Video poker, once mastered, is one of the easiest and most enjoyable games to play either online or at a land-based casino. Online video poker uses a 52-card deck and all variants of video poker games are based on the 5-card draw system of poker. In order to play free poker slots, you’ll need to follow a few quick and easy steps:

1. Choose Your Video Poker Game

   There are hundreds of online poker games out there. Whether you’re into classic online poker games with no frills, or more modern ones with bonus features, you’re sure to find something to suit your taste. A few important things to keep in mind when you’re playing online video poker for real money: always check the game’s RTP and the paytable.

2. Set Your Wager

   To start a free video poker game, players must choose how many credits they want to play on each spin. The typical range is anything from one to five credits, or ‘coins’. Prizes scale depending on how much you are playing for. You can increase or lower your wager by clicking/tapping the arrows next to the “Bet/Wager” button on the game screen.

3. Deal Your Cards

   After you’ve set your wager, click/tap the “Deal” button and the video poker machine will automatically deal you a hand.

4. Choose Which Cards You Want to Keep

   Once the video poker machine deals out your hand, it’s time to decide which cards you want to keep (“hold”) and which ones you want to discard. Click/tap on the cards you want to keep and then on the button marked “Deal/Draw”. This will make the game randomly replace your discarded cards.

5. Know Your Hand

   Whether you win or lose, as well as how much you can win, is determined by the value of the hand that’s drawn. In video poker games, this is based on two factors: the value of the hand in the poker hierarchy itself and the value of the hand on the paytable of the game you’re playing.

Video poker is an easy game to learn, but a difficult one to master. Moving from video poker beginner to an advanced player means knowing your video poker terminology. If you learn some of the most common terms before you play video poker, you’ll increase your chances of reacting to game cues in good time from the start.

Below, you’ll find our glossary section for both free slots video poker and real money games. Once you’ve mastered these words and phrases, you’ll be prepared for anything.

• Action: The act of using a video poker machine, as well as the total sum you bet on it during one full game session is referred to as action.

• Credits: This is the amount of money (for real money) or credit (for free play) you have in your account.

• Discard: After the video poker machine deals your initial hand, you can choose to hold or discard any or all of these cards.

• Draw:This is the command used to get cards in front of you. You’ll do it once at the start and again after you’ve held the cards you want to keep.

• Hold: Following the initial hand you are dealt, you will be offered the chance to keep one or more cards in that hand.

• Face Card: A face card is a card with a picture on it. Kings, Queens and Jacks are all known as face cards.

• Ace-High: When the player has no other card combinations except a single Ace.

• House Edge: Different games carry a different edge for the house. Video poker games have a small house edge, which means that the odds of winning are lower compared to some other games, like online slots.

• Inside Straight: When all you’re missing to complete your winning hand is a card in the middle of your run, that’s an inside straight.

• Max Bet: This is the highest amount that you can bet or wager on a video poker machine.

• Multi-hand: If you like to play more than one hand at once, the video poker games with a multi-hand option are for you.

• Pay Table: The pay table is a guide that outlines how much you can win for each hand.

• Pat Hand: So, you’ve drawn a hand and there’s no way you could pick a card from the pack which will improve it. You’re pat with what you’ve got and that’s that.

• Pay Back: Also known as the expected value of a game, pay back describes the return you can expect from a video poker game after it has dealt out millions of hands.

At VegasSlotsOnline, we help our players get better at video poker. Once you’ve played the game for free, you’ll have improved your video poker strategy and be able to take what you’ve learned into real money play. These expert tips should help you learn both game modes faster:

• Practice with Free Online Video Poker

  The old adage that practice makes perfect is true in all senses of the phrase. If you’re able to play free poker slots, you’ll not only be having fun, but learning too. You can take these teachings into real money video poker to do well.

• Use a Video Poker Cheatsheet

  Learning all the different video poker hands by heart can be daunting. Having a cheatsheet next to you when you play is a great way to get used to the game. A cheatsheet is exactly what it sounds like: an overview of video poker hands, giving you the information that you need to intelligently keep or discard the right cards. It’s like video poker on training wheels – and there’s no shame in it. Plenty of the best players today started out with a handy guide by their side.

• Know Which Cards to Keep

  This is the basis of your strategy when playing video poker online. Once you get dealt your initial cards, you need to figure out which ones you want to hold and which you would like to discard and replace with new cards from the deck. The resulting hand will be final – which is why pro players really study their options. If you get a winning combination of cards, you will receive your payout before moving on to your next hand.

• Master Specific Video Poker Games

  Video poker strategy is complex and intricate. Because of this, many players enjoy learning the perfect strategies for at least one machine. This helps them get the best odds possible while playing. As you play a particular video poker machine more and more, you’ll find yourself relying on ‘cheat sheets’ less and less. You’ll begin to notice that you have a better handle on the strategies on each different type of different video poker game.

• Choose Wisely Between Single Play and Multi-Hand Machines

  The gameplay on single play and multi-hand video poker is really the same. However, the variance is often higher on multi-hand games. This means that you’ll need a larger bankroll to play these games, even though you’re likely to win a considerable amount of money if you get a good initial hand. Whichever type you choose, gamble responsibly and don’t play beyond your means.

• Play Video Poker Games with the Best Paytables

  Depending on your bankroll you may want to search for a lower limit game, or perhaps you’re on the hunt for a machine with a more fruitful RTP percentage. Some of the most popular online video poker games for South Africans include Jack or Better, Deuces Wild, Bonus Poker, and Double Bonus. In any case, you should always check what payout percentage is linked to the paytables and choose the games that offer the highest video poker payouts.