Online Video Poker Canada
Slots and video poker fans will find that online Video Poker Canada offers the best of both worlds on a single game. It looks like a slot machine but plays like a Poker game. Based on the Texas Hold’em rules, this gaming machine offers poker fun in a faster and more exciting way. Although it’s a game of skill, it’s less challenging than regular Poker, making it a perfect choice for newbie players at the casino.
Players won’t have to look too hard to enjoy this gambling game. You can play Video Poker for real money in Canada at many online casinos. Our top recommended sites will feature multiple versions so players are spoiled for choice.
Intro to Video Poker
Video Poker is a relatively modern casino game. Compared to table games that have been around for centuries, it only made its entry sometime in the 70s.
Gameplay follows the standard Poker rules. You are dealt five cards with the option to hold or replace whichever cards you choose. The goal is to form a hand value that awards a payout. There are eight different hand options: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, and Two Pair. Royal Flush offers the best payouts, with Two Pair bringing the least returns.
It’s simple to learn the Video Poker basics, and it’s just as easy to put it into practice. Since online Video Poker Canada is software-based, there are prompts to guide you through the gameplay.
Variants of Online Video Poker Canada
More than a dozen variants of the game are available at Canadian online casinos. Here are some of the major ones:
Jacks or Better – This was the first Video Poker machine and was called Draw Poker at the time. Jacks or Better rules are the basic rules used throughout other variations of the game. It uses one standard 52 card deck, and the lowest paying hand here is a pair of Jacks.
Aces and Eights – Here, players get higher payouts for Four of a Kind Aces or Four of a Kind Eights. At the maximum coin bet, these combinations payout 400 coins, as opposed to 125 coins on the standard Jacks or Better variant. You also get the option to gamble your winning and double up on profits.
Double Bonus Poker – The unique feature of this game is that players get a bonus payout for Four of a Kind Aces. Also, the paytable range is much wider than Jacks or Better. Low-paying hands pay less, and high-paying hands pay more.
Deuces Wild – Deuces Wild is a version of Video Poker that features Wild cards. All 2-value cards in the playing deck act as Wilds, and they help you complete winning hands by substituting for other cards. The lowest paying combination for Deuces Wild is the Three of a Kind.
Video Poker vs. Poker vs. Slots
Although these games share a similarity to Poker and slots, they are distinct in their own way. For starters, with online Video Poker Canada, you’re playing against the casino rather than against other players. Also, Poker has no house edge, whereas Video Poker does.
In comparison to slots, online Video Poker Canada isn’t as flashy, but it requires a certain level of skill. This means you can impact the outcome of your gameplay depending on the choices you make.
Here’s a quick overview of the differences:
| Video Poker | Poker |
|---|---|
| You’re playing against the casino | Your opponents are fellow players |
| Features a house edge | Has no house edge |
| Only available as software | Can be software-based or live with real dealers |
| Only basic poker knowledge is required | Requires extensive knowledge of strict poker rules |
| Video Poker | Slots |
|---|---|
| Requires skill and allows the use of strategy | Purely luck based with little or need for strategy |
| High payout percentages | Average payout percentages |
| Uses playing cards | Uses a variety of themed symbols |
Winning Chances
It is uncommon knowledge that Video Poker offers a greater opportunity to win as opposed to losing. The house edge with this casino game is just as low as that of Blackjack. Deuces Wild comes in at about 1.06%, Bonus Poker 0.83% and the best-paying Jacks or Better machines are as low as 0.46%.
Full pay machines that pay 9:1 for a Full House and 6:1 for Flush are the most lucrative. And when you factor in incentives like cashbacks, and comps, and advanced Video Poker strategies, it thins out the house edge even more. So you can get Video Poker payouts at nearly true odds.
If you haven’t tried this game yet, you can try it at our top recommended real money sites today. You can also enjoy Video Poker for fun in free play mode and try out some of that gameplay boosting strategy at no risk.