| Updated: September 26, 2025There is a simple explanation for why video poker is one of the most sought-after casino games: it is engaging, captivating, and, above all, uncomplicated, which makes it suitable for players of all experience levels.
Although some players draw parallels between slots and video poker, one of the most notable differences between these two types of casino games is that, with the latter, there is a skill element. That is exactly what can make video poker seem a bit challenging at first.
The predecessor of today’s video poker games was introduced in 1891 and featured five drums displaying card values. The game has evolved significantly since then, and today, there are countless video poker variants to enjoy, especially when placing your bets online. All of them stem from five-card draw poker, so players can start wagering right away because they are already familiar with the basic steps.
To get ahead of the casino, players should understand the rules of their preferred video poker game. If that is what you’re aiming for, just read on.
Introduction to the Video Poker Rules
When players aim to learn well enough to win, they should pay close attention to the rules of their chosen casino game, because informed and uninformed gamblers can perceive the ruleset very differently. This is true no matter what you decide to play, especially when it comes to casino games. Like every other casino title, video poker has several nuances that are concealed beneath its apparent simplicity and, as a result, often stay off players’ radar.
Number of Decks in Play
As mentioned already, video poker is based on five-card draw, which explains why the hand rankings are identical. Unlike blackjack variants that can use up to eight decks, in video poker, there is just one standard deck of 52 cards. Consequently, more than 2,580,000 unique hands can be dealt, and each has the same probability of appearing. The total is easier to grasp when duplicate suits are ignored. Remember that 🃓🂣🂳🂪🃊 and 🃓🂣🂳🂪🃚 are two different hands, yet players will play them in exactly the same way.
Bear in mind that for most video poker hands, there is only one optimal way to play them. Still, some hands, while different, carry the same value. For example, if players receive 🂲🂤🃅🃖🂸, discarding all five cards is unwise even though the chance of a payout may look slim. Instead, they should consider holding the first four cards or the second, third, fourth, and fifth ones.
Because players know exactly how many cards are in the deck, they can easily calculate the odds of landing any specific combination.
Gamblers may also encounter joker wild video poker, in which one or several jokers are added to the deck.
Video Poker Machines Layout
Although the layout of video poker machines can vary slightly, most of the time players will see their current credit balance displayed below the cards. Typically, the game’s paytable appears on the left-hand side of the screen, as is the case with Jacks or Better titles from NetEnt and Playtech. In Pragmatic Play’s version, however, the paytable sits directly above the dealt hand.
Players will also notice that the payouts for each hand adjust automatically to reflect the bet size they have selected.
Adjusting Your Bet
When launching their chosen video poker variant, players should first review its betting limits. For example, Playtech’s Jacks or Better lets you wager as little as $0.01 and as much as $500 per hand. Microgaming’s version ranges from $1.25 to $25, while NetEnt’s allows stakes between $0.25 and $100. Remember, these limits can vary from one online casino to another, so always double-check before playing.
First, select a coin denomination and then decide how many credits to wager. Depending on the variant, there may also be a button that lets you place the maximum bet with a single tap.
The Importance of the Number of Credits
Whatever players’ goals may be, they should remember that to secure the top payout in any video poker game, they need to wager the maximum allowed bet. The same rule applies if they want to enjoy the game’s highest possible RTP; it, too, is unlocked only when the maximum bet is in play.
Getting a Poker Hand
After setting their bet, players press the draw or deal button to reveal the five cards from the continuously shuffled deck. Given the five cards, there are 32 possible ways to play any hand. Depending on their cards, players may discard all, keep all, or hold only selected cards based on hand strength.
Many online video poker titles include an auto-hold feature that automatically locks cards involved in a winning combination. If players believe a better hand can be made by drawing new cards, they are free to ignore the suggestion.
Once they decide which cards to hold, players press draw/deal again to replace the others and see whether a winning combination appears. The outcome – win or loss – is determined immediately. In most versions, any winning hand is highlighted at once, and payouts are credited accordingly.
Multi-Hand Video Poker Variants
To add extra excitement to their session, players can opt for multi-hand play, a feature offered by many modern video poker variants. For instance, NetEnt’s Jacks or Better lets you bet on up to 25 hands simultaneously, a limit matched by Playtech’s version. Some games even allow wagers on 50 or 100 hands at once.
Doubling Down The Winnings
Certain video poker variants present a double-or-nothing option that allows players to try to double their winnings. Remarkably, alongside the odds bet in craps, this feature carries no house edge. Choosing whether to use it is a matter of personal preference and playing goals, but a wrong guess will forfeit the entire win.
- Tens or Better Variations
- Deuces Wild Variations
- Jacks or Better Variations
- Video Poker Variations
- Hand Rankings in Video Poker
Volatility and Variance in Video Poker
Most players have probably heard the term volatility, though not necessarily in relation to video poker. When a video poker variant has high volatility, bankroll swings can be dramatic because the generous payouts of rare hands are financed by lowering the return of smaller, more frequent hands.
If a game offered only two outcomes, it would quickly become boring, so developers ensure that video poker includes an eye-catching element: the payout for a royal flush. Naturally, this hand is very rare – on average, it appears once every 43,000 hands.
Video Poker Volatility
Remember, if a video poker variant promises larger wins, it is likely a high-volatility game. Take Double Bonus Poker, for example: in addition to its regular payouts, it awards 160-to-1 when four Aces appear.
Hands of four 2s, 3s, or 4s pay 80-to-1, while four 5s through Kings pay 50-to-1 instead of the standard 25-to-1.
As noted earlier, these enhanced payouts are offset by lower returns on other hands. For instance, two pairs pay only 1-to-1 rather than 2-to-1. Because of this shift, players’ bankrolls can erode more quickly when the premium hands fail to hit.
Variance in Video Poker
Contrary to common belief, variance and volatility are not the same thing. Put simply, variance assigns a numerical value to volatility. In most video poker games, variance starts at roughly 15 and can climb as high as 200.
Variance rises when the game offers bigger but less frequent payouts.
Because variance influences gameplay, players should decide whether they prefer a variant that stretches their bankroll or one that produces wins more often.
A Closer Look at The Paytable of Video Poker Games
Before starting a video poker session, players should always review the payscale of their chosen variant, as it holds the key information they need. By studying the payscale, players can determine the game type, its volatility, and its expected returns, allowing them to fine-tune their strategy for maximum value.
In most online video poker games, the paytable is visible at all times, but in a few titles it may appear only after you open the help section.
How Does The Payscale Looks
The layout of video poker paytables is consistent across both online and land-based games. The lowest-paying combinations are listed at the bottom, while the highest-paying hands appear at the top. The columns on the right show how each payout increases as more credits are wagered, with the far-right column revealing the prize available when the maximum number of credits is bet.
Full-Pay Video Poker Variants
Full-pay video poker variants are especially attractive because they offer higher payouts for full houses and flushes. Full-pay Jacks or Better, for instance, is often called a 9/6 game because a full house pays nine credits for one and a flush pays six. By contrast, non-full-pay games feature less favorable paytables.
What the Right Number of Credits Is
In most table games, the number of credits a player bets does not affect the game’s return percentage.
Number of Credits in Roulette
For example, in European-style roulette, the house edge is 2.7%, or 1.35% when La Partage or En Prison rules apply. This equates to the house taking $2.70 or $1.35 for every $100 wagered. If players stake $1,000, the house would expect to earn about $27 or $13.50, respectively.
Regardless of the bet size, the return-to-player (RTP) remains fixed at 97.3% or 98.65%. The same principle holds for slots; the number of credits wagered does not alter the RTP. However, similar to full-pay video poker, some slots feature bonus payouts that require the maximum bet to be eligible.
Number of Credits in Video Poker
As noted earlier, most video poker games pay their largest prize – a royal flush – only when the maximum number of credits is wagered. In most cases, the max bet is five credits, though a few versions allow ten or more.
Many players struggle to choose an appropriate bet size. The golden rule is to stay within your limits and ensure you are comfortable with every wager.
Suppose you have a $200 bankroll and decide to play a $1 video poker machine with a five-credit maximum bet. Betting the max each hand costs $5, so you could play 40 hands if none were winners. Even with occasional wins, your funds can disappear faster than expected.
To extend your session, consider a $0.25 game with the same five-credit maximum. Each hand would then cost $1.25, allowing 160 hands from the same $200 bankroll without a single win.
The pace at which you play is another key factor in how long your bankroll will last.
How the Payback Percentage Changes in Video Poker
A good head for numbers is essential when determining which video poker variant offers the best value. By analyzing the figures, players can identify which games are less favorable and which stand out as superior.
Jacks or Better
| Paytable of A Full-Pay Variant of Jacks or Better | |||||
| Hand | Number of Credits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Royal Flush | 250 | 500 | 750 | 1.000 | 4.000 |
| Straight Flush | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 |
| Four of a Kind | 25 | 50 | 75 | 100 | 125 |
| Full House | 9 | 18 | 27 | 36 | 45 |
| Flush | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | 30 |
| Straight | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 20 |
| Three of a Kind | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 |
| Two Pairs | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| Jacks or Better | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Players may notice that, regardless of the winning combination, the payout increases by the same increment when a single credit is played. Thus, a royal flush pays 800-to-1. The full-pay version of Jacks or Better offers a 99.54% payback.
If Jacks or Better is your preferred video poker game, remember that besides the full-pay version, you will also encounter 9/5, 8/6, 8/5, 7/5, and 6/5 variants. To calculate the return percentage for each, you must consider both the payout for every hand and the odds of landing each one.
| Payscale | Return percentage |
|---|---|
| 9/6 | 99.54% |
| 9/5 | 98.45% |
| 8/6 | 98.39% |
| 8/5 | 97.3% |
| 7/5 | 96.15% |
| 6/5 | 95,00% |
Remember, the first two rows are the most important when identifying a specific game. When casino operators wish to alter the returns, they typically adjust the payouts for a royal flush and straight flush, while leaving the others unchanged.
Full-Pay Deuces Wild
| Payback Percentage of Full-Pay Deuces Wild | |
| PayscalePayback Percentage | |
|---|---|
| 25/15/9/5/3/2 | 100.76% |
| 25/15/11/4/4/3 | 99.96% |
| 25/16/10/4/4/3 | 99.74% |
| 25/15/9/4/4/3 | 98.91% |
| 20/12/10/4/4/3 | 97.58% |
| 20/12/9/4/4/3 | 97.06% |
| 25/16/13/4/3/2 | 96.77% |
| 20/10/8/4/4/3 | 95.96% |
| 25/15/10/4/3/2 | 94.82% |
Comparing the payback percentages listed above with those of slot machines shows that even the weakest Deuces Wild option is superior to most slots.
A closer look at the 25/16/10/4/4/3 Deuces Wild variant reveals an RTP higher than that of the full-pay Jacks or Better. While this makes Deuces Wild an attractive choice, players must remember that it requires a different, more specialized strategy than Jacks or Better.