Best Online Casino Video Poker Guide - Casino Sites to Play for Free or Real

How We Rate and Review Video Poker Casinos

Our proprietary rating system is what we use when putting together reviews and deciding on our recommendations for where to play. In 2024, there's enough competition that all of the best video poker online casino options have quite a bit to offer players. As such, you don't really have to settle for less than a top-notch experience, which is why we look for the following criteria before recommending any location.

• Licensing : Being licensed by a reputable entity means that you can trust in what the site brings to the table.
• Safety & Security : We like to see an emphasis placed on data security and keeping your info safe.
• Generous Bonus : Value-packed promos are a key element of maximizing your chances of winning.
• User Experience : As a whole, we want the player's experience to be the priority overall.
• Game Variety : Several styles and variations of video poker exist, and we like to see many of them.
• Mobile Compatibility : Playing on a mobile app is something that many players should not compromise on.
• Banking Options : Having a variety of high-end deposit and withdrawal methods is an absolute must.
• Fast Payouts : No unnecessary delays are tolerated when we're evaluating the cash out speeds.

How Popular is Video Poker?

While many players love to check out the newest slots and other games each week, a lot of them still come back to their favorites shortly after. This is the case for a lot of players at the top online video poker casino sites, and it's a key component in how this genre's popularity is expressed. It's hard for other types of titles to match the strategy and pacing used in these games, especially considering that it's visually a pretty straightforward interface that doesn't lend itself to big changes in aesthetics.

How this Game is Played

While free video poker casinos can give you a chance to learn the rules by using them for practice and actually playing (at no risk), it's also useful to have an idea of what you're getting into before you start. This makes it easier to understand the actual play procedure, which in turns makes it easier to learn how to win at a better rate. In what follows, we'll walk you through the basic gameplay structure that most classic videopoker machines follow.

1. You start by choosing the number of coins you want to wager and how much you want those coins to cost.
2. Once you begin the round, you're dealt five cards face up.
3. You get to choose between zero and five of those cards to discard, which will allow you to receive new cards from the deck.
4. After the discard round, the five cards you're left with are automatically evaluated to determine the best five-card poker hand that you can make.
5. Your hand is compared to the pay table to determine if you won a prize or not.

Popular Online Video Poker Games at Real Money Casinos

A lot of different online video poker casino games are available that have slightly different rule sets, pay tables and ways to win. In what follows, we'll give you a look at a list of the most popular options so that you can have a better understanding of what might be the most fun for you.

• 

  Double Double Bonus

  The top pay tables for Double Double Bonus online typically pay up to about 99.0%, but this is one of the titles where the maximum RTP can vary a bit more than others. The main idea behind this game is that you have several ways to get bonus payouts from hands based around four of a kind. Those payouts change based on the four of a kind itself as well as the fifth card, known as a kicker.

• 

  Aces & Eights

  Four of a kind in either eights or aces gets you a big 80x bonus payout in Aces & Eights. With a maximum RTP that's usually worth as much as 99.8% with correct play, you can also see a special win for four of a kind in sevens, though it's not as high as the one for aces or eights. As is typical for non-wild titles, this game pays for any set of cards that has at least a pair of jacks or a better poker hand.

• 

  Jacks or Better

  The most popular title in both paid and free online video poker casinos, both online and in gambling cities like Las Vegas, Jacks or Better is the basis for most of the other titles on this list. What it sports more than anything is consistency and a balanced pay table with a 99.54% RTP if you play with the pay table that has a 9 win for a full house and 6 for a flush, also known as 9/6 for short.

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  Bonus Deuces Wild

  Microgaming's pay table for Bonus Deuces Wild is the most popular online, and it pays at 99.1% with correct play. The idea here is that you get all four "deuces" as wild cards that can substitute for anything, but things are made even more interesting with special wins for four deuces with an ace as well as different pays for various five of a kind hands, which are only found in wild card titles.

• 

  Aces & Faces

  When you play Aces & Faces, look for the 8/5 pay table in particular, which pays a maximum of 99.3%. Four of a kind hands are broken up into groups with aces getting an 80x win, face cards (K, Q, J) earning 40x and all other hands nailing a solid 25x payout. This creates a top-heavy but balanced pay table that rewards stronger hands a bit better than most without sacrificing too much from the lower end of the pay schedule.

• 

  Bonus Poker

  Bonus Poker is another game where you should look for the 8/5 structure to get the best payout rate. With it, you can earn an RTP of about 99.2% when you play correctly. It's worth noting that this title is very similar to Aces & Faces with the main difference being which four of a kind hands get better prizes. Nonetheless, it's one of the most popular variations of Jacks or Better in the entire industry, and the strategies carry over between all three of these games in almost all situations.

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  Triple Play

  Triple Play is so interesting because it gives you the ability to play three hands at once of nine different styles of the game. Additionally, some variations produced by IGT have a special "Ultimate X" side bet that can pay multipliers to your wins based on its own separate pay table. This is great for players who want to add some extra action to their play while mixing things up.

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  Jokers Wild

  Also known as Joker Poker for short, you can find this title at most online video poker casino sites because it's such a popular format. However, while all of these titles have exactly one wild joker to make a 53-card deck, the pay tables can vary a bit. You will see Kings or Better, Aces or Better and Two Pair or Better versions, each of which have RTPs in the 98.5% to 99.5% range. Even though there is only one wild in the deck, five of a kind hands are still paid out.

Highest RTP Online Video Poker Games

Some players just want to go with the best-paying titles out there to start with, and we can understand why. To give you an idea of the top options to pick from, we have a simple reference list in what follows that shows the highest RTPs for the top online video poker casino games for players looking for higher payouts.

1. Deuces Wild - 100.76%
2. Joker Wild (Kings or Better) - 100.65%
3. Double Bonus - 100.17%
4. Loose Deuces Wild - 100.15%
5. Double Double Bonus - 100.07%
6. One Eyed Jacks - 99.98%
7. Deuces Wild 44 - 99.96%
8. Super Aces - 99.94%
9. Triple Deuces Wild - 99.92%
10. Double Joker Wild - 99.91%
11. 9/6 Jacks or Better - 99.54%
12. 8/5 Bonus Poker - 99.17%

Real Money Video Poker Bonuses at Top Online Casinos

When you gamble for real money in these games, you can claim different types of bonus offers and promotional deals that can essentially give you free bets for playing these titles. Both existing players and new players to a given online video poker casino site can take advantage of these offers. Generally speaking, we recommend that you get as much value from these types of promos as you can because it's basically getting paid to play games you were going to be playing anyway.

Video Poker No Deposit Bonuses

In some cases, you can claim no deposit bonuses that give you free game rounds with chances to land real money prizes. Not all of these allow video poker to be played, but some do. However, they are very strict to prevent bonus abuse so that they can keep offering these bonuses to players in the future. With that said, they are a solid option to start with for players who are interested in trying to build up a bankroll from nothing.

Sign-Up Bonuses

When you first sign up at a given location, whether it's a paid or free online video poker casino, most of them will have welcome packages of some type. This can include things like match bonuses that match your first deposits on a percentage basis. Others may have a particularly low minimum deposit offer. In any case, the different sites have a variety of ways to get players value, and you can pick and choose based on which you believe will fit your play style and preferences the best.

Existing Player Promotions

For players seeking to try free video poker games and who are already established at a given location, a different range of offers may be available. This can include things like cashback rewards, reload bonuses, free spin deals and other goodies. The idea is that they want to reward loyal players and give you plenty of reasons to stick around. You can also run into situations where you can get paid multi way for the same play with a variety of offers.

Loyalty & VIP Rewards

Most sites have some type of loyalty program. The idea is that you gain points based on your real money play, and you can then convert those points into prizes like bonuses or real world items. The Casino Rewards sites in particular all share one big rewards program, which is generally considered one of the best in the world, and they give all kinds of things out for your play along with offering other perks.

Top 10 Best Online Video Poker Casinos By Specialty

Here we have broken down our list of the ten top paid and free online video poker casinos based on specific categories that we believe players might be looking for. This type of breakdown makes it easier to target what you're looking for in a quick and easy way.

Top Online Video Poker Sites by Country

We can have different recommendations for where to play based on where you're located, and our ratings and reviews reflect that. Some sites are only available in specific regions, and others have special promotions based on location as well. In any event, we have broken down the top options for major markets to make it really easy to figure out what's available based on where you happen to be.

Canada

Players in Canada have a lot of great video poker games with lots of ways to get paid with value-packed offers while enjoying titles from several of the top software systems out there. It's worth noting that PayPal is not available for gambling transactions there, but they have a variety of great banking options including Interac, which connects directly to your bank account for quick and easy transfers.

UK

British fans of online video poker casino games really like mobile action, and that's great news since all of our top recommended locations have apps for both iOS and Android available. Additionally, you can typically play in whichever currency is most convenient for you, including both pounds and crypto options like Bitcoin.

New Zealand

Kiwis are big fans of what they find at our recommended online video poker casino sites. The term "pokies," frequently used in New Zealand to refer to slots, actually has its roots as a short-hand version of "video poker" with the idea that video slots used a similar type of screen and cabinet setup when they were first introduced to players. These cabinets in brick and mortar locations are just as popular as their online counterparts.

Europe

All of the best European casinos that we have rated and reviewed have a tremendous selection of games in this genre. With so many high-end options available thanks to a tremendous amount of competition in this part of the world, you'll really be able to pick and choose from which specific variations you want to play and how you want to be rewarded in the process.

International

One thing we observed in our breakdowns and reviews of the top international sites is that players all over the world love both paid and free online video poker casinos. We also saw that the most popular titles in the genre like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild didn't really see much variation based on specific location. Instead, these titles have held up as the primary options globally.

Free Video Poker vs Real Money Games

When you're playing these draw poker games online, you have to decide if you want to play for real or for play money. Both can be a great way to have a tremendous time, but there are pros and cons to each approach. In what follows, we want to give you an idea of what to look for to make it easier to pick out which may be the best for you, but keep in mind that many players enjoy both at different times.

• Pros and Cons of Free Video Poker

  • Since you're not wagering anything, you have nothing to worry about when trying new strategies and tips.
  • They can be a great way to practice while you master playing the game and perfecting your approach.
  • This is our primary recommendation to find out if a new style is right for you.
  • With no risk comes no reward since you can't land real money prizes (unless you're using a no deposit bonus).
  • Not all titles may be available for free play at all locations.

• Pros and Cons of Real Money Video Poker

  • You get to take advantage of a wider range of real money bonuses and promotions.
  • Many players enjoy the excitement that playing for actual money gives them.
  • This approach allows you to take advantage of rewards and VIP programs.
  • Risking real money means chances of taking losses.
  • A lot of people don't feel comfortable trying games that are new to them with something on the line.

Online Video Poker Strategies and Winning Tips

The in-depth strategies found in this genre are a big part of why so many people are drawn to it. What's more is that you can really take it however far you want, and you don't have to get incredibly deep into strategic practice and study to get a good payout rate. In what follows, we'll break down some of the things that players might want to know when improving at these games.

Odds, RTP, and Volatility

Different numbers can be used to describe your potential outcomes in online video poker casino games. One of these is RTP, which means "return to player" percentage, and it describes how much of your wagers that you get back in payouts on average. This shouldn't be confused with volatility, which is more about how serious the swings will be. A high volatility, for example, means more swings, and usually comes with games that have a top-heavy pay table. Finally we have odds, which measure your chances of hitting certain outcomes in specific situations.

Understanding the Paytable

The pay table gives a listing of the different hands that you can make and how much you'll be paid for them. It's important to understand that you can only be paid for a single hand on each round. However, you will always be paid the single best payout available. For example, if you had a straight flush, you'll be paid for that win instead of what you would have gotten for a regular flush even though you meet the requirements for that hand by having five cards that are of the same suit.

Know Which Cards to Hold

The majority of strategy in these titles at online video poker casino sites comes down to knowing which cards to hold and which to discard on the draw round. You can learn this in multiple ways, but you have a total of 32 different ways that you can play every single hand (including the option to stand pat/discard zero). Most of the time, you'll be able to narrow it down to two or three options, but picking the best from those few is what will maximize your RTP rate.

Final Draw

The final draw is the last discard round that you get in your hand. In most cases, it's the only draw, but some atypical variations allow you to draw more than once. After the draw, the hand is essentially over because there are no more decisions for you to make. From there, your hand is simply evaluated against the pay table to see if you've hit a winning hand.

Video Poker Basic Strategy Chart

Using a basic strategy chart is an easy way to increase your RTP in these games while you learn how to play in different situations. While they won't necessarily have you play perfectly in every single situation, it'll be pretty close with a handful of small exceptions. We recommend using these at free online video poker casinos as one of the key ways to learn the pillars of strategy in this genre as well because all you have to do is find the first situation from the top of the list that describes your hand and play it as prescribed.

Top 10 Winning Tips

Aside from chart-based strategies, we have other tips for players that can help to get the best payout rates and the best overall experience. While not all of these will necessarily apply to every single player, it's worth picking out which ones fit what you're looking for and adding them to your game as you see fit.

1. Know which variants you're looking for while realizing that not all of them may always be available on the no download platform at some locations.
2. Make sure to know which pay table you're playing with and to understand that some games have multiple pay tables with different RTP levels.
3. In most games, you need to play with the number of coins at a maximum of five to get the best proportionate payout for a royal flush.
4. Always try to take advantage of any promotions or bonuses that will give you more value for games that you already planned on playing.
5. Use solid bankroll management so that you play within your means and stick to your budget.

Online Video Poker Terms You Need to Know

Because of the strategic nature of the games, you'll find a lot of specific lingo used at online video poker casino sites to describe what's going on. Here we want to clear up some of the more technical language used to make it clear what's being referred to.

• Cycle : This is the average number of hands that you'll need to play in order to see a royal flush with correct play.
• Drawing Hand : Some hands primarily get their value through drawing to a better hand like a flush or straight.
• Face Card : This typically refers to any jack, queen or king.
• Full Pay : A full pay game has the best available pay table for that specific variation.
• House Edge : This is how much the house takes out of each wager, on average, that isn't paid out in wins.
• Inside Straight : An inside straight draw (also called a gutshot) only has one card that can make it with something like 4578, which can only be completed with a 6.
• Outside Straight : With an outside straight draw, two cards can complete the hand with something like 3456, which can be finished with a 2 or a 7.
• Pay Table : The pay table is the chart that shows which payouts are given for making different hands.
• Progressive Jackpot : A small amount of each wager is added to the jackpot until it's eventually won.
• RNG : The random number generator, or RNG for short, is the computer program that provides the randomness for shuffling the virtual deck of cards.
• Short Pay : Any pay table version that isn't full pay is referred to as a short pay machine.
• Volatility : This is a measure of how intense your average swings will be with a higher volatility meaning larger swings that come more often on average.
• Wild Card : Wild cards can substitute for any suit or rank to help make the best possible hand.

Online Video Poker vs Online Slots

The format of these two games is fairly similar, and in some very early titles, cards were used to create winning poker hands in slot-like interfaces. However, in modern times, there's a serious difference between the two, and here we want to help you understand those differences to make it easier to figure out what you might be the most interested in.

• Pros and Cons of Video Poker

  • The degree of strategy involved is difficult to find in other games.
  • You'll typically have a lower volatility than most other genres.
  • Players have several styles to choose from with marginally different pay tables.
  • You have to pay attention to strategy or take on a worse payout rate.
  • There isn't much difference between most titles from a graphical standpoint.

• Pros and Cons of Slots

  • The level of graphics can be absolutely tremendous in these games.
  • Several different themes and types of bonus features can be had.
  • The largest progressive jackpots in the world are found in this genre.
  • No real strategy is involved for most titles most of the time.
  • Not all players will enjoy the 3-D graphics that are common in these games.

Best Mobile Apps In 2024

Most free online video poker casinos have a mobile app where you can choose to play for real money when you're ready. This puts you in a great position to play in either iOS or Android from both smartphones and tablets. The free video poker no download games will adjust themselves in size and scale to make it easy to play no matter which size screen you use, and this includes "mini" type smartphones as well. This genre is perfect for the mobile format because of the simple layout.

Facts About This Game

Something really cool about this genre is that it has such a long and interesting history. Inside of that history, there are a variety of fun facts that we have picked out below that you may not know about.

Video Poker was Originally Known as Poker Slots

The original name for this genre was based on the fact that the very first slot actually had a poker motif. Many players consider this to be the beginning of both genres, which is an interesting piece of casino trivia that most people aren't aware of.

Video Poker is a Game of Skill

How good you are at the strategies involved will determine your payout rate in these games in the long run. The only other casino title that is known for that is blackjack, which isn't nearly as complicated in terms of strategic depth.

Boulder Highway in Las Vegas has the Best Video Poker

In terms of overall reviews, payout rates and everything else that goes into it, the Las Vegas brick and mortar location Boulder Highway is considered to be the best place in the world for this genre. It is a place that you have to visit in person, however, and there is no live dealer equivalent online.

Pick'em Poker is the Most Unusual Variant

The most unusual and most simple version of the game is called Pick Em Poker. You're given a set of two different cards, and then you have to choose between two additional cards to add to the first two. From there, you're then dealt two additional random cards from the deck to complete your five-card hand.

The First Video Poker Machine Was Invented by a Casino Owner

Called "Poker-Matic," this game was introduced in the early 1970s and became incredibly popular. This was the first title that could be properly called video poker, and it was the game that laid the groundwork for the entire genre. With that said, you needed at least two pair to win a prize.

FAQs

• Can I play online video poker for free?

  Yes, free play versions are available for most games.

• Which title offers the best odds of winning?

  Aces and Faces has a high RTP and a rule set that is friendly for new players.

• What's the best bonus to claim for online casino video poker?

  Match bonuses that allow table games tend to be the best options.

• Is this a game of skill or chance?

  This is largely a game of skill with some elements of chance.

• Can I play real money video poker online with a no deposit casino bonus?

  Some ties with no deposit offers allow play in this genre.

• How do I know the games aren't rigged?

  Our recommended brands are fully regulated with regular audits for fairness.

• Does this game contribute 100% towards wagering requirements?

  It depends on the bonus and each offer's specific terms.

• Why are there different strategy charts?

  Different game variations require different strategies.

• Are the RTP percentages better than online slots?

  With correct play, the RTP percentages can be higher than the vast majority of slots.

• Are these games available to play for real money on mobile apps?

  Yes, you can play for real money and on mobile devices.

Written by

Amanda Evans - Chief Editor

Amanda has been involved with all aspects of the content creation at Top10Casinos.com including research, planning, writing and editing. The dynamic environment has kept her engaged and continually learning which along with +15 years iGaming experience helped propel her into the Chief Editor role.

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