Video Poker Online Australia
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Video poker combines the pace of a pokie with real decisions: you are dealt five cards, choose which to hold, draw replacements and are paid according to the strength of your final hand. Played well on a good pay table, it returns more than 99% of what you bet, which puts it alongside blackjack as one of the best value games in the casino.
Below is our top-rated video poker casino, followed by how the game works, how to read a pay table, the main variants, the strategy basics that make the difference and why playing maximum coins matters.
How Video Poker Works
Choose your coin value and the number of coins (one to five), press deal and five cards appear. Select the cards you want to keep, press draw and the rest are replaced from the same 52-card deck (53 in Joker Poker). Your final hand is paid according to the pay table displayed above the cards, from a pair of jacks or better up to a royal flush. There is no dealer and no opponent; you are simply paid for the hand you make. Rounds take seconds and every hand is independent.
Reading the Pay Table
The pay table decides the return of a video poker game, and it varies far more than the name on the machine suggests. Jacks or Better is described by its payouts for a full house and a flush per coin: a 9/6 game returns 99.54% with optimal play, while an 8/5 game returns 97.30% and a 6/5 game barely 95%. Always compare pay tables before you play, because two games that look identical can differ by several percent. Online casinos usually offer better pay tables than land-based venues, but not always the best ones.
Video Poker Variants
Jacks or Better is the foundation and the best place to learn. Bonus Poker and Double Bonus Poker pay extra for four of a kind at the cost of smaller two-pair payouts. Double Double Bonus pays huge amounts for four aces with a kicker and is popular but volatile. Deuces Wild makes all four twos wild, so the minimum paying hand is three of a kind, and full-pay versions can return over 100%. Joker Poker adds a wild joker, and Tens or Better lowers the minimum paying hand. Multi-hand games deal 3, 10, 25 or more hands from the same initial five cards, multiplying both the excitement and the stake.
Strategy Basics
Each variant has an optimal strategy chart ranking every possible hold, and using one is the whole difference between 99.5% and 97% returns. The essentials for Jacks or Better: keep any made paying hand except break a straight or flush for four to a royal; hold a high pair over four to a flush; hold a low pair over two high cards; never hold a kicker with a pair; and draw five if you have nothing higher than a ten and no useful draws. Practise in demo mode with a chart until the decisions become automatic; the game will wait as long as you like.
Why Maximum Coins Matter
Almost every video poker pay table pays 250 coins per coin for a royal flush with one to four coins but 800 per coin with five coins. That bonus is worth about 1.5% of return over time, so always play five coins. If five coins at your chosen denomination is too much, lower the coin value rather than the number of coins. The same logic applies to progressive video poker, where the jackpot is only available at maximum bet.
Video Poker, Bonuses and Mobile
Because the house edge is so low, video poker is usually weighted at 5% to 10% for bonus wagering or excluded altogether, so play it with real funds rather than bonus money. The hold-and-draw interface suits touchscreens perfectly and every variant plays well on mobile. If you enjoy poker decisions against the house in a live setting, see our live dealer hold'em guide; for the wider family of games, our online poker guide covers casino poker and hand rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best video poker game to play?
Full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better returns 99.54% with optimal strategy and has the simplest strategy to learn. Full-pay Deuces Wild returns over 100% but is rare online and needs a more complex strategy.
How do I know if a video poker pay table is good?
Check the payouts for a full house and a flush per coin. In Jacks or Better, 9 and 6 is full pay; 8/5 and 6/5 tables return two to four percent less. Compare tables before you play.
Should I always bet five coins in video poker?
Yes. The royal flush pays 800 coins per coin at five coins but only 250 with fewer, which is worth about 1.5% in return. Reduce the coin value if five coins is too much for your budget.
Is video poker a game of skill?
Partly. The cards are random, but which cards you hold determines your return, and the gap between optimal play and guesswork is several percent. Strategy charts for each variant are freely available and allowed.
Does video poker count towards casino bonus wagering?
Usually only at 5% to 10%, and some casinos exclude it entirely, because the house edge is so low. Check the bonus terms and play video poker with real funds where possible.