Video poker

Video poker works the same way as regular poker, except that you play on a machine.

How Video poker work.
To play a round of video poker, put in your money, press the "DEAL" button, and five virtual-reality cards pop up (out of a 52-card virtual deck that the machines use for each deal). Select the cards you want to keep with the "HOLD" buttons located under each card, and press "DEAL" again to get replacement cards for the ones you didn't hold. You have only one chance to draw for a winning poker hand. The machine doesn't have a hand of its own, so you aren't competing against it. You're just trying to get a hand that's high enough to win something.

This is a bit more challenging and more active than slots because you have some control (or at least illusion of control) over your fate, and it's easier than playing actual poker with a table full of folks who probably take it very seriously. Even better, there are some video poker machines - admittedly, they're very hard to find - that actually offer favorable odds if you play perfectly.

A winning hand.
Many video poker machines have a minimum of jacks or better to win. This means that out of five cards, you must have at least two jacks of any suit (the ace is always the highest card value, and the two is the lowest) to win. Two matching cards that are higher than jacks is also a winner.

From best possible hand to worst, these are the rankings:

Royal flush: This is the ultimate poker hand and the highest possible straight flush. If you wind up with the 10-J-Q-K-A of all spades, clubs, diamonds, or hearts, you win big time.

Straight flush: Five cards in sequential order, all in the same suit, such as the 5-6-7-8-9 of spades.

Four of a kind: Not hard to figure out, but also not easy to get. Four of the five cards have the same face value (4-4-4-4-9, for example).

Full house: A combination of one pair and three of a kind (two aces and three 7s, for example).

Flush: Five cards of the same suit, regardless of value (for example, five diamonds).

Straight: All five of your cards are in sequential order. It doesn't matter what suit they are; they don't have to match. The lowest possible straight is 2-3-4-5-6, and the highest is 10-J-Q-K-A.

Three of a kind: Three cards out of your five have matching values (for example, three kings).

Two pair: Two pairs have matching card values - for example, two 5s and two 8s.

One pair: Out of your five cards, you have two that have the same face value. Most video poker games require a pair of jacks as the minimum before they pay.

Tips and tricks.
Here are a couple of other handy tips to remember when you play video poker:

• Keep the rules in mind: A pair of 3s, for example, isn't going to win you anything on a jacks-or-better machine. Drawing three cards to try to get another 3 (for a winning three-of-a-kind) means that you only have two chances to get it right (there are only two more 3s in the deck). If you have an ace and jack with those two 3s, however, you can keep the high cards and draw for a possible jacks-or-better pair. By doing so, you increase your odds of winning (you now have six chances of getting a winning hand — three more aces and three more jacks).
• Don't risk a sure thing: Unless you're bent on hitting all or nothing, consider keeping a winning hand, regardless of the potential of hitting the mother lode. Say you are dealt the A-K-10 of spades, and the jacks of hearts and diamonds. You may be tempted to go for the royal flush by keeping the A-K-10, but the odds of you getting it are around 1 in 40,000. Keep your sure-thing pair of jacks, and try to build on that. 

Where to play.

Here is the list of some online casinos where you can play Video Poker:

Online casino	Software	Currencies	No Download	Languages	Notes
Casino Tropez	Playtech	AUD, CAD, CHF, Euro, GBP, USD, ZAR	Yes
Lucky Red Casino	RTG	USD	Yes
Ruby Fortune	Microgaming	CAD, Euro, GBP, USD	Yes
Tower Casino	Ongame	USD	Yes