Playing Online Poker

For the casual gambler who enjoys poker, but could care less to sit down to live action at a table, casinos offer the “next best thing” in the form of video poker. Easy to learn and easy to play, it is now even easier to find video poker through nearly every online casino. Online video poker comes in a familiar face and brand, offering the video poker aficionado the same opportunity they can enjoy at a brick and mortar establishment. Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild and other favorites are available for enjoyment and profit. For players who are into similar games with new twists, there's no better place to enjoy video poker than online. 



Playing Online  Poker


Playing online poker presents most of the same play options that are available when sitting down to a machine in a brick and mortar casino. For the online poker beginner, online casinos allow the option to play for free. Being able to learn games for free is the best way to determine whether or not the game could become profitable if money is deposited. Playing for free is also the best way to make a strong strategy at video poker a habit. 

When shopping around for online video poker machines, pay careful attention to the payout lines. Some of the better games to choose from are any that offer a 9/6 payout, credits based on hitting a full house/flush. There are several Double Bonus machines that offer 10/7 line, yet don't necessarily offer as frequent a payout as a standard such as Jacks or Better. 



Online Video Poker Strategy


Though online poker games isn't an incredibly difficult game to play, it can be a difficult game to gain a profit without a decent play strategy. Strategy will vary based on game rules and potential plays, but when playing any machine, be sure to play maximum credits per hand. This is especially true if playing a promotional machine or a progressive machine. You can't hit any jackpots without playing maximum credits. While monster hands will still offer some payout playing less than maximum credits, yet earning the bucks that makes online video poker worth playing come from multiplying those bets. 

In most online video poker games, every card can be discarded for a draw. Keeping this in mind, you never want to marry a starting hand, unless it is a made hand, guaranteed to pay. Just as a solid poker player would draw to the strongest potential hand at a table, that's the same principle of video poker. If there is nothing in a starting hand that offers potential, take 5 new cards. This is a flawed example, because each game will play with its own set of rules, yet the principle of playing for a strong hands is the way to profit when playing online video poker.

Contributed by: 
Daniel Smith
Pokerjunkie.com