Video Poker Games

Updated: September 27, 2026

Video Poker games come in a variety of styles, with different pay tables and game features. In terms of house edge, Video Poker is one of the best games on the casino floor. The games are also easy to learn and play.

Success at Video Poker means finding the right machine for your playing style and learning the right strategy for that game.

How to Play Video Poker

While each game is a little different, they all operate in the same basic way:

1. Decide how many coins to wager. Most video poker games allow bets of between one and five units.
2. Press the -€œdeal-€ button to receive five cards. Some video poker games may use a different arrangement of cards, but five is pretty much the modern standard.
3. Select which cards you want to keep by pressing their corresponding button. This is where strategy comes in.
4. Press the -€œdraw-€ button to discard any cards you didn't keep and add replacement cards to your hand.
5. You win if your form a hand with a listed payout on the pay table. These vary from game to game. Higher-value hands (royal flush, straight flush, etc.) will earn you a bigger payout than lower-value hands (two pair, aces high, etc.)

The Five Do's of Video Poker

Always choose to bet the maximum amount on each hand. For most games, this is usually five coins per hand. This factor is important because you will only be eligible for a game's top payouts if you place the maximum bet. Tip: If a game's maximum bet is too high for your bankroll, consider switching to a less expensive machine. Consider this strategy wisely.

Always read the rules and paytable for each game you play. Remember, this casino challenge comes in numerous unique varieties. Since each has its own rules of play and payouts, it is easy to imagine making a simple mistake based on a misunderstanding of the guidelines. Read them carefully.

Always be selective about which title you choose to play. You really want to play video poker games that give you the best chance of winning. This includes researching the paytables and payback percentages of the video poker versions and sticking to those that give you the best odds. Take this advice seriously.

Always play with the core video poker strategy. Every game has its own ideal strategy. I have found that once you learn a few game strategies, it is easier to adapt the optimal play for a new title. Strategies make a difference. Since you are already exploring the best machines, why not use the best possible strategy?

Always sign up for the Players Club or VIP Club. If you do not sign up, you will miss out on various comps and other incentives that are available to you at no additional cost. Depending on your level of play, you can earn everything from free dinners to cash back offers and more. Playing the games with the least house edge according to basic strategy while earning comps gives you the best attack against the casino's edge. Take full advantage.

Video Poker Variations

Why do so many video poker variations exist?

The games are popular. Video Poker is an affordable game that combines the excitement and ease of play of slot machines with the skill element of poker.

Casinos will always have popular games. But because Video Poker tends to offer a small edge to the house, casinos need to offer a lot of it and entice people to play with a variety of rules and pay tables.

Casino players are naturally drawn to new titles. They are also susceptible to gimmicks such as those offered by new video poker titles.

Here is a list of the most popular variations of Video Poker currently available, either online or in land-based casinos. Following the list, I have prepared a brief summary of the most popular games.

Ace Deuce Bonus Poker	Ace Invaders	Ace on the Deal
Aces and Eights	Aces and Faces	Aces Bonus Poker
Acey Deucey poker	All Aces	All American
Anythings Wild	Atomic Fever	Big Split poker
Big Times Draw Poker	Big Win Poker	Blackjack Bonus Poker
Bonus Deuces Wild	Bonus Poker	Bonus Poker Deluxe
Bonus Poker Plus	Bonus Royals	Build a Wheel
Chase the Royal	Deuce on the Deal	Deuces and Joker Wild
Deuces Wild	Dice Fever	Double Aces and Faces
Double Bonus	Double Bonus Deuces Wild	Double Bonus Poker Plus
Double Deuces Wild	Double Double Aces and Faces	Double Double Bonus
Double Double Jackpot	Double Draw	Double Draw Aces
Double Jackpot	Double Joker	Double Pay
Dual Action Poker	Extra Draw Frenzy	Extreme X
Faces and Deuces	Five Aces Poker	Flush Fever
Full House Bonus Poker	Guaranteed Play	Hyper Bonus
Jackpot Poker	Jacks or Better	Joker Poker
Loose Deuces	Match Card	Multi Strike
Multi Strike Deluxe	No Risk Double Up	One Eyed Jack
Pick-em Poker	Power Quads	Quick Quads
Royal Aces Bonus Poker	Royal Court	Royal Draw
Second Chance Royal	Sequential Royal	Sevens and Jokers Wild
Sevens Wild	Spin Poker	Split Way Royal
Stack-em poker	Stud Choice poker	Super Aces Bonus Poker
Super Bonus Deuces Wild	Super Double Bonus	Super Double Double Bonus
Super Draw Poker	Super Times Pay	Super Triple Bonus
Super Video Holdem	Tens or Better	Three Card Draw Poker
Three Way Action	Triple Bonus	Triple Bonus Poker Plus
Triple Deuces Wild	Triple Double Bonus	Triple Triple Bonus
Triple Trouble	Ultimate Four of a Kind Bonus	Ultimate X
Ultra Bonus Poker	Video Holdem	Wheel Poker
Wheel Poker Deluxe	White Hot Aces	Winning Streak poker

Jacks or Better

Jacks or Better is one of the best known and most common variations. I cannot remember ever playing in a casino that did not offer Jacks or Better.

The game is available with different pay tables. The best table for the player is known as the 9/6 machine, which offers a payback percentage per hand of .995.

The reason this type of game is called a 9 / 6 machine is because it pays 9 credits for a full house and 6 credits for a flush. Other machines pay 8 for a full house and 5 for a flush, which reduces the player's winnings and increases the casino's advantage.

Deuces Wild

Deuces Wild is a common entry in the "wild" category. I would say wild card games in general (and Deuces Wild in particular) are one of the two most popular titles along with Jacks or Better.

Similar to that game, Deuces Wild is available in a variety of paytables, ranging from "full pay machines" all the way down to machines that pay less than .95 per hand.

A common variation of Deuces Wild found in casinos is Not So Ugly Ducks Deuces Wild. It has a great payout table compared to other versions. The payback per hand is .997, making it one of the best machines on any floor where you can find the game.

Bonus Poker

Bonus Poker is a slight variation of the popular Jacks or Better machine. The main difference is that Bonus Poker offers a higher than normal payout for four of a kind hands. The best pay table for Bonus Poker is an 8/5 table, which pays .992 per hand.

Pick-em Poker

Pick-em Poker is a lesser known variation of the game that has gained a lot of attention because it is so different from most titles.

Using a standard 52-card deck, the game starts by dealing you two cards.

Next, the game will offer you two different cards to choose from. After adding one, you will see another pair of cards, then another, and then a final pair, allowing you to increase your hand to five cards. Payouts are made according to the paytable on the machine.

Pick-em poker is known for offering a fantastic payback percentage. The best pay table offers a return of over .999 per hand, assuming you use the perfect strategy.

The ideal pay chart for Pick-em Poker (the one descried above) looks like this:

Hand	Payout
Royal Flush	1,200
Straight Flush	239.8
Four of a Kind	120
Full House	18
Flush	15
Straight	11
Three of a Kind	5
Two Pair	3
9s or Better	2

Tens or Better

Tens or Better is another Jacks or Better clone. It is popular because of a rule variation that pays winnings for a pair of Tens or Better instead of a pair of Jacks or Better.

There are two common paytables for the game - one pays 25 credits for a four of a kind hand and the other pays only 20 credits for the same hand. The expected return for the 25-credits table is .991, while the expected return per hand for the 20-credits table is .980.