Popular video poker variations found at online casinos

Online casinos in the 1990s that the game took off in popularity slots which rely entirely on luck, video poker involves skill and strategy that improve your odds and payouts if played correctly. It has made it the most popular casino game found at online casinos today.

Jacks or better

Jacks or better is the most basic version of video poker best online casinos that payout you’ll find. As the name implies, the minimum hand you need to qualify for a payout is a pair of jacks. The jackpots in Jacks or Better aren’t huge, but the game does offer a very high return-to-player (RTP) percentage of over 99% with optimal play.  The basic strategy for Jacks or Better is fairly straightforward: Always hold onto high card pairs and try to draw for flushes, straights, or the royal flush. You should break up lower pairs if you have the chance to draw to a straight or flush. Played correctly, the house edge is very low on Jacks or Better.

Deuces wild

Deuces Wild is a fun variation that adds all four deuces to the deck as wild cards. It vastly increases your chances of getting high-paying hands. Four-of-a-kind is much easier to make with deuces wild, often paying out substantial jackpots.  Because of the extra wild cards, the optimal strategy for Deuces Wild is much more complex than Jacks or Better. It involves learning different strategies based on what cards are dealt. But the complexity comes with an advantage – Deuces Wild offers an RTP of over 100% with perfect play. It makes it one of the best video poker games for earning a long-term profit.

Double bonus

As the name implies, Double Bonus video poker offers twice the payout for four-of-a-kind hands than Jacks or Better. Landing four aces with a kicker pays an amazing 800 to 1 payout. This jackpot potential comes at a price, however, as the minimum paying hand is a pair of jacks or better. The key to doing well at Double Bonus is to hold onto three-of-a-kind and four-of-a-kind at all costs. Be more wary of breaking up low pairs to draw to straights and flushes unless you have four cards already. While the big jackpot hands are alluring, play too loosely and the lower payout requirements will eat away at your bankroll.

Double double bonus

Double Double Bonus takes the concept of Double Bonus one step further, doubling the payout for four-of-a-kind hands but also doubling payouts for five-of-a-kind hands. Making a royal flush pays an astronomical jackpot of over 4000 to 1. Four aces with a 2, 3, or 4 kicker will also pay over 1000 to 1. As you imagine, playing Double Double Bonus right is quite complicated. You need to learn specific strategies for every type of hand and commit them to memory. The big jackpots may look enticing, but you’ll have a hard time coming out ahead if you don’t have the optimal strategies memorized. Of all the video poker varieties, this is the most volatile and potentially bankroll-draining unless you know just what you’re doing.