Best Online Video Poker Games
Lila Thorn | January 1, 2022 | Updated on: January 3rd, 2022
Finding excellent video poker games to play doesn’t need to be difficult these days. By using video poker sites and game reviews, players can improve their chances of winning.
In terms of the payouts, video poker games are more likely to payout than slots. That’s why we’ve listed everything you need to know about the game. Including the best games, online casino sites, and mobile video poker apps to try.
Compare Leading Online Video Poker Casinos
Video Poker for Money: How it Works
Essentially, video poker machines combine slots and traditional poker. However, they vary in terms of payouts because it’s based on actual five-card community poker and the odds it encompasses.
Every rule from five-card draw poker is implemented into the game, regardless of the number of hands being played. So, you can depend on fair odds and more regular payouts. Still, it takes a bit of skill to master these games.
While every video poker game works the same way, there can be additional rules. Depending on the version, there could be a change in the paytables to favor specific cards. For example, in Joker Poker, the joker card is added to the mix and will pay out more. All you will need to do is tailor your strategy to match the rules.
How to Play: Basic Video Poker Strategy
If you want to learn to play like a pro, you’ll need to follow some straightforward steps. These are a guideline only, so some variations are to be expected.
When learning how to play video poker, we suggest trying free video poker games to get to grips. This will save a player’s bankroll until they are ready. After all, real money video poker still carries a chance of losing.
So, follow these steps to get started:
- Choose a game from the casino lobby by filtering to table games.
- Decide on a wager that you’re comfortable with. We recommend starting with $2 a draw.
- Get your cards and ensure that they can make a hand.
- Choose which cards you want to keep as your hand before the next draw.
- Check the paytables for your possible hands and which community cards to use.
Top 10 Video Pokers
If you want to play video poker games, the options might become overwhelming. So, we’ve compared the top choices for poker players and ranked them. However, the ultimate choice is up to you and what you want to get out of it.
Here are our top picks for games and a short breakdown of how they work:
1. Joker Poker – Payout: 100.64%
First up, we have Joker Poker. This variant uses a different kind of deck for gameplay that uses 53 cards to include the joker as a wild card. Unfortunately, two pairs is only worth even money.
With the right video poker game and paytable, Joker Poker has a payout percentage of 100.64%. An exciting addition is a five-of-a-kind hand that pays out 200 to one.
2. Deuces Wild Poker – Payout: 100.76%
Second up is Deuces Wild, which is similar to Joker Poker but without the wild card 5-of-a-kind. One thing that sets Deuces Wild apart from other pokers is that all of the twos count as “wild” cards.
Also, a natural royal flush pays out 800 to one, while a full house pay seven to one. However, poker players will only see this hand every 40 000 hands or so. ?There are more variants that up the ante we suggest:
- Deuces Wild Bonus Poker
- Double Bonus Deuces Wild
3. Jacks or Better – Payout: 99.89%
Sitting third is Jacks or Better, which focuses on cards above ten. You can shuffle your hands and get rid of cards you don’t want, then make a hand of what’s left. Then draw from the community cards to make their final hand. A royal flush pays out between 250 to one and 800 to one depending on bet sizes.
4. Bonus Poker Deluxe – Payout: 99.17%
Bonus Poker is a variant without wild cards, making it unique. Also, this is the simplest to learn, especially when you play free video poker. Paytables are simple and there are a couple of exciting odds:
- Four aces pay at 80 to 1.
- Four deuces, threes, or fours pay 40 to 1.
- All other four-of-a-kind hands pay at 25 to 1.
Other versions of Bonus Poker:
- Double Bonus Poker
- Double Double Bonus Poker
- Super Double Bonus Poker
5. Aces and Eights – Payout: 99.78%
Getting used to Aces and Eights takes a while, but once you know how it works, you’ll get the house edge down to 0.22%. Of course, this will take some time, so settle in for a long haul.
6. All American – Payout: 99.60%
All American shares a lot of similarities with Double pokers and boasts a 0.04% house edge. When looking for the game, look for the pay table: 35-8-8-8-3-1-1 to get the version with the highest payout.
7. Double Bonus – Payout: 99.37%
Unfortunately, our ranking of Double Bonus is affected by the strategy shifts you gave to make and the RTP percentage. Always look for the 45-10-7-5-3-1-1 pay table because that matches our listed RTP.
8. Pick ‘Em Poker – Payout: 99.95%
While it’s a profitable game in the right hands, you’ll have to keep a careful eye on your hand and the rankings. Since you get eight cards, it’s a good idea to pay attention to everything that’s happening.
9. Loose Deuces – Payout: 100.97%
Keep an eye out for twos in this title, because they replace all other cards with the exception of a Flush. Find a good strategy to ensure that you don’t get sidetracked.
10. Double Double Bonus – Payout: 100.07%
What sets Double Double Bonus apart is the higher payouts for four Aces and a two. This winning combination pays out 400x your stake if you’re lucky enough to get full pay.
Video Poker Pay Tables
Paytables are an integral part of the game as they determine which hands win. In download or no-download video poker, these will appear if you click the information icon. For live dealer video poker at casino near you, this also holds true. As always, there are extra paytables to consider for each variant.
Here are the payout odds for the six most popular games:
Joker Poker
Jacks or Better
| Pay-back | |
| 6/5 | 95.00% |
| 7/5 | 96.15% |
| 8/5 | 97.30% |
| 8/6 | 98.39% |
| 9/5 | 98.45% |
| 9/6 | 99.54% |
Bonus Poker Deluxe
| Paytable | Pay-back |
| 6/5 | 95.36% |
| 7/5 | 96.25% |
| 8/5 | 97.40% |
| 8/6 | 98.49% |
| 9/6 | 99.64% |
Deuces Wild Poker
Play Video Poker Online
To start playing, we recommend starting with the free play version and betting five coins per round. Just like land-based video poker gaming machines, the online versions are controlled by algorithms and Random Number Generators (RNGs).
So, if you were wondering, “is video poker rigged?” then you don’t have to worry about games from reputable providers. Unless, of course, you’re unknowingly playing at a rogue casino. In that case, we recommend reporting the casino on a player forum or to the organisation licensing it.
Winning Video Poker Strategies
Here’s where the games get interesting: if you’re looking to minimize any losses, we can recommend trying a new strategy. However, we will advise that you keep in mind that a strategy will not guarantee a win. Anyone claiming otherwise is just trying to scam players into giving them money.
- Always play the max bet, but only for a short time.
- Find the best paytable by researching games.
- Slow down and carefully explain your decision to yourself.
- Join a player’s forum like Reddit for good advice.
- Play progressive jackpot machines once in a while.
- Keep an eye on the deposit bonuses, especially the playthrough requirements.
More about Casino Games
Slots Online 
Roulette Online 
Blackjack Online 
Poker Online 
Baccarat Online 
Sic Bo Online 
Lottery Online 
Keno Online 
Bingo Online 
Scratch Cards 
Craps Online 
Live Dealer Games Video Poker FAQs
Deuces Wild and Double Bonus Poker have the greatest odds for players as they have high payback percentages.
Yes, with the right skills, strategy, and some luck. Remember, all gambling games are games of chance, so there’s no way to guarantee a win every time.
Yes, if you’re playing at a reputable casino. Such casinos will have truly randomized games from the best software providers in the industry.
No, because video pokers are controlled by Random Number Generators (RNGs). These are computer programs that generate an outcome based on a lot of complex formulas. So, there’s no way to cheat the system.
Yes, because video poker games have much higher returns than slots in the long run if you’re careful.
This is the highest-ranking hand in video poker. This is valued according to the number of “royal” cards (ten, jack, queen, ace, and king of hearts) you get in a poker hand.
On average, players will get a royal flush once in every 40 000 hands. However, this is an average only, not a guarantee.
Regardless of the game, there are some basic odds that poker players can refer to. A royal flush has odds of 649 740 to one, a straight flush is 72 193 to one, and the lowest hand of any pair is 2.37 to one on average.
No, but they can change the payout amount for winning hands and change the buttons to force players to bet the maximum.
For the most part, yes. It has higher payouts and better odds. Still, they are still gambling games and subject to chance.
Yes, in the sense that you can win while playing it. Still, you won’t win 100% of the time, and there’s no way to force wins.