Video Poker at Sweepstakes Casinos
Video poker combines the strategy of poker with the simplicity of a slot machine. Players are dealt five cards and choose which to keep and which to discard. The final hand determines the payout based on standard poker hand rankings. With proper strategy, video poker offers some of the highest returns of any casino game.
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How to Play Video Poker
Video poker starts with placing your bet and pressing the deal button. You receive five cards face-up from a standard 52-card deck. Examine your hand and decide which cards to keep (hold) and which to discard. Click on the cards you want to keep, then press the draw button to replace the discarded cards with new ones from the deck.
Your final five-card hand is evaluated against the paytable. The minimum winning hand is typically a pair of Jacks or better (in Jacks or Better), though this varies by variant. Higher hands like Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush pay progressively more.
The key to video poker is learning the optimal hold strategy for each variant. For Jacks or Better, this means knowing which cards to keep in every situation. For example, always keep a paying pair or better, keep four cards to a flush or straight, and keep high cards (Jack through Ace) when you have no other paying combination. Playing with optimal strategy can reduce the house edge to under 0.5% in some variants, making video poker one of the best-value games at any casino.
Top Video Poker Games
| # | Game Title | Provider |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacks or Better | NetEnt |
| 2 | Deuces Wild | Pragmatic Play |
| 3 | Joker Poker | BGaming |
| 4 | Bonus Poker | NetEnt |
| 5 | Aces and Faces | NetEnt |
Frequently Asked Questions
Jacks or Better with a 9/6 paytable (paying 9 coins for a Full House and 6 for a Flush) offers a return of 99.54% with optimal play, making it one of the best-value games in any casino. Deuces Wild with a full-pay table can even exceed 100% return.
Not always. While a Royal Flush offers the highest payout, breaking up a paying hand to chase one is usually not optimal. For example, you should keep a guaranteed Full House rather than break it to chase a Royal Flush draw.
Strategy is crucial in video poker. The difference between optimal play and random decisions can be 3-5% in return. Using a strategy card or chart for your specific variant ensures you make the mathematically best decision for every hand.
The numbers refer to the payout for a Full House and Flush respectively on a 1-coin bet. A 9/6 Jacks or Better game pays 9 coins for a Full House and 6 for a Flush, which is the full-pay version with the best odds.