The Wide World of Video Poker | Cafe Casino

For people who love poker but like to leave their decks of cards in the drawer, video poker, in all of its many variations, is a perfect game. Plus, you get to play against the odds instead of taking on human opponents. That is, the game pays off based on the odds of making specific hands as opposed to beating someone else’s holdings.

Video poker is a streamlined, always evolving game that is easy to embrace.

ENJOYING THE TWISTS AND TURNS

For those who log onto Cafe Casino, there are so many twists and turns to the different versions of the game that playing video poker always stays interesting.

How interesting can video poker be? Check out Aces & Faces Multi-Hand, a version of the game in which you get dealt a five-card hand and then run it five times. Thanks to the beauty of digital technology, each hand operates out of a 52-card deck, with the same remaining 47 cards completing hands.

That gives you five chances to land a blockbuster that can pay off big time.

How big does it get? Bet $5, hit one royal flush (at an 800x payoff), and you take down $4,000. Obviously, that won’t happen every day. But, when it does, man, you will have a great day.

HOW VIDEO POKER GREW TO BE HUGE

While video poker, online and in brick-and-mortar casinos, is completely ubiquitous, it did not start out that way. In fact, before the 1970s, video poker did not exist anywhere. The ‘70s were when the games first appeared and caught on slowly before blowing up in the 1980s. During that decade, the technology began to match the players’ desires for seamless and exciting experiences with the game.

Cool video-poker variations hit the casino floors, and people began lining up to try their luck. They quickly realized that the game provides a quick and easy way to enjoy the thrills of poker without having to commit to a live game that usually requires hours-long time investment and six or so other people to compete against. The video version proved to be a great way to scratch the poker itch.

Noticing that people managed to notch big wins on the gaming machines doesn’t hurt either.

Admittedly, video poker does not provide the kinds of single play jackpot hits that come with slot machines – like the time that that a software engineer from Los Angeles made the Guinness Book of World Records by snagging a $39 million payout after putting $100 into a Las Vegas Megabucks progressive slot machine – but video poker is the kind of game in which players lock in, play for a while and walk away with hefty returns.

WINNING BIG WHILE HAVING FUN

For example, there was the coin-in marathon man at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. He managed to take down $1 million over 31 hours of play. At the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, a lucky player hit a royal flush with a max bet in the video poker machine and went home $100,000 richer. But you don’t have to be a high roller to leave the casino happy. At Red Rock, in Las Vegas, a fortunate video-poker fanatic received $44,725 on a single hand with just $1.25 in play.

In the case of the YouTube star Vegas Matt, Lady Luck smiled on him with a video poker win that launched his career as a gambling world influencer. Vegas Matt currently has 1.3 million YouTube subscribers who love to watch his gambling exploits. The one that got him going was a royal flush with a $50 bet and a $78,000 win. The money was sweet, and his new career proved to be icing on the cake.

PLAYING THE GAME STRATEGICALLY

While video poker players love to get lucky, sometimes a big win is helped by more than just hoping that the cards fall correctly. One good thing about video poker is that players who take the game seriously make some of their own luck by playing optimally.

Here are a few strategy tips that have the potential to make the game more rewarding, in terms of play and in terms of payout:

Keep an eye on the pay table; it will help you stay focused on what each possible hand will deliver in terms of a financial reward.

If you start with any pair, even a low one (and it’s a game in which any pair pays), hold onto those two cards rather than keeping, say, an off-suit Ace, King, and going for something bigger. 

Sometimes it pays to be conservative. But, other times, the smart money goes for the gold. If you’re one card off from a royal flush, which will deliver a mega score, it makes sense to break up a straight or flush in order to have a shot at getting there.

TAKING ON THE ADVENTURE

When it comes to having fun with video poker, it’s good to be adventurous and to take on the more exotic versions of the game. Beyond the above-referenced Aces & Faces Multi-Hand, there are lots of other innovative variations.

In fact, those who log onto Cafe Casino quickly learn that they are not playing their father’s video poker. Here are some of the options that amp up the fun for adventurous gamers:

Players who are not satisfied with making four of a kind turn to Bonus Deuces Wild, where 2s can be used as wild cards, thus making five of a kind possible. And if that’s not enough, the game is designed so that multiple hands can be played. Just keep in mind that, with wild cards in action, three of a kind or better is required for a payout.

Those who feel nostalgic for playing poker the old-fashioned way will do well to ante up for Jacks or Better – a favorite home-game poker format from back in the day.  The rules are simple – and reflected in the pay table – the minimum hand for a win is a pair of Jacks. It’s the kind of game where players must decide whether to keep low pairs or toss them. Holding the cards will result in fewer wins, but those that do come together will likely result in larger payouts. And if playing just one hand is not enough, you can always step up to Jacks or Better 3 Hands or 10 Hands.

If you are feeling dramatic, there is always Joker Poker. It’s standard five-card draw with a twist: One joker is in the deck. That makes the game extra fun and pleasingly unpredictable. Get the coveted Joker in your hand, and it can be used as any card you need to make a winning hand. Then there is the most winning hand of all: A royal flush, known as a natural, which gets completed without the assistance of a joker. Yes, in this game, there is a surprise at every turn – and at every turn of the card.

If you’re in the mood for playing cards, but also wanting to play on your own terms, choosing video poker is an aces decision. The games allow you to get creative with strategizing and with the formats you take on. Shuffle up and deal the modern way!

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