Why Video Poker is Better than Slots!

Video poker is one of the most popular online gambling games available today. The game combines the skill of five-card poker with the luck of random slot machine gaming. The two games are similar, but video poker is actually much better than slots for the player.

Here is a look at five basic reasons you should think about choosing video poker the next time you log into your online casino account. Don't have one? You can find a great place to play in our list of recommended online video poker casinos.

Video Poker Has a Higher Payback Than Slots

The amount of every dollar that is returned to players from a casino game is called payback. For example, a slot machine or video poker machine that has a payback of 95% means that for every $1 that is wagered the casino will average a profit of $0.05. You can expect to get $0.95 back for every dollar that you spend. Personally, I stick with Video Poker, Craps and Blackjack when i am playing at the online casinos.

The important thing to remember here is that payback is an average. It does not mean that you will lose exactly $0.05 of every dollar during every session. The payback refers to what will happen over time if the game were carried out to infinity. There may be stretches...long stretches...where the payback rises above or falls below the average.

What you need to understand is that a higher payback is better for you. The other thing to understand is that video poker machines typically have a higher payback than slots. At an online casino many slots average a 94% payback. The video poker machines at the same online casino can average a 98% payback. That's a big difference.

Strategy Can Help You at Video Poker

When you play slots there is no strategy involved. The complete results of every game are random. You may be able to use some type of money management strategy, but when it comes to the way the game is played you can forget it. Slots are a game pure chance.

In video poker the player is allowed to draw cards in order to improve their hand. This means that actual poker strategy enters the game. If strategy is possible, there is an opportunity for the player to use it for gain.

If you have played poker and are familiar with the order of hands and how to make them, you will have an edge at video poker. That edge could mean the difference between losing and winning.

Players Can Make Choices at Online Video Poker

Strategy at video poker is made possible by the fact that players are allowed to make choices. Video poker allows the player to discard some or all of the starting cards and replace them with new ones. Knowing which cards to throw away and which cards to keep can have a major impact on the outcome of the game.

As a video poker player you will try to harness the power of your choices by knowing which ones are likely to lead to a profit. You will come to learn the odds that rest behind the choices that you make. Good decision making at video poker is an art unto itself.

Video Poker is Less Expensive to Play

Some video poker players also like that video poker can be less expensive to play than some online slot machines.

You may have noticed that slot machines online are often presented as costing just pennies per spin. That's true, but each spin involves multiple lines. Each line requires its own bet. On many machines the best way to hit a bonus round is to play all the lines.

The same can be said for progressive jackpot games. In most cases you will have to be playing the maximum bet in order to win the progressive jackpot. The maximum bet can easily be $4 or more.

In video poker you also need to be playing the max bet if you want to have the largest payout from hitting the royal flush. However, you can still be rewarded for a royal flush even when you are playing the minimum amount. You can play video poker for $0.25 or $0.50 per spin and still have a decent chance to win a sizable amount.

Transparency and Fairness in Video Poker

Because everything about slot machines is random, some players don't trust the game. They tend to think that they are being cheated because they have no control over the way the symbols appear on the screen.

Video poker is also a game that uses a random number generator. The RNG is what determines which cards are dealt. The difference is that a video poker game uses one 52-card deck. No matter what the RNG does, it must act within certain parameters.

As an example, there is no way to be dealt five aces in a game of video poker unless one of them is a joker or other wild card. When you have to make draws to try and improve your hand, the fairness and transparency of video poker come into play. Many players also feel that video poker is inherently fairer than a slot machine.

You can try your skill today at one of our recommended video poker online casinos. A nice welcome bonus and other advantages are waiting for you when you sign up. Also, while at the casino looking at the video poker games, definetly give Pick em poker or Jacks or Better video poker a go!