The video poker machines in video poker games are as important as the cornerstones of poker games stated above. A video poker machine consists of the paytable that is specific to that machine.
So, if you play at that video poker machine, you will get rewards according to that particular paytable only. In that way, video poker machines decide your winnings.
Besides winnings, a video poker machine on sites like Betway also determines your bet amount. Video poker machines are differentiated based on their denominations. A video poker machine denomination states how many credits you will get for betting $100. In a $1 machine, you will receive 100 credits for betting $100. In a $20 video poker machine, you will receive five credits for betting $100.
There are many different denominations in video poker machines. Apart from the dollar machines, you also have quarter video poker machines. In these video poker machines, each credit costs 25 cents. You will get four credits per dollar and 400 credits per $100 bet. But these machines have become quite rare.
How to play video poker at a video poker machine?
It is very easy to operate video poker machines. Assuming that you are playing at a land-based casino, you first buy credits at the casino counter. Then you choose a machine and sit at it. Place bets by inserting credits. You hit the deal after you have placed your bet. The machine gives you your initial 5-card hand.
You can now perform your actions. You can discard any card you deem unfit. Just select those cards you want to change and leave the cards you want to keep. Hit “Draw,” and the machine will substitute them from a “virtual” deck. Remember that a machine will allow you to substitute only one time per game. Your final hand is then compared to the paytable, and you get paid accordingly.
The basics of playing online poker are similar to playing physical poker. There are slight differences because of the change in platforms. In some online video poker games, you do not have to buy credits and bet directly with real money. Other online video poker games will allow you to play only with “virtual” credits.
The play procedure if video poker online varies from casino to casino. Like a land-based casino, an online casino has complete jurisdiction over how online poker will be played on their casino.
Video poker paytable
Video poker paytables show how much you will win if you place a bet of x credits and get a y hand. The classic video poker paytable is the Jacks or Better paytable. You can place one to five credits in this table and receive coins based on your bets and the hands you get across games.
The coins you will receive for betting one credit on the hands in Jacks or Better paytable is as follows:
Royal Flush-250, Straight Flush- 50, Four of a Kind- 25, Full House- 9, Flush- 6, Straight- 4, 3 of a Kind- 3, 2 Pairs- 2, and Jacks or Better- 1.
The coins you will receive for betting two to five credits can be found out by simple multiplication. For example,
- You will receive 250 x 2 = 500 coins if you bet 2 credits and get a Royal Flush.
- You will receive 9 x 3 = 27 coins if you bet 2 credits and get a Full House.
- You will receive 1 x 5 = 5 coins if you bet 5 credits and get a Jacks or Better.
But you notice one anomaly in the Royal Flush pay. A 5-credit bet should give you 250 x 5= 1250 coins on a Royal Flush, but the table states that you will receive 4000 coins instead. Well, this is no anomaly. It is how the paytable works. The extra coins that you are getting on Royal Flush can be called the video poker jackpot. The machine gives you a higher reward for placing the maximum bet and getting the Royal Flush.
The coins refer to a video poker paytable; it pays for a one-credit bet on the Full House and Flush hands. For example, in the above table, a one-credit bet on Full House and Flush hands will give you 9 and 6 coins, respectively. Hence, that table is referred to by a prefix 9/6. Similarly, a 7/5 table indicates that a one-credit bet on Full House and Flush hands will give seven and five coins, respectively.
Video poker pay tables vary across games and from one casino to another. Video poker online pay tables also follow the same rules and regulations.