Video poker is a single-player experience, and you play against the pay table. You must hit a hand that beats a threshold to earn a payout. Here are some of the best video poker games at U.S. online casinos.
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Jacks or Better
Jacks or Better has straightforward rules and forms the foundation of other video poker variations. A major difference between playing online slots for real money at casinos like Parx Michigan and playing video poker is that you get five cards and must decide what cards to keep and what to throw away. The objective is to build a hand of at least 2 Jacks to win. The highest paying hand is a Royal Flush.
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Deuces Wild
In Deuces Wild, all the 2s in the deck act as wild cards. A wild card can substitute for any other card in the deck. This gives you more opportunities to make winning combinations. Achieving four deuces can result in high payouts.
Online casinos will offer very different pay tables for this game to a game like Jacks or Better. There aren’t only two hands with different payouts to track. Multiple payoffs on multiple hands make it harder to choose a pay table. Gameplay can be volatile, and strategies are challenging to master.
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Bonus Poker
Bonus Poker is similar to Jacks or Better but has higher payouts for four-of-a-kind hands. Players can earn better payouts based on the ranks of cards. If you get four aces, the hand pays off at 80 to 1, and 4 deuces, 3s, or 4s pay off at 40 to 1.
Players adjust their strategies to target these high-value hands. While compulsive gambling can harm mental health, there are benefits of gaming for mental health. It can bring stress relief, and coming up with challenging strategies like playing bonus poker can have cognitive benefits.
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Double Bonus Poker
Double Bonus Poker offers even larger payouts for four-of-a-kind hands. It’s an attractive option for players wanting to win big. Payouts for four aces are 160 to 1. Payouts for four deuces, 3s, or 4s pay off at 80 to 1. How can a casino afford to be so generous on these hands? The catch is that it offers reduced payouts for some of the most common hands. Double Bonus Poker is the game to play if you want a layer of complexity and uncertainty in poker.
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Joker Poker
Joker Poker adds a joker to the deck. The Joker acts as a wild card and substitutes for any other card in the deck. This increases the chances of hitting a winning combination. It also introduces new card rankings, such as a wild royal flush and five of a kind. The payouts in Joker Poker start with a pair of kings or better.
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All American Poker
All American Poker offers better payouts for straights, flushes, and straight flushes than Jacks or Better. The game offers high volatility and requires strategies that focus on these high-paying hands. It’s a thrilling game if you are prepared for high risks and rewards.
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Pick-em Poker
Pick-em Poker has different strategies from the other games in this list. You will play with a standard deck and start with two cards. When you get two more cards, you must choose to keep one of them. You have to keep both the two cards the machine deals to you. The game’s objective is to form a five-card hand that qualifies for a payout.