There are many software providers out there, and I can’t bring them all here so I selected 3 I like from the top Software casino providers Playtech, Microgaming & Bossmedia:

Playtech’s Aces & Faces 4 Hands Video Poker:

Microgaming’s Pursuit Poker Video Poker:

Bossmedia’s Jacks Or Better Video Poker:

Visit my source for Video Poker comparison here.

And if you like casino games, I also recommend to visit the Online Casino Reports Games section Here, and don’t forget to play safe !

• Check the Payouts
  Selecting machines that work to your playing strengths and offer good payouts are strategies that can pay off big time. Although casinos tend to offer standard payouts, many video poker machines have payout bonuses for certain hands.

  Another tip is to look at the payout table to establish the lowest winning hand. Generally this is a pair of jacks, a two pair or three of a kind. Your chances of winning lower paying hands are higher – you have a 42% likelihood of getting a pair. The payout improves (but your chances decrease) for obtaining specific pairs, as listed in the payout table.

• Play Maximum Bets
  The single most effective piece of advice for maximizing your success is to select a machine with a high maximum bet and then fully utilizing this – the highest payouts follow the highest stakes.

  In addition, it is not just how much you bet that matters, but taking advantage of the full betting options available that can tip the odds in your favor. Put another way; it is better to place a maximum bet on a lower stake machine than to place a lower stake at a machine offering higher betting options.

Understanding the betting

Every machine will give you the option of different coin denominations to select from, typically $0.25, $0.50, $1, or $5. The bets available tend to be 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the maximum bet.

If you want to stick to a $25 betting level;

- Pick a $5 machine and

- Select the Max Bet – giving you a stake of $25

- This way you’re in line for the best payoff odds for that game.

Each online video machine displays the payoff for each betting level. Pick the betting level you feel comfortable with and stick to these machines. Payoffs vary from game to game but at the same time each game will have its own advantages and disadvantages.

The key rule, for any type of gambling is; never gamble more than you can afford and never try to recoup your losses –quit whilst you are ahead.

What to Hold and What to Discard

There’s a lot of advice on playing strategies for individual video poker games. Use the search engines to dig out tips on these, to find out the expert views.

There are two pieces of general advice:

• Don’t split up a winning hand – don’t get tempted to play for a higher ranking hand. The odds are in favor of you ending up with nothing. Don’t be greedy!
• Base your playing decisions purely on your hand. Chase the most likely combination based on the cards you have as opposed to seeking a higher paying hand.

Online video poker is played with a pack of 52 playing cards. All are valued as numbered, with the ‘face’ cards rising in rank; i.e. Jack lowest to King highest. The ace is considered the highest value card. Some games include the jokers too.

The Aim of the Game

The aim of the game is to get one of the many combinations of winning five-card hands. Each winning hand has its own ranking (and payout) with the Royal Flush topping of them all.

Online casinos offer a range of online video poker, with favorites including, ‘Jacks or Better’, ‘Deuces Wild’, ‘All American’ and ‘Joker Poker’. You should note that each online video game will have the winning combinations and prize money clearly stated on the front of the video poker machine. Make sure you read these over before starting to play.

Below are the standard winning card combinations, listed by rank:

• ROYAL FLUSH – An Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten all in the same suit.
• FIVE OF A KIND – Four cards with the same number plus a joker.
• STRAIGHT FLUSH – Any five card suit in the same sequence.
• FOUR OF A KIND – Four cards with the same value.
• FULL HOUSE – Three of a kind combined with a pair.
• FLUSH – Any five cards of same suit but not in sequence.
• STRAIGHT – Five cards in sequence but not of same suit.
• THREE OF A KIND – Three cards with the same value.
• TWO PAIR – Two separate pairs.
• ONE PAIR – Two cards of the same value.
• HIGH CARD – Highest card in your hand.

The single most important thing in online video poker is to understand the different winning combinations and their ranking. If you are unfamiliar with what to aim for then you may discard valuable cards by mistake.

Many Video Poker games allow you to discard all five cards if you choose to do so, which is sometimes useful, if dealt a weak hand.

The Run of Play

The game has five simple steps:

1. The player places a bet.
2. The machine deals the player five cards.
3. The player decides which cards to keep and which to discard.
4. The player discards the unwanted cards and is dealt the appropriate number of replacements.
5. The player wins or loses and is paid out any prize according to the value of their hand.

Online video poker is fun to play and simple to learn. Familiarizing yourself with the run of play and understanding the winning hands is all you need to do before making a start. However, beware, the game is deceptively complex and takes practice and skill to master. Take your time to learn the ropes before splashing about too much cash.

Progressive Poker is any game where the jackpot steadily increases with the number of players. The more players taking part and the longer the prize remains unclaimed; the higher the total creeps.

It is standard for multiple online video poker machines to be grouped together to form one large centralized jackpot. This can be handled in different ways by casinos:

• Some casinos are very inclusive about their progressive online video poker, with their jackpot being contributed to by players using all of their progressive video poker games. This means that many players are eligible for the big prize. On the other hand, because the size of the jackpot is determined by the number of players…. it also means that the grand total can spiral sky high during popular playing times.
• Other casinos may just allocate certain video poker machines to be part of their progressive video poker game, so here your prize may be less but your chances might be higher.

Most machines have minimum betting requirements to qualify for the progressive jackpot and all stipulate the winning hand/s needed to win.

Whereas standard video poker offers a selection of prizes depending on the strength of your final hand; progressive video poker will only pay out on the rarest and strongest of hands, such as the Royal Flush.

As online video poker attracts a multitude of international gamers, all playing simultaneously, the prize money can reach staggering levels.

When chasing the big progressive jackpot remember these simple rules:

• Trawl through the different casinos to hunt down the biggest games on offer.
• Stick to your video poker strategy.
• Play the maximum amount of coins – failure to do so may result in you getting a standard payout and not the progressive jackpot.

The current jackpot is displayed in a meter on the screen. It has a monetary value which increases in real time, providing temptation to many. Once the jackpot is won by a lucky individual, the counter is reset to a minimum jackpot level and will again rise with the flow of play.

Progressive video poker has been a real success online. The high volume of players across the globe results in jackpots that are so big you need to double check you’ve read them right! The ever increasing jackpot meter lures in many, all chasing the dream of that allusive ‘big win’.

If you’re after a game which combines skills and luck and gets your heart pumping, then progressive video poker is definitely for you.

Video Poker became popular in the 1980s. Deriving from Draw Poker, these slots style machines were the forerunner for today’s online video poker.

Ancient Roots

The card game poker evolved from many ancient card games but most consider the 16th century Spanish game of ‘Primero’ to be the founding father of the poker we know and love today. Over the years the rules of the game have been refined and many variants of the game are on offer.

Poker Gets Mechanized

Transferring the game into a mechanized version is no new phenomenon. In the late 1890s Charles Fey, credited with the invention of the first slot machine, the ‘Liberty Bell’, created the ‘Card Bell’ – a poker machine that had the capacity to pay out cash prizes for the varying winning hands.

In 1901 Fey added a ‘draw’ facility to his slot machine, allowing players to ‘hold’ some of the drums. This gave them betting potential and resulted in them being commonplace in liquor and cigarette shops throughout the US at the turn of the twentieth century.

Although these machines provided the thrill of gambling to the masses, it was illegal to gamble throughout the US at this time and therefore, instead of paying out cash they dispensed prizes, such as cigarettes and drinks.

Video Poker is Born

The First Video Poker Machine was developed in 1975 by The Fortune Bell Company. At the time this machine was state-of-the-art and used a TV monitor and console to display cards and make player decisions.

Video Poker machines gained popularity throughout the 1980s and they became common place in pubs and games arcades, as well as casino halls.

Learning the rules does not take long but it can take a little time to familiarize yourself with the run of play and get to grips with some of the jargon.

Learn the Ropes Online

Free online video poker is an excellent way to gain confidence and skills. You can practice at a time and pace to suit you and without losing any cash.

Once you feel confident you can then transfer to the real game and pit your wits against the dealer, aiming for that big cash prize.

Fun for Free

Even experienced online video punters sometimes find themselves playing on free games. Free video poker allows them to have fun and try out new tactics without any financial repercussions.

Check out these links to recommended online casinos, all offering free video poker.