Top video poker games and how to play

Poker is maybe the best among card games. No surprise that it’s topping every casino player’s favorite game list. The problem most players face visiting a top international casino such as Betandyou, is which poker game to choose? It’s definitely a difficult choice, since Betandyou for example offers almost 100 different video poker games. So, which poker games are the most popular and which are the top video poker games?

Video poker games have the best odds

If you wonder why poker games are so popular, the answer is simple. The first thing has to do with the interactivity of card games in comparison with slot games. In slot games, you can enjoy modern graphics, 3D visuals and amazing sound, but your interaction stops when you press the button to spin the wheels. In most card games players make decisions, creating new different paths in the same game. In video poker games, your decisions matter. For example you decide which cards to keep and which to throw away and replace.

The second reason for the growing video poker popularity has to do with the winning odds. Most slots have a Return To Player (RTP) percentage usually between 94%-98%, while card games are close to 99.5%. This means that in the long term the casino will eventually get 50 cents for every 100 euros/dollars you gamble. For some video poker games this house edge is even smaller, which makes those games even more favorable among players. 

Top paying video poker games

Jacks or better

Every game with a 9/6 pay table - meaning that for one coin you will get paid 9 coins for a full house and 6 coins for a flush - is considered to be among the games with the best odds in a casino. And Jacks or Better is one of those. It is actually the game on which most video pokers are built on. 

It’s a simple game. You get 5 cards, and you can choose which to keep and which to replace. And then you get paid based on the table which is usually visible for every player. The lowest winning hand is a pair of Jacks, which means that a pair of tens, or nines, or eights etc, won’t pay you anything. On the other hand the best paying hand is the royal flush which pays x800.

Players love this game because it’s easy to learn and since you can always see the pay table it’s easy to memorize the winning chart and adjust your strategy.

Bonus poker and Double bonus

An interest variation of Jacks or Better is the Bonus poker. The rules are the same, the biggest part of the pay table is the same, everything is the same besides one thing: The pay out for a 4 of a kind hand. In Jacks or Better you will get 25 coins for 1 coin of your bet. In Bonus Poker the payout for this hand depends on the rank of your cards. 

• 4 aces pay 80 to 1
• 4 deuces, 3s, or 4s pay 40 to 1
• All other 4 of a kinds pay off at 25 to 1.

Another variation is the Double Bonus poker, which as its name indicates offers the double payouts for hands holding 4 of a kind. So players will get 160 to 1 for 4 aces, 80 to 1 for 4 deuces, 3s, or 4s, and 50 to 1 instead of 25 to 1 for all other 4 of a kind hands. 

And if you wonder how can casinos afford to pay double, the answer is simple: In Double Bonus poker the payout for two pairs is cut to half. So instead of getting paid 2 to 1 for two pairs, you will get evens.

Deuces wild

This is a variation of Jacks or better and maybe this is also why Deuces wild is also so popular among casino players. The rules of the game are exactly the same to Jacks or better, with the only difference that here the 2s act like wild cards, or jokers. Having another 4 cards in the deck that can be anything you want them to be, means your winning chances are increased. This is why casinos won’t pay the same as Jacks or Better and instead their paytable starts from 3 of a kind, while the highest paying hand is still the royal flush. But not every royal flush: in Deuces wild players can get a natural royal flush which is the highest paying one, and a Wild royal flush (using a 2 card) which pays less. 

Since one pair, or even two pairs won’t pay you anything in this game, the strategy one has to follow is different than in Jacks or Better. In this game you keep the 2s and you won’t keep both pairs in case you get them. 

Loose Deuces Wild

Deuces wild can come as well in different variations, such as Loose Deuces Wild. In this case players get paid better when for a 4 of a kind hand of 2s. So, instead of getting paid 200 to 1, players will get 500 to 1 for this special 4 of a kind hand.