve doubled your earnings from that previous hand.

In the absence of any wild cards, the payout table is higher than many variations, with four of a kinds becoming much more valuable. Four aces pays 160 to 1, which alters the optimal strategy somewhat.

Double Double Bonus

Double Double Bonus Poker is unique in the way it values four of a kind hands, including special kickers that significantly increase the size of the winnings. For example, four aces pays 160 to 1 odds regularly. But if you are dealt four aces, and the fifth card is a 2, 3, or 4 (called the kicker), that payout balloons up to 400 to 1 instead.

The game trades some lower-paying hands like two pair, which only results in a push in this variation, for more substantial rewards at the top of the pay table. If you can find a game with full houses paying 10 to 1 and flushes returning 6 to 1, you can actually eliminate the house advantage by following the optimal strategy.

Real Money Video Poker Online Strategy

The ideal strategy to use for any real money video poker game will depend on which version you have selected. However, while the payouts for particular hands may change, and the introduction of “wild” cards in some versions will alter the optimal way to play, the basics of video poker always stay the same. You’re trying to create the following hands using the five cards that you’re dealt.

Royal Flush

A royal flush is the best hand in poker. It’s made by getting the ace, king, queen, jack, and 10 all of the same suit.

Straight Flush

The second-best hand also involves five suited cards in sequential order, but they do not have to be face cards. For example, the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, all of spades, is a straight flush.

Four of a Kind

As the name suggests, the third-strongest hand is comprised of collecting four of the same card. For example, four kings. In most cases, the fifth card doesn’t matter, but in some versions of video poker, the fifth card may significantly increase the payout of this hand.

Full House

A full house is made when a hand consists of a three-of-a-kind and another pair. For instance, if one is dealt three queens and two 4s, that’s a full house. If Uncle Jesse and Stephanie Tanner are there as well, even better.

Flush

A flush consists of five cards all of the same suit. In this case, the value of the cards doesn’t matter, only that the suits match. It’s the fifth-best poker hand.

Straight

A straight is when a poker hand is made up of five cards in sequential order, with differing suits. So, a hand consisting of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 would be a straight if the 2 and 4 were spades, the 3 was a diamond, and the five was a heart, for example.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind is the seventh-best hand in video poker, and it’s relatively common. It’s when you hold three of the same number or face cards.

Two Pair

Two pair is a relatively weak poker hand comprised of two separate pairs. For example, a hand may look like this: 5, 5, J, J, 9. The two fives and two jacks make it two pair.

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Pair

A pair is merely two matching cards. In most video poker games, the couple must be face cards or aces to receive any payout. Often it results in a push, with only the credits that were staked upon being returned.

Legality of Real Money Video Poker Online

You may be worried that the best real money video poker online won’t be available in your region due to local gambling laws. The truth is, online gaming is still a gray area for many countries, while others have accepted and regulated the industry to great success. In regions like the European Union or the United States, things can get confusing due to there being one set of overarching laws or federal laws at one level, and then individual state or nation laws as well.

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For example, when Italy tried to block all forms of internet gambling within their borders, the EU stepped in and made them accept online betting sites from the UK and other treaty nations in accordance with a law which prohibits blocking access to services from other member countries. Now, Italy has allowed citizens to access these websites while also legalizing some forms of gaming themselves.

In the United States, you can live in a legalized gaming state such as Nevada, yet companies are still not allowed to host online casinos and sportsbooks from within the country. Citizens that could walk down the street to a land-based establishment are forced to utilize offshore sites for their betting. And while the laws block companies from hosting a website in the US, there are no laws against residents of the States accessing these alternative locations.

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As you can see, the legalities of online gaming can get quite confusing. That’s why we’ve dedicated an entire section of LegitGamblingSites.com to the different jurisdictions and wagering’s legal status in these various regions. For more information regarding what’s allowed in your area, check out the following link.

Other Real Money Casino Games

Video poker is one of the leading gaming activities found in both brick-and-mortar and online gambling establishments throughout the world. In person, you’ll see rows and rows of these machines taking up vast swathes of casino floor space. Online, where they don’t have to worry about things like square footage, betting sites are able to provide more variety and rulesets than ever before.

Play Real Video Poker

A neat feature of playing video poker is the ability to find a version of the game that best suits how you like to play. For the more cautious players who prefer to gamble for long durations of time, Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild are ideal. It’s difficult to hit any massive payouts on these games, but the rate of returns is reasonable, and you’ll win much more often.

The online gamblers that are more interested in chasing the dream of huge earnings and big jackpots may get more excitement from Double Double Bonus Poker, where the pay table is mostly distributed to the stronger hands. Whichever style best fits how you like to play, video poker provides an excellent combination of chance and strategy, with some eliminating the house advantage altogether when playing to maximize probability.

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If you’re interested in other forms of online gaming beyond video poker, check out our page dedicated to other real money casino games. We’ve found the top online gambling sites for each individual activity, including blackjack, slots, baccarat, and craps. Follow the link to any of those pages to see the best recommendations, information regarding how to play, and even winning strategies you can employ.

For the best real money betting sites, look at this table:

Online Video Poker Real Money